MAXIMILIAN SCHMIGE | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Maximilian Schmige is a Los Angeles based cinematographer whose dynamic, multi-faceted background spans narrative, documentary, episodic television and international productions. He is originally from Berlin Germany with German and Finnish roots, and grew up in the film industry as the son of the renowned German screenplay writer Hartmann Schmige. He studied film history and film theory at UC Santa Barbara and received his MFA in cinematography from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

His credits include the Saturn Award nominated sci-fi series Pandora on The CW, the award-winning documentary feature film Long Promised Road on Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys, and the feature film Where Did the Adults Go?, a family drama directed by Academy Award nominated Courtney Marsh. He shot the highly successful vertical micro-drama series Every Sunday Run to You, which has surpassed 50 million views. Commercial work includes fitness brands, food, lifestyle, healthcare, industrial, casino and more.

His non‑fiction work includes filming with artists such as Nelly, gospel artist Tamela Mann, and singer Ricky Martin; sports documentary films for NBC Sports; multi‑cam competition series like DragRace Germany for Paramount+; 2nd unit DP work on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds; and additional photography for televised specials including Toby Keith’s American Icon memorial event for NBC.

Music video work includes European artists such as Booba, Superbus and Jenn Ayache, which have collected over 150 million views on YouTube. He received a Berlin Music Video Award Nomination for Best Cinematography for Asaf Avidan’s video Over Me Head video. 

He has extensive travel experience across the US and international such as in Australia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Greece, India, Jordan, Mexico, Malaysia, Norway, and Serbia. His work has been aired by NBC, CBS, The CW, National Geographics, Paramount Plus, BET, TV One, Fox, NBC Sports, and many more.