Working as Director of Photography on Making a Serial Killer

I spent a lot of time working as a Director of Photography on two episodes of the show Making a Serial Killer, a true crime series that explores the stories and backgrounds of serial killers. One of the murders took place in the Atlanta area and around North Georgia. I also traveled to Tampa to film for an episode about a separate case that happened there.

For both episodes, I filmed multiple interviews, walk-and-talks, and B-roll. One unique request was to capture POV shots from the perspective of the killer. I used a handheld camera setup and did my best to make it feel like you were seeing the world through the murderer’s eyes. A few times I even had to climb into a bush to re-create a moment when the killer was stalking someone. I traveled all over the mountains of North Georgia filming B-roll footage, this serial killer was an avid hiker. The director of the show really enjoyed working with me and ended up writing a very kind recommendation, which I’ve included at the bottom of this post. I’ve also shared links to both episodes of the shows and interview stills if you would like to check that out.

At this point in my career, I’m very experienced working on true crime shows, and the process of filming them has become second nature. Still, this episode stood out because of how disturbing the killer’s story was. I got completely wrapped up in the case while speaking with detectives. These interviews can get very intense, people often become emotional when recounting their experiences.

The final interview I filmed for the Atlanta episode was with the killer’s former boss. He had firsthand stories that were both terrifying and fascinating. It felt like he was reliving those events as he told them, and it was captivating to watch. I actually have a creepy and kind of funny story from that interview, which I’ve written at the bottom of this post if you’re interested.

After wrapping the first episode, I was asked to travel to Tampa for another. This case was about a man who had been shooting people at random in the street. Because the crew wanted nighttime footage from locations where the crimes happened, I requested security. They hired someone to accompany me and as it turns out, the guy they brought on was the uncle of one of the victims. He drove me around Tampa and shared all sorts of personal insights, including local rumors that never made it into news reports. It was eerie hearing those stories while filming in the same places where the crimes occurred. I really felt like I was part of this story in some way.

Now for the scary story. For some reason, creepy things always seem to happen when I’m filming true crime shows. While we were interviewing the killer’s former boss, he started telling a particularly intense story about how the killer called him while on the run and threatened him. Right in the middle of that moment, I heard a knock at the door. It was nighttime, and we were filming inside an Airbnb. At first, I thought I imagined it—then the knock came again, louder. The interviewee heard it this time too.

To get proper eyeline to the producer I placed my laptop on top of a large vase, the producer was connected through a zoom call. When I jumped up in a panic, I knocked the laptop over and cut the call. The last thing the producer saw was the interviewee looking scared and heard us talking about someone being at the door, followed by a crash. Understandably, he assumed the worst.

I went to the door and looked through the glass on the door and saw a man standing there. He wouldn’t respond when I tried talking to him. The interviewee came up and tried to help, but the man stayed silent. We didnt know what to do, the interviewee told me he wished he had his gun. Eventually the guy at the door quickly and angrily held up a lightbulb box to the window. I jumped back as he did. Our best guess is that he was someone sent by the Airbnb host, but the timing and his behavior were creepy. He never spoke to us once, making it much more scary than it needed to be. After he walked off, we went around the house locking every door and window and checking to see if he was still outside. Loading out my gear that night was nerve wracking.

I don’t know why, but it really does seem like strange things always happen when I’m filming these shows. Here is the recommendation the lead producer wrote for me: “Chris Kimling excels in adapting to challenges, elevating every shot to a phenomenal level. In our true crime series' remote production, he seamlessly managed the on-ground environment, fostering a comfortable atmosphere for contributors. His meticulous attention to detail is evident in well-lit, thoughtfully crafted shots. Chris's expertise extends to consistently on-point sound production, and he interprets direction with exemplary skill. Filming in unpredictable settings, he takes charge of direction on the fly, ensuring a dynamic process. Chris exceeds expectations, demonstrating a keen understanding of collaboration, actively engaging with subjects to enhance overall output. Ultimately, Chris Kimling's standout quality is his diligence, consistently delivering high-quality results, understanding that the devil is in the detail”

Luke Hanrahan - Producer, First Look TV

Here is the episode I filmed in Atlanta area and North Georgia:

Here is the episode I traveled to Tampa to film:

These are detectives:

This is the boss of the killer:

And here is the vase I had my computer set up on: