10 Tips to becoming a professional film maker (that might piss some people off)

[Andrew Luczenczyn]

I know there are some younger filmmakers on this board that might enjoy this.

10 Tips to becoming a professional filmmaker ( that might piss you off)

[Julio Quintana]

Andrew, I can't seem to find anything you've shot anywhere. What kind of work do you do and how can we see it?

[Andrew Luczenczyn]

I'm still quite new on the scene. Partly I produce, partly I'm cinematographer. And yes, thats a weird combination.

I've worked in the electrical department here or there on union shoots, but most of my experience is working as a beginning cinematographer for the last 3 years. So most examples are either in festivals, in judging or in editing phases. I've only just really started in my journey as filmmaker and business owner, so the real intention on my blog is to help other young film makers, learn the same stuff that I have to learn myself.

But I got my first IMDB credit for a short I shot almost two years ago, and I've got some more slowly pouring in.

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

I don't fully agree with the DSLR one, you have a point with all the auto whats its but the truth is if you are shooting auto on a dslr then your going in the wrong direction to begin with, switch everything to manual mode and experiment with the settings until you understand what everything is, it's also a good way to get to know your lenses better. Personally I shoot with an ex1r but thats because filmmaking has taught me that getting good sound is slightly more important then "Ooooh look how shallow my depth of field is"
I do agree that you are better to learn shooting on film than picking up a DSLR but for many, myself included this is much easier said then done.

[Peter Strietmann]

I like your first tip.

[Jeremiah Kuehne]

All advice can be useful for a wannabe cinematographer like me. However, as of now I will be sticking with my Mark iii. Only being 17 and all, I have a few years to play around and learn before I need some serious pro gear.

[Matthew Scott]

All advice can be useful for a wannabe cinematographer like me. However, as of now I will be sticking with my Mark iii. Only being 17 and all, I have a few years to play around and learn before I need some serious pro gear.

A mark III in the right hands can get serious pro results....don't ever limit your capabilities based on what gear you have or don't have.

[Jeremiah Kuehne]

A mark III in the right hands can get serious pro results....don't ever limit your capabilities based on what gear you have or don't have.

I'm doing all that I can to learn and get better every day. :)

[George Butterfield]

Good points. Shooting on film? I don't know about that one. I got my film experience as a Student of the Ansel Adams School of Fine Art Photography (Still Photography) and with my own darkroom of course, so I don't need Motion Film experience. I have noticed that some people just starting on Video, i.e. with no film experience, have some conceptual "holes" in their paradigm.

[Tim Whitcomb]

4 D's is all you need to good story telling. the tools and such are best left to the brilliant people who wield them. I think its important to UNDERSTAND what you
wrote but being a jack of all and master of none often leads to mediocrity. Film is primarily a collaborative medium. empower others to do their best
and the results seldom disappoint.

Discovery
Deliberation
Decision
Doing

so simple, yet oh so hard. Prometheus is an EPIC fail in the above. Alien is a masterpiece example of the above.