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In Utility Poles, Oner Macit draws on the structures of its title to explore immigration, displacement and the changing nature of human existence. For the director, these interconnected networks offer both a visual starting point and a metaphor for the film’s collaboration. His conversation with Indie Shorts Mag moves between that philosophical outlook and the practical responsibilities of filmmaking: developing a visual atmosphere with director of photography Axel Hebert, giving actors room to inhabit their characters and bringing lessons from around nine years in intensive-care nursing onto the set. From his early filmmaking in Erzurum to his cinematography training in Los Angeles, Macit discusses how culture, technical craft and care for others inform his search for meaning through cinema.
Indie Shorts Mag: What was the creative starting point for Utility Poles, and what did you want to explore through its images?
Oner Macit: First of all, I would like to thank my wonderful cast and crew: Marlon Quezada, Axel Hebert, Julia Rose, Charlotte Bonn, Juliette Malykh, Rafy Sabry, Alex Choi, David Choi, Veronica Carranza Diaz, Sadek Rahman, Amita Sanchez, Yury Dvornitsyn, Connor Ahlstrom, Jason Daley, Eric Dion Kubal, Sarper Gökbulut, and Cihan Engin.
I truly appreciate everyone’s hard work, dedication, and creative contributions to Utility Poles. This film would not have been possible without their support and collaboration. The creative starting point for Utility Poles was our constantly changing planet. We live in a world where human suffering, environmental destruction, immigration, and postmodern challenges are always around us. These issues have deeply influenced my artistic perspective.
Thanks to philosophy and science, I have developed a way to understand, question, and recreate our universe through cinema. The actual utility poles were my visual starting point. They surround our planet, carrying enormous amounts of power and connecting distant places. In my film, these poles become metaphors for immigration, displacement, and various dystopian aspects of modern society.
Through the film’s imagery, I wanted to explore human existence and human nature from a philosophical perspective. My intention was not simply to tell a science-fiction story, but to encourage audiences to question their understanding of reality, humanity, and the world around them.
Ultimately, I believe that by confronting the darker side of human nature, we can begin to understand ourselves and others more deeply. For me, filmmaking is a philosophical exploration of what it means to be human.
Indie Shorts Mag: As the director of Utility Poles, how did you structure your preparation to give yourself room for creative decisions on set?
Oner Macit: First of all, I started by exploring actual utility poles along streets and between cities. The closer I got to them, the more fascinating they became. They were enormously tall, and I could clearly hear the sound of electricity running through them, even from a distance. These powerful visual and auditory impressions gradually merged with my inner world, my philosophical interests, and my personal experiences.
Once the story began to take shape in my mind, I started thinking about how to translate those ideas into cinematography. Of course, bringing such an ambitious visual concept to life was challenging, especially considering the technical difficulties and our limited budget.
Fortunately, thanks to my producer, Marlon Quezada, and our cinematographer, Axel Hebert, we found creative solutions to many of these challenges. Axel understood my visual intentions almost immediately whenever I explained what I had in mind. That artistic understanding made our collaboration much easier and gave us greater freedom on set.
With my background in both directing and cinematography, I was constantly thinking about lighting, composition, and how each image could communicate something beyond the dialogue. I believe visual storytelling offers endless possibilities, even with limited re
Our lead actress, Julia Rose, who is also a friend of mine, was another important part of this creative process. Having that personal connection helped create an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. The other members of our cast and crew, including Juliette, Charlotte, Eric, Rafy, Alex, and David, also contributed to creating the film’s distinctive atmosphere. Each of them understood what I was trying to communicate through the story and brought their own artistic interpretation to it.
Interestingly, I see a connection between our collaboration and the utility poles themselves. Just as utility poles carry energy across great distances through an interconnected network, every person involved in the film carried a different kind of creative energy. Each individual was unique, with a different perspective and responsibility, yet we were all connected by the same artistic vision. In a way, our filmmaking process became a reflection of the film’s central metaphor: seemingly separate elements forming a powerful, interconnected whole, much like human relationships and the electrical networks surrounding our world.
