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FOR PRODUCERS & AGENCIES
A Maui cinematographer on your call sheet.
I'm Miah Idema — a cinematographer, camera operator and editor based in Haʻikū, Maui. Fifteen years of documentary, brand and action-sports work, on digital, on film and in the water. I work as a director of photography for visiting productions across Hawaiʻi, and as a local hire who counts toward your 80%.
Available to visiting productions across Hawaiʻi as a local hire.
Hiring local is worth 5% on your credit
Hawaiʻi's production credit is 27% on the Neighbor Islands — Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi — against 22% on Oʻahu. Since the start of 2026, productions whose workforce is at least 80% local hires earn a further 5%. On Maui that's 32%, on a minimum qualified spend of $100,000.
I'm a Maui resident with the documentation the state asks for, so I count toward that 80%. Practically, that means comparing my day rate against a mainland DP's rate plus airfare, plus per diem, plus whatever it costs you to slip under the threshold.
The Hawaiʻi Film Office has the current rules and forms. I'm crew, not an accountant — but I'll fill out whatever your production accountant needs.
PLAYA GRANDE, COSTA RICA
WATER HOUSING
WHERE I WORK
Island-wide, and off-island when it’s called for
Based in Haʻikū, on Maui's north shore. I work island-wide — Hāna, Upcountry, Kīhei, Lahaina, Kapalua — and I know which roads cost you an hour and which locations need a permit from Maui County.
MAUI · HAʻIKŪ · HĀNA · UPCOUNTRY · KĪHEI · KAPALUA
Regular work on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. Off-island and international travel is planned into a project, never a surprise line item.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS · MAINLAND · INTERNATIONAL
ROLES
What I do on set
CAMERA
Director of photography & camera operator
Lighting and camera for documentary, commercial and branded work. I build the look with the director, run the camera myself on smaller packages, and bring a gaffer and AC when the job needs them. Second camera and second unit too — I'm used to slotting into an existing crew on day one.
WATER
In the water
Swim work with my own housing — surf, paddle, snorkel and shoreline. I shoot Maui ocean brands regularly, which mostly means knowing which breaks work on which swell and when to get out.
POST
Editor
Post from a Hawaiʻi shoot or from anywhere. Long-form documentary, 60-second brand spots, vertical cutdowns. Clients include Subaru, Dometic, Reef and Wilderness Collective. Remote and ongoing arrangements welcome.
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