I'm a cinematographer living in Berlin and part-time in Los Angeles. I'm Brazilian-American, grew up in NJ, studied in Chicago, studied more in LA and began my career there, and am now on a new adventure living in Europe.

I love to travel, and what I enjoy most is getting to know locals from the places I visit. Recently I've started traveling on bicycle tours, which is a very special way to see a country compared to traveling by car, plane or train.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a great way to get to know new people and see new places from the perspective of the people who live there.

Interests

As a cinematographer I shoot independent long- and short-films, music videos, commercials and documentaries. If you like, you can see some of what I do on my website, leighunderwood.com. I like movies of (almost) every genre, and directors from Krzysztof Kieślowski to Stephen Spielberg. Photography is a personal hobby and I enjoy documenting my travels as photography projects. I also play some piano and have a passion for music. I'm happy to chat with about either filmmaking or photography, or jam with other musicians on a keyboard.

• photography
• music festivals
• festivals
• film festivals
• cooking
• movies
• traveling
• music
• live music
• piano
• filmmaking
• cinematography

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - classic rock, blues, indie rock, electronic, classical, 80s synth, soundtracks: Chopin, Arcade Fire, The Beatles, Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Kurt Vile, Mississippi Blues, Rodriguez, Simon & Garfunkel, Beirut...

Movies - Krzysztof Kieślowski, Derek Cianfrance, Michel Gondry, Jeff Nichols, Jim Jarmusch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, Charlie Chaplin, Wong Kar Wai, Wes Anderson, Sophia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, on and on and on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent two weeks living and shooting a documentary in a township outside Cape Town, South Africa.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to show you how to play a Coldplay song on the piano, or how to get the best possible pictures out of your camera.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I enjoy cooking and can make a tasty curry or pasta dish. I'm a very relaxed, friendly, easy conversationalist and we can chat about all sorts of topics, from music to psychology and philosophy to movies and art. I'm a lover of a good beer or a whiskey cocktail. If you are in my city, I love showing new people around my favorite spots!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States