THOMAS SCOTT STANTON is an award winning independent film director, producer and cinematographer with a unique artistic approach to storytelling and collaboration. His ability to capture powerful imagery while still focusing on the emotional context of the characters and story has garnered much attention as a filmmaker.
Recently he directed the film short MARE, filmed on Vashon Island, which has been garnering much attention for its beautiful cinematography and nuanced acting performances. His short film DELIÁ which he directed and edited won BEST SHORT FILM and BEST DIRECTOR at the New Hampshire Film Festival. He just finished work as a cinematographer on the western film, Unholy Trinity, with Samuel L. Jackson and Pierce Bronson. Netflix released the film LOVE & GELATO which he lensed for his frequent producing partner and collaborator, Brandon Camp. The film was shot in Rome and Florence Italy last summer. He previously lensed Brandon Camp's adaptation of BENJI for Blumhouse which was distributed by NETFLIX. GROWING UP SMITH, starring Jason Lee, had its world premiere at the International Seattle Film Festival and was selected as one of the top five features in the festival. His first feature film as a cinematographer, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER, had its world premiere at the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL to critical acclaim and is being distributed by Film Movement.
He is known as being an “actor’s filmmaker” who has worked with top talent including Jenna Ortega, Samuel L. Jackson, John Lithgow,, Tommy Lee Jones, Sydney Poitier, Jessica Chastain, Forest Whitaker, Jason Mamoa, Keifer Sutherland, Winona Ryder, and Adrien Brody amongst others.
A member of the DGA and I.A.T.S.E. LOCAL 600, Stanton resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters where he directs and produces independent film, television, and commercial projects through his production company AOK FILMS.
“CROWN VIC has a graceful visual consistency in DP Thomas Scott Stanton’s widescreen imagery, the slightly dreamy, color-rich nocturnal mood of which is like a toned-down version of the stylization in “Taxi Driver” or Michael Mann’s ’80s oeuvre.”
— DENNIS HARVEY - VARIETY
“Take Me to the River grabbed me, some combination of its gorgeous photography, Miller’s natural performance, and the alluring strangeness hanging in the air. Especially the bizarre, out-of-nowhere ending, which had me wondering if maybe I’d been watching a really dark comedy all along.”
— Richard Lawson - Vanity Fair
“Compositionally, “Take Me to the River” casts an atmospheric spell, recalling the pastoral, frenzied sexuality of Josephine Decker’s films “Butter on the Latch” and “Thou Wast Mild and Lovely.” Lensed by Thomas Scott Stanton, there are echoes of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” here also, and like that film, the slow-boiling dread plays out almost entirely in the daylight.”
— Ryan Lattanzio - Indiewire
“Cinematographer Thomas Scott Stanton captures beautiful images of rural tranquility — cornfields in the breeze, a cow in a meager patch of shade on a sweltering day, rustic red barns, sunflowers on a grassy hilltop.”
— David Rooney - Hollywood Reporter
“Despite the vast open space, lensed beautifully by Thomas Scott Stanton, the film is narratively claustrophobic, beautiful, disturbing and ripe with conflict from scene one without letting up until its potentially too on-the-nose release in its final scene. The material never quite plays out as you’d expect — this type of ambitious, personal filmmaking is what indie cinema should be about. While simply watching, observing and inviting us inwards to a reunion that proves to be emotionally disastrous, Take Me to the River provides a fresh and haunting perspective on the “family secrets” subgenre.”
— John Fink - The Film Stage
“Take Me to the River” covers a lot of ground in its 84-minute running time while taking cues from its expressive visuals. Long shots of the Nebraskan plains by cinematographer Thomas Scott Stanton speak to the aching isolation of the main character as he’s exiled to an outside barn for a night. With its lyrical approach to a deliberate pace, the movie develops a hypnotic effect even when deceptively little happens.”
— Ibad Shah - Indiewire
“The ingenuity of Sobel’s directing is complemented by cinematographer Thomas Scott Stanton, who represents the southern landscape in striking, foreboding detail. The way he captures images of a desolate nature, visually conveys the sense of isolation that permeates throughout the story.”