Ultimately, I wanted to prepare enough to establish a strong visual direction without limiting the creative possibilities that could emerge during filming. For me, preparation is not about controlling every detail. It is about creating the freedom to discover something unexpected on set.
Indie Shorts Mag: What guided your use of light and shadow in Utility Poles, particularly in deciding where to draw the viewer’s attention within a frame?
Oner Macit: My guide was clouds. Clouds always bring thoughts into my mind. They create a gloomy atmosphere that encourages deep thinking, emotions, and empathy. I connect this feeling with the philosophical concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Clouds diffuse sunlight and create soft light, but they also bring gray colors and shadows to the Earth. Especially during winter, gray colors cover the Earth and make human beings think more deeply about life, nature, and their emotions.
As the director of Utility Poles, that was the atmosphere I envisioned for the film. I wanted to express these feelings through lighting, color temperature, and shadows. My creative direction was focused on bringing that gloomy atmosphere into the images and using the natural softness of light to guide the viewer’s attention toward the emotions within the frame.
The relationship between colors, light, and shadows was an important part of my directorial vision. I wanted these visual elements to help establish the atmosphere of the story. For me, they are not simply technical choices but artistic tools for expressing thoughts and emotions through cinema.
When I discussed these ideas with Axel Hebert, our director of photography, I explained the visual atmosphere, emotional intentions, and philosophical ideas I wanted to communicate. Axel understood my vision and brought those ideas to life through his cinematography and technical expertise. As the director, my responsibility was to establish and guide the film’s artistic vision, while Axel translated that vision into images through his work behind the camera. Our collaboration allowed us to connect my philosophical approach to storytelling with the practical language of cinematography.
Indie Shorts Mag: How did you approach shot duration in Utility Poles, and what kind of rhythm did you want the audience to experience?
Oner Macit: My approach to shot duration was to let my actors take their time and merge with their characters, because each character has their own personality. The detectives are looking for answers, while the husband is looking for an answer to something he already knows. That is why I let them think during their performances, without rushing.
The rhythm was like a herringbone pattern because the past and present are in conflict, and time is not linear in the story. This uncertainty allows the audience to find something from their own lives while watching the film.
This choice also reflects a nihilistic approach, as the uncertain rhythm contains an existential search for meaning.
Indie Shorts Mag: You began making independent shorts while studying in Erzurum before pursuing specialist cinematography training in Los Angeles. How did that transition influence your understanding of what makes an image effective?
Oner Macit: For me, it is about searching for the meaning of life. Cities and places are more than just locations; every location contains stories. I am someone who searches for meaning, looks for stories, tries to understand them, and constantly asks questions. Different cultures and traditions offer many different perspectives on how we approach stories and filmmaking. Every director has their own way of making films because every individual is unique, with different personalities and experiences. I believe this uniqueness is what makes us valuable.
Moving from Erzurum to Los Angeles, I wanted to make my storytelling more professional and universal. My goal was to improve my technical knowledge of cinematography without losing my storytelling abilities or artistic identity. This transition helped me understand how to create images that can communicate with audiences from different cultures.
I also continue to use traditional motifs in my films. For example, the shaman in Utility Poles is one of these motifs. It was an artistic choice to merge traditional symbolism with utility poles, connecting history and modern civilization through visual storytelling.
For me, an effective image is not only about technical quality. It is about bringing together culture, history, philosophy, and cinematography to communicate something universal while preserving my own artistic perspective.
The structure of a story, the screenplay, and the final film are all stages in the evolution of storytelling. When a story becomes a film, it is different from what it was at the beginning. I believe an effective image is not simply what appears on the screen, but also the final image that audiences create in their minds after watching the film. Everyone can continue imagining and interpreting the story differently.
A story can be filmed again, remade, and reinterpreted over time, but the first image that forms in the audience’s imagination remains significant. That image becomes part of their understanding of the story and can influence how they perceive future versions of it. For me, that is what makes a cinematic image truly effective.
