About
Eric Daft
Director · cinematographer · editor
Eric is a cinematographer and editor who values well-crafted compositions, dramatic light and the unique details he calls magic moments. He makes beautiful, intelligent work that serves the client’s goal first, and he is as comfortable in the wilderness as in a city or a studio.
He has filmed renowned athletes, musicians, royalty, politicians and Indigenous communities in their everyday lives, as their real selves. He has lived in eastern Idaho for more than 25 years and spent 12 of them as Director of Productions at Fisher Creative before founding Free Range Films.
I want to top expectations. I want to blow you away.
Field credentials
Comfortable Where Most Crews Turn Around.
Altitude and snow
- Multiple 6,000-meter ascents
- Several Mount Everest expeditions
- Ski mountaineering in the Tetons, Andes, Canada and Valdez, Alaska
- Avalanche Level 2 certification
- Rock climbing to 5.10, 30-mile days across the Teton Range
In the air
- FAA Part 107 remote pilot, recurrent training current
- DJI Inspire 3 and Mavic 3 Pro
- Helicopter and small-plane aerials around the world
On rivers and at sea
- Confident class IV whitewater paddler
- At home in rivers and open ocean
- Snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft
In the edit bay
- Music-informed editing, licensed tracks or original score
- Color, captions and multi-platform delivery
- Organized more than 500 TB of footage for a whole team
Favorite moment, so far
A T-Rex Claw in the Gobi.
Documenting an Explorers Club archaeological expedition in Mongolia, Eric stumbled over a T-Rex claw the size of his hand. That is the job in one sentence: be ready, keep rolling, look down once in a while.
A badass snowboard athlete, in a not-so-former life.
National Geographic’s Expedition Everest, Amazon’s World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, the Infiniti Gobi Expedition, and award-winning documentaries including A Rally for Rangers, Myanmar: Bridges to Change and Soundtrek Everest with Paul Oakenfold.
The kit
Chosen for the Job, Packed for the Trip.
Cameras
- RED Epic-W, RED Gemini
- Sony FX9, FX6, FX3
- Sony A1, A7S III, A7 IV, A7R IV
- Canon C300, Canon 5D
Lenses and support
- Zeiss cinema lenses
- Sony G Master lenses
- Movi Pro and DJI RS3 Pro gimbals
- Dynamic Perception and Syrp motion-control time-lapse
Sound and light
- Sound Devices 633
- Schoeps CMIT 5U shotgun
- Wireless lavaliers, Zaxcom QRX200
- Tentacle timecode
- Light and Motion 10,000-lumen portable lighting
Comms and safety
- Satellite phones
- Garmin inReach
- VHF radios and GPS
Work together
Bring the Hard Shot.
Cliff edges, whitewater, 5 a.m. alpenglow. Send the bid request with locations and call times.