# Michael Rotiroti — Director of Photography, Camera Operator & Editor

> Emmy Award winning freelance director of photography, camera operator, and editor based in Boston, Massachusetts, available throughout New England and New York. Winner of the 2024 News & Documentary Emmy (Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary) and the duPont-Columbia Award for HBO's "Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning."

## Who

Michael Rotiroti is a Boston-based freelance cinematographer and editor with 150+ productions completed. Five-time Emmy nominee, one Emmy win. Credits include HBO's Murder in Boston (director of photography, camera operator, gimbal operator), MTV's 16 and Recovering (RFK Human Rights Award for Journalism, 2021), Netflix's Don't Look Up, Apple TV+'s Spirited, Discovery Channel's Sacred Cod, and FX's American Horror Story, plus recent broadcast work for NBC Sports Boston (Cardillo's World) and NESN (Dirty Water Media). He is also Media Production Manager at Boston University's College of Fine Arts and an award-winning sports, product, and portrait photographer (Boston Press Photographers Association winner). BFA in Photography, Endicott College, 2020.

## Services

Freelance video production for hire: documentary production and cinematography, commercial and brand video, live event and concert coverage, higher education and nonprofit video, video editing, color grading, motion graphics, and photography. Clients include HBO, MTV Films, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston University, Lesley University, Boston Public Library, The USO, and The Trustees. Service area: Boston, Greater Boston, Massachusetts, New England, and New York. Gear includes Canon C300 Mark III and Panasonic EVA1 cinema cameras, full lighting and grip kit, gimbal stabilization, and a Mac Studio edit suite (Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve).

## Pricing

Filming day rates start at $1,200/day for the ENG package, $1,500/day for the interview package, and $2,100–$2,650+/day for a 2-camera interview package. Half-day and under-3-hour rates are available. Editing starts at $700 (a 2-day minimum) and scales to about $5,500 for a 35-minute edit; social cutdowns are $250 per 30-second video; every edit includes color grading, sound polish, and one free revision round. Every project is quoted individually with a transparent, itemized estimate. A 50% retainer books the date; the balance is due at delivery. There is an interactive estimate builder at https://michaelrotiroti.com/pricing.html.

## Contact

Email: film@michaelrotiroti.com
Website: https://michaelrotiroti.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrotiroti
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rotirotim/

## Key Pages

- [Home: films & video portfolio](https://michaelrotiroti.com/): documentaries, commercial, live events, education work, career stats and awards
- [Services & hiring info](https://michaelrotiroti.com/services.html): what he shoots, how hiring works, FAQ with rates and booking lead times
- [Pricing](https://michaelrotiroti.com/pricing.html): how estimates are built (shoot days, crew, gear, travel, post), payment terms, 50% retainer, common project packages
- [Kit & gear](https://michaelrotiroti.com/gear.html): owner-operator package with Canon C300 Mark III, Panasonic EVA1, broadcast B4 glass, wireless video feeds, audio, lighting, and Mac Studio edit suite
- [Murder in Boston project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/murder-in-boston.html): his role on the Emmy-winning HBO documentary series
- [16 and Recovering project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/16-and-recovering.html): his crew and post roles on MTV's RFK Award-winning documentary series
- [Encounters with 'Eternal Presence' project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/encounters-eternal-presence.html): director of photography for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston short film on John Wilson's sculpture
- [Winslow Homer: A Legacy in Watercolor project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/winslow-homer-watercolor.html): freelance boom operator / location sound (RØDE NTG3B shotgun mic) for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on this half-day gallery shoot
- [Sculpture Study art film series](https://michaelrotiroti.com/sculpture-study.html): a fine art film series Michael built, shot, and edited for a private New England art collector, screening alongside rare cast iron sculptures (including an articulating lobster and a gold-and-diamond fountain with a working pump) as they toured museums and institutions across the country (includes embedded video)
- [The Summer Stroll project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/summer-stroll.html): ENG camera operator (camera, sound, and B-roll) for Dirty Water Media's 2026 summer series airing on NESN; covered the Newport RI kickoff at The Landing
- [Cardillo's World project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/cardillos-world.html): editor on two episodes and then Director of Photography for Cardillo's World, a sports and lifestyle program premiering on NBC Sports Boston in September 2026
- [Cardillo's World: Freedom x Cardillo Collab, Cardillo Goes to South Korea (Part 1)](https://michaelrotiroti.com/cardillos-world-korea-ep1.html): part one of the two-part Freedom Whatever collaboration, where Cardillo's World heads to South Korea, which Michael stepped in to edit for the show (re-cut for quality and branding consistency) with additional filming
- [Cardillo's World: Freedom x Cardillo, Korea Comes to Boston (Part 2)](https://michaelrotiroti.com/cardillos-world-korea.html): the second installment of the collaboration with South Korea's Freedom Whatever brand, which Michael edited to network standard (with custom branded motion graphics) after four prior editors could not
- [Cardillo's World: Remember the Hulk](https://michaelrotiroti.com/cardillos-world-remember-the-hulk.html): a standalone Cardillo's World tribute to Hulk Hogan (a lifelong friend of Steve Cardillo) that Michael edited and shot as Director of Photography
- [World Cup at Clery's project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/clerys-world-cup.html): ENG camera operator (camera, sound, and B-roll) for Dirty Water Media at Clery's in Boston, covering the USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup Round of 32 watch party (July 1, 2026) for Dirty Water TV on NESN
- [BU to Colombia project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/bu-to-colombia.html): director, producer, and editor of the BU College of Fine Arts documentary on voice students at the 61st Popayán International Music Festival in Colombia
- [Boston University College of Fine Arts Tour project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/bu-cfa-tour.html): director of photography and graphic designer on an immersive campus tour film of BU's College of Fine Arts (movement studios, Booth Theatre, painting facilities), shot on a Canon C300 and DJI Ronin RS2 with an Insta360 stairwell drop rig and a DJI Mavic 3 (includes embedded video)
- [CRISPR Office Design Walkthrough project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/crispr-office-walkthrough.html): camera operator, gimbal operator, and gaffer on a cinematic walkthrough of a CRISPR gene-editing company's office designed by LLM Designs (an Above Summit production shot on a Canon C70) (includes embedded video)
- [Why I Ride project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/why-i-ride.html): segment editor and segment graphics editor on Why I Ride, the closing segment of WBZ Boston's Pan-Mass Challenge program (produced by Snowcap Productions) — a three-minute short cut from three cancer-survivor interviews and archival photos (airing August 2026, no public video yet)
- [Lauren Mahoney project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/lauren-mahoney.html): director of photography and editor of the BU film following voice student Lauren Mahoney's national anthem performances at TD Garden, Fenway Park, and the St. Patrick's Day Parade
- [David Guzmán & The Leopoldo Quintet project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/david-guzman-leopoldo-quintet.html): director and camera operator for the live performance film of tenor David Guzmán's Argentine tango and Colombian Andean music program at Boston University
- [The TD 25M Ad project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/td-25.html): lead camera operator and lead editor on The TD 25M Ad, a commercial produced with Above Summit (includes embedded video)
- [Converse Theory Ad project recap](https://michaelrotiroti.com/converse.html): camera operator, producer, and editor on the Converse Theory Ad, a concept spot reimagining the Converse brand, shot on a Blackmagic Pocket 4K (includes embedded video)
- [Photography portfolio](https://michaelrotiroti.com/photography.html): sports, product, and portrait photography
- [About & contact](https://michaelrotiroti.com/about.html): bio, awards, gear list, contact form