Indie Shorts Mag: What have your experiences as a gaffer on The Matchmaker and key grip on Gatekeeper taught you about communicating your intentions to the lighting and grip teams when you work as a cinematographer?
Oner Macit: I believe that as a filmmaker, cinematographer, and artist, you need to see the kitchen of the film industry. An artist should have empathy, logic, respect, and the ability to work with a team. Contemporary filmmaking is teamwork. A director or cinematographer must learn from others and work alongside them. These experiences bring different kinds of knowledge, and knowledge is power.
Especially for cinematographers, I believe it is important to work in different positions to understand the difficulties and limitations of each department. If you know your limits, you can be more creative and find solutions when you face problems on set. Experience is crucial because it helps you save time. Every filmmaker knows there is one thing you cannot buy, and that is time.
Working as a gaffer on The Matchmaker and key grip on Gatekeeper taught me how to use my time more efficiently and understand the practical challenges that lighting and grip teams face. These experiences also helped me communicate my creative intentions more clearly because I understand what is technically possible and what challenges the crew might encounter.
Another important aspect is safety and labor rights. I believe every director and cinematographer should experience these positions to understand safety requirements, working conditions, and the rights of crew members. These topics are very important to me. I always defend my team’s rights, respect their hard work, and appreciate their contributions. Lighting and grip are not easy jobs, and their responsibilities should never be underestimated.
Through these experiences, I learned not only technical skills but also how to become a more responsible and collaborative filmmaker. They helped me improve my cinematography abilities, communicate more effectively with my team, and understand that creativity, respect, safety, and teamwork are all connected.
Indie Shorts Mag: You spent around nine years working in intensive-care nursing, including responding to emergencies. How does that experience inform the way you establish priorities and communicate under pressure on a film set?
Oner Macit: My previous professional career was as an ICU nurse. I worked in many different departments, including anesthesia, reanimation, neurosurgery ICU, dialysis, internal medicine ICU, and operating rooms. I have touched so many lives throughout my nursing career, and I believe it is a priceless profession.
Working in a hospital requires the ability to work as a team, maintain strong discipline, communicate effectively, manage time wisely, and be extremely careful about every decision you make. It is not an easy job, and I believe it is more than just a profession. As I mentioned before, every person is unique and valuable, and everyone has their own story. Any mistake can be critical and lead to unwanted consequences.
During my nursing career, I started asking questions about the meaning of life. These questions gradually became deeper, and I continued searching for answers. Even today, I still ask myself many questions and continue searching for meaning.
When I decided to change my career, it was not an easy decision, but eventually, I made that choice. I still miss my previous profession. However, I am proud of the work I did, the people I helped, and the lives I touched. I loved my profession, and I carry those experiences with me.
I brought many of my professional abilities from nursing into filmmaking, especially discipline, responsibility, teamwork, communication, and time management. During emergency situations, when everyone around me was stepping back or beginning to panic, I learned to remain calm and look for solutions. This ability became almost instinctive. I learned to approach difficult situations bravely, use logic, and solve problems without allowing panic to control my decisions.
On a film set, I always consider safety first, followed by the needs of my crew, time management, and the creative requirements of the scene. Under pressure, I try to communicate calmly, clearly, and directly with my team, just as I learned to do while working in intensive care. I believe that understanding priorities and maintaining effective communication can prevent unnecessary problems and help everyone work more efficiently.
I genuinely care about my films, my crew, and my work. Ethics and respect are extremely important to me. I respect the privacy, individuality, and rights of my crew members and actors.
Pathos has always been part of my understanding of the world. I believe every single soul, spirit, and life is unique and valuable, and everyone needs an opportunity to express themselves. My nursing experiences taught me to recognize and respect that uniqueness.
