Colleague director Anna Melikyan described Russian cameraman and director Pavel Kapinos as a prolific figure who starred in many notable films and television projects, passing away at 49. The news was shared via a messaging channel. They collaborated on the film “8,” featuring Evgeniy Tsyganov and Ingeborga Dapkunaite.
“I can hardly sleep tonight. I keep looking at the photos from the shoot of my saddest movie, “8.” Those shoots were full of fun and honesty. In the image beside us is our most talented and striking cameraman, Pasha Kapinos. He is among the best operators in the country, incredibly talented. His work and the glow of his images came about naturally, through playful banter, constant laughter, and my ongoing pleas for the actors not to break into laughter,” Melikyan shared.
Melikyan noted that Kapinos died of a heart attack on February 1.
“You never know where and when a heart attack might strike, and where a path begins. Everything is fragile”, she stated, and added, “We express our condolences to Pasha’s family.”
Actress Daria Dostal confirmed Kapinos’s death, though she did not provide further details, saying he was understandably hurt by the situation.
In an interview with socialbites.ca, Dmitry Dyachenko, who worked with Kapinos on “The Last Hero,” recalled his memories of the operator: “Pasha was incredibly talented and precise. He understood frame nuances better than most, adored the artists, and strove to make them look beautiful on screen. He never acted rudely or disrupted the process. His subtle approach consistently shone in his soft lighting choices. He loved life and carried positivity. He faced many challenges, yet he always brought joy and encouragement to others. It is a great loss for all of us. There are very few truly talented people.”
Attribution: socialbites.ca
Combined work and a large family
Pavel Kapinos was born on October 8, 1975. He studied at VGIK, in the camera department, under the guidance of Vadim Yusov. Over the course of his career, he shot more than 20 films, including Ilya Naishuller’s works “Naughty,” “Duhless 2,” “Hardcore,” “Kitchen,” and the ensemble projects “The Last Battle,” “The Last Hero: The Root of Evil,” and “The Last Hero: The Messenger of Darkness.” He also contributed to television series such as “Hotel Eleon,” “Unprincipled,” “Nomination,” “Dead Lake,” and “Singles.” Among his later projects was the fantasy comedy “Zhdun,” which was in production as a feature of Kapinos’s later years.
In a 2015 interview with ReelSource.ru, Kapinos spoke about his family life, noting that he and his wife Karina had six children.
“Family is crucial to me. When filming isn’t ongoing, I work full-time at home. It takes all my time and soul. It feels like the most important thing is to give something to others and not live only for oneself. That, perhaps, is the meaning of life. Professional satisfaction matters, but for a man both are essential. I manage to balance all of it, and that makes me happiest”, he said.
Kapinos believed the core of cinema lay in storytelling and character development, with visuals receding to the background. He embraced the VGIK motto: “It is better to make a good movie bad than a bad movie good.”
Besides his work as a cameraman, Kapinos wrote scripts and directed two films. In 2020, he directed the documentary “Isolation” and the short film “Farewell, Dear,” collaborating with Alexander Tsypkin and Ksenia Rappoport on the latter.