Charles Schaefer is an LA native, award winning Gaffer with over 6 years of experience in the film and television business. His love for cinema is powered by an early fascination for visual art, light, and story that is fueled by his passion for engineering. 

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A graduate from the Cal State Northridge Film and Television program, with a concentration in Virtual Reality, Charles studied a broad range of new mediums while simultaneously working as a professional in the film and television industry. As a freshman at CSUN, Charles worked as a cinematographer and editor on productions for Telepictures, Warner Bros, and ITV. At 19, he taught filmmaking classes at the Los Angles High School, Harvard Westlake, where he fostered creative partnerships with the Los Angles Museum of the Holocaust and domestic violence awareness groups, creating live action PSA’s, short films, and several documentaries with them. In the midst of all these creative endeavors, he continued to direct and produce music videos for artists across all genres - with viewership in the millions. Upon graduation at age 21, Charles moved to New York to work for CBS Network as a cinematographer, filming over 35 hours of “48 Hours,” “48 NCIS,” and one of their newest flagship series, “Whistleblower.” After covering stories in 46 states while running all digital media operations on the road for over one year, Charles returned to his hometown of Los Angeles to form his own company, Streamwave, that combines his narrative storytelling skills with his first love, music.

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Charles has extensive experience in all areas of the filmmaking process. He has assisted and edited traditional commercial productions for clients such as Universal Studios, Chevrolet, Tidal, Hot Wheels, Travalocity, and Ferarri.

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Charles is involved in every step of production from pre-pro, to shooting - through post production. With a solid foundation in cinematography, he is an expert adaptor of digital technology and works with any digital camera format including RED, Arri, Sony, Cannon, and Panasonic.

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A enthusiastic collaborator who works in multiple genres, Charles adapts his style to the unique tone of each script. Whether the scene calls for a high-key, natural, or a dark and moody temper; Charles helps his artistic team to interpret the words on the page and deliver the visual art of the story in a new and inspiring light.