Biography

Kai is a cinematographer from Germany, living and working in Los Angeles, CA since 2009.

He grew up on his father's commercial sets, which made him decide his career path at the age of 8. He has since shot several feature films, countless commercials and music videos, alongside other narrative projects.

On the narrative side he first gained recognition with "Unremarkable", a film lauded at festivals across the globe for which Kai's work was recognized with an ASC Heritage Award nomination for Best Cinematography.

"A piece that is, honestly, damn near perfect, Unremarkable looks terrific." - Jason Sondhi, SOTW

After a stint in the short form world, Kai's work focused on long form projects beginning with the documentary Wild Beauty (dir. Ashley Avis), a film shot over four years that took him and his crew down 20,000 miles of dirt tracks and off-road expeditions across 13 states in the American West. His work on Wild Beauty lead to Best Cinematography wins at Doc LA, Red Rock, Atlanta, and the Boston Film Festival.

"Wild Beauty is full of staggering beauty" - Joey Moser, Awards Daily

This lead to Breakwater (dir. James Rowe), a neo-noir thriller filmed in North Carolina. Kai's cinematography was singled out by several critics upon the film's release for its expressive neo noir lighting.

"The cinematography is killer" - Randy Myers SJM News

Kai's latest project, The Lamb (dir. Ashley Avis), a movie shot in the Saudi Arabian desert, will release in 2024. The film combines Kai's love for exterior and nature imagery with his lighting philosophy of "heightened reality".

Having shot countless short from projects over the years, Kai still loves the challenge of the commercial and music video space. He has shot projects for clients like Celine Dion, Ozuna, J. Balvin, Gatorade, Land Rover, and Delta among many more.

Kai is a graduate from the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI), the Metropolitan Film School in London, and Idyllwild Arts Academy.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kai Krause