Sean Kelly

Sean Kelly (Skelly) is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles.

An LA native (born and raised in Santa Clarita), Sean grew up largely influenced by the history and spectacle of film. He was a flamboyant child, and would transmute his creativity into any medium readily available—photography, writing, art—thus leading him to creating images for the screen. 

A colorful personality, Sean loves to infuse color to subvert common visual techniques and breed a sense of abnormal normalcy. He thrives when he is able to ground the most otherworldly stories within his intricate frames,  providing a realistic mindset to make sense of a surrealist space. He does not necessarily feel tied down by a genre, but is instead inspired by stories of family (tumultuous and harmonious), multi-generational dynamics, identity (queer, mixed-raced, Asian), and disability. Sean values artistic cohesion and collaboration within his work; he makes sure every creative decision first and foremost benefits the creative integrity of the project, while also relishing every opportunity to learn from his peers and crew members, because he views each set as a reason to grow creatively, socially, and professionally.

Sean graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies. While at Berkeley, he co-founded KOSMOS, a K-Pop dance cover team, where he was able to grow as not only a leader, but also a creative collaborator. He also had the opportunity to study abroad in Seoul, South Korea in the fall of 2021, an experience he will always cherish. Currently, he is recently graduated from Chapman University’s Dodge College, where he received an MFA in Film Production, with an emphasis in Cinematography. 

Sean is now residing in the Los Angeles area. In his free time, he loves to read, do the NYT crossword, swim, and watch movies and TV with his friends and family.