Michael Morlan is a director of photography and director in Austin, Texas. He has been actively involved in industrial, commercial, and narrative production since 1988 when he got his start as a 3D animator for a large architectural firm in Houston and quickly took on the roles of editor, director, and producer.
After a couple years as a freelance animator, Michael moved to Austin in 1995 to work as a writer, director, and animator for Origin Systems, a computer game developer. He got serious about building a narrative film career in 1996 when he attended a local film production seminar taught by Steve Mims and lit his first 16mm film. He still proudly sports a frame from that first film on his business card. Since then, Michael has shot, lit, written and directed a variety of short-form productions – and learned a lot along the way.
As a member of the Austin Film Society's Speaker's Bureau, Michael conducts seminars on lighting for those new to the craft, as well as writes an occasional article on various aspects of film and video production.