Visual

Storytelling

★ FROM PAGE TO SCREEN ★

DEVELOPMENT ➡ PRE-PRODUCTION ➡ SHOOT ➡ POST

★ FROM PAGE TO SCREEN ★ DEVELOPMENT ➡ PRE-PRODUCTION ➡ SHOOT ➡ POST

CREATIVE VISION

A fusion of crafts

Cinematography is the union of technical craft and artistic expression. It is the synthesis of all departments into one goal: telling a story.

I believe in merging the precision of modern technology with the soul of visual art. My work lives at the intersection of space, rhythm, light, and color - distilling these complex elements into a single, unified cinematic language.

Collaboration is my process.

My role as DP is founded on strong leadership skills, guiding my team to work in total lockstep with all departments to translate words on a page into a visual medium. I believe the Director-Cinematographer relationship is paramount to achieving that goal; I help turn a director’s vision into an executable, tangible reality — bringing images to life and moving an audience.

WATCH THE WORK

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WATCH THE WORK *

Featured
Raptus (2026)
Raptus (2026)

Feature Film

  • Sci-fi, Thriller

  • 1h 27m

  • Shot on Alexa Mini LF on K35 lenses

In the wake of a savage attack, Sarah Mathis orders a new form of android therapy called Raptus, and reveals a path to recovery with twisted surprises.

The Path of Totality (2024)
The Path of Totality (2024)

Feature Film

  • Released 2024

  • 1h 23m

  • Shot on Alexa Mini LF

Infusing the contained thriller with the outsized energy of pulp mystery, The Path of Totality follows Grayson Lee - a man condemned to death for a crime he doesn't remember - through the last eight hours of his life.

Trader (2022)
Trader (2022)

Feature Film

  • Thriller

  • 1h 24m

  • Shot on Alexa Mini LF

When a manipulative sociopath discovers her passion for stock market trading, she sets out to conquer the financial world, all from the confines of her basement apartment.

The Christmas Spirit (2023)
The Christmas Spirit (2023)

Feature Film

  • Released 2023

  • 1h 29m

  • Shot on Red Epic Dragon and Arri Signature Prime Lenses

A lone man with the Christmas Spirit trapped in his head must kidnap a teenage girl in order to save Christmas.

Boy City (2022)
Boy City (2022)

Feature Film

  • Comedy

  • 1h 25m

  • Shot on Alexa Mini LF

BOY CITY is the tale of a group of men in their mid-to-late-thirties who for almost two decades have been earnestly pursuing a career in the music industry as a late 90's, early 2000's style boy band.

It's All Sunshine and Rainbows (2023)
It's All Sunshine and Rainbows (2023)

Feature Film

  • Comedy

  • Released 2023

  • 1h 30m

  • Shot on Blackmagic Ursa 12K

Weather Professional Melonie Sunshine (Priyanka) returns home to set the family wedding business right. Her unexpected business partner, Nick Rainbow (Curtis Lovell), has other plans.

Watch the work

About

My name is Carl Elster, and I believe great cinematography is where technical precision meets emotional resonance. My journey began in Vancouver before I moved east to hone my craft at York University — earning my BFA in Film Production from York University, where I specialized in Cinematography and Producing. Today, I work as a filmmkaer and Director of Photography in Toronto, contributing to independent features like Raptus, Trader and Boy City, as well as a variety of web and short-form content, like commercials and music videos and short films.

I’m a firm believer in the power of collaboration. Through my production company Forever Epic Films, I work alongside a trusted network of creative partners including some of the most talented and diverse crews, studio facilities and equipment rental partners, bringing a versatile and technical toolkit to every frame. My goal is always the same: to tell a story that feels as good as it looks.

Filmmaker Resume
Credits\ DOP CV