These experiences have influenced not only my understanding of human life but also my approach to filmmaking. The discipline, teamwork, responsibility, and respect for human life that I learned through nursing remain important parts of who I am as a filmmaker. For me, filmmaking is another way of exploring human nature, understanding people’s stories, and questioning the meaning of existence. Many of the abilities and values I bring to cinema today come from my nursing career.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your master’s thesis examined the “modularized hero” in science-fiction cinema. What questions did that research raise for you about how a character’s identity can be expressed visually?
Oner Macit: That’s a good question. Thank you for asking. While I was working as a nurse, I was also studying film and completing my master’s degree. To answer this question, I would like to say clearly that my research represents a merging point between my filmmaking and nursing careers.
Our world is changing day by day, and human nature constantly seeks ways to live longer. Technologies are developing to serve human life, and individuals are adapting to these technologies to make their lives easier, smoother, and more comfortable.
In my thesis, I explored how cinema has already been showing us the future through science-fiction films. Individuals are becoming modularized, and this transformation already exists in cinema. However, modularization is different from the traditional concept of a cyborg.
For example, when a human receives a prosthetic arm or other medical implants, I do not believe these necessarily make that person a cyborg. These technologies are helping people live better lives. Ultimately, technological developments are creating new solutions to human problems. Projects such as Neuralink are being developed by scientists, opening new possibilities for addressing human limitations.
I see the term cyborg as carrying certain negative associations, while modularization can represent something more positive. It is about the transformation of human identity through technology. For me, this concept goes beyond humanism, posthumanism, modernism, and postmodernism. A new kind of individual is emerging.
This new individual already exists in cinema, and Rose, the character portrayed by Julia Rose in Utility Poles, is one of my artistic interpretations of this idea.
Through my research, I became interested in how cinema can visually represent these transformations. A character’s identity is not expressed only through dialogue or physical appearance, but also through their relationship with technology, their environment, and the world surrounding them. For me, the modularized hero represents a new way of questioning what it means to be human, and cinema gives us the possibility to explore that identity through images.
Indie Shorts Mag: When evaluating narrative films for Mental Filmness in 2025, what qualities in the visual storytelling made a film stay with you after viewing?
Oner Macit: Mental Filmness Film Festival focuses on portraying mental health conditions through cinema. My nursing and filmmaking careers helped me evaluate films at the festival, especially because I had worked with many different types of patients during my nursing career.
I realized that similar mental health issues exist all around the world, but every culture and tradition has its own unique way of expressing them through storytelling. I watched so many great films, and I believe all of them deserved recognition and awards. However, as a jury member, I eventually had to evaluate them according to certain criteria.
What stayed with me was how creatively filmmakers found ways to express their stories through visual storytelling. I was particularly impressed by German filmmakers and their approaches to storytelling and cinematic techniques. I noticed elements of German Expressionism in their visual language, while also seeing how they adapted and developed these techniques according to contemporary filmmaking requirements.
I believe this evolution of cinematic language deserves more attention from academics and researchers. It is fascinating to see how traditional filmmaking techniques continue to develop while allowing filmmakers from different cultures to express human experiences in their own ways.
For me, the films that stayed in my mind were those that found a unique visual language to express human emotions and experiences, especially when dealing with complex mental health subjects.
Indie Shorts Mag: What would you most like your next project to demand of you as a cinematographer that your previous work has not?
Oner Macit: Definitely, I would like to focus more on using and shaping light in my next project as a cinematographer. Light is a key factor in creating the atmosphere of a story and shaping its visual identity. Shaping light is also one of the processes we spend the most time on during production.
In my next project, I want to challenge myself to improve both my time management and the quality of my work. I would like to become more efficient in shaping light without compromising my artistic vision or the visual quality of the film.
The next challenge Macit identifies is practical: shaping light more efficiently while maintaining artistic quality. That goal sits alongside the larger questions running through his work—how identity changes, how people connect and how cinema can give form to those experiences. In Macit’s account, filmmaking depends on the care and respect shared across a crew as well as the image that eventually reaches an audience. Both remain part of his continuing search for what it means to be human.
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