Looking for advice on getting into the world of cinematography

[brett ogden]

Hello my name is Brett Ogden I have been on reduser since last November, and I'd like to thank you all for the knowledge you have shared it has helped me a lot to understand the RED camera system. Since I've been a member Reduser I decided I would like to pursue a career in cinematography :-) So today I'd like to ask you how you got into cinematography and if you guys would share your stories on how you got into cinematography??? And if you guys had any tips and/or tricks on how to become A Cinematographer.


Thanks for your time


Brett ogden

[KETCH ROSSi]

This is a very long answer Brett, yet a short one is the one I'll give you now... ;)

I followed my dream since childhood, and paid dearly the consequences thru life, left everything I ever knew and loved to go to America and pursue such a dream,
done so past medical issues of major proportions, and stil batling them today, yet I stand the happiest man alive, as I am leaving my dream.

Pursue your dreams, no matter what, PERSEVERE no matter to that end, and you will never look back!!


The longer answer will have to wait till I post it on my blogs, once our site gets revamped out of the New MASSIVE Server, but now I'm on a trip to NY and Brazil... ;)

[brett ogden]

Thank you so much for your story it means a lot for a little guy like me to have someone take the time out of their day to post.


Brett Ogden

[Jack Shanahan]

Work at a camera rental house, work as a PA, get on set any way you can.

Pick up camera and shoot, shoot some more and shoot again.

Networking, self-teaching, persistence, and tenacity.

Offer a helping hand to people you want to emulate.

Good luck!

[brett ogden]

Thanks for the kind words Jack right now I'm trying to get contacts,network and get my foot in the door.


Brett Ogden

[Timur Civan]

Was an artist, shot some video art, got hired for a music video, producer asked if I was available a couple days later, been there ever since.

[Joseph Hutson]

Some of the things that I live by and have helped me are:

The answer is no 100% of the time you don't ask.

I wouldn't have an EPIC right now. I wouldn't be in Dubai right now. The list can go on if I didn't ask some pretty crazy questions knowing that the least would happen to me is be told "No".

Don't be afraid of failure.

More times than not, it seems when I try some something new, success comes. When failure happens, I still learn new ways to not do something (learning what is "wrong" almost always teaches you how to get closer to "right"). "Trying" is a win-win situation.

Strive to surround yourself with the best...and if possible, try to emulate what the successful people are doing

Hanging out with only people on your level will not push yourself very quickly to a higher excellence which we should all be working towards. Growing up, I have not been the best person at explaining stuff out loud to people...but it's something I like and want to do more. What I have done to get over this is by listening intently to how people like Ted Schilowitz make their speeches. Observing what the best do can only make you better. I have been very fortunate to become great friends with a lot of the RED Team, and this I believe has a lot to do with why I am where I am now.

Perhaps the advice above is not necessarily the best advice for "cinematography" per se, but it has definitely shaped who I am as a person and has directly influenced my little bit of success in everything (including cinematography).

[Max Nguyen]

Honestly Joseph, your response is universal to any industry or endeavor. The need to grow, people skills and honing the craft.

Great post, my friend.

[PatrickFaith]

I think youtube shorts are a great way to get your feet wet, do TONS of shorts - great thing on youtube is it forces you to tell a Story in your Shots ... otherwise you won't get hits. I kind of think of youtube shorts (i.e. under 2 minute films) as what we use to do with small super 8 reels, but it's way better. Also you don't feel like you need uber equipement for youtube's, so allows you experiment while slowly upgrading your equipment. I BTW think studying computer science, robotics and physics are great backgrounds for modern film makers, as well as painting. The main thing is just to shoot a lot ... i mean like thousands of hours.

[Phil Holland]

I agree pretty much 100% with what others have said. One thing I would strongly recommend is work on your photography and cinematography in general. Seems obvious, but push yourself very hard to get better and produce quality imagery. The better you get the odds are when you're in the right situation others will be able to trust you with their project if they can feel confident in your abilities. I got my first motion picture work because somebody said "Phil is good with a camera". Literally. Exact words.

Studying art is something I feel is mandatory, but others may feel differently. There's a lot more to composition than the "rule of thirds". Focus on composition, color theory, and storytelling. If a painter can tell an entire story in a single frame, there might be a lot to learn from that.

Be accepting to critique and comments. Especially if you can receive it from your peers. I have several individuals I would consider mentors in my life and my career. Their guidance and advice helped push me along. Extremely valuable if you can find individuals willing to invest that time in you.

If you have the opportunity, when working on set and under others with more experience I would recommend watching and listening like a hawk. That's been about the most useful thing I ever did. I learned a lot from working on features in other capacities and studying what other cinematographers and directors were doing to get the work done. No better way to learn in my opinion.