Lazar Kekic Posted June 2 Posted June 2 Hello everyone, I'm writing to you today as a complete beginner with a deep and growing passion for the art of cinematography. I'm at the very beginning of my learning journey and currently have no professional gear to speak of. My primary tool is my Samsung A23, and I've been using the Super 16mm app to try and emulate the beautiful aesthetic of 16mm film, a format that I find incredibly inspiring. Unfortunately, owning a 16mm camera is not something I can afford at this moment, but I'm determined to learn and grow as a cinematographer with the resources I have available. I'm reaching out to this knowledgeable community to humbly ask for your guidance. I'm eager to build a solid foundation in the principles of cinematography and would be incredibly grateful for any book recommendations you might have for a beginner. I'm looking for titles that cover the fundamentals of lighting, composition, and visual storytelling. Furthermore, if you know of any websites, online courses, or forums that are particularly good for learning, I would love to hear about them. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I'm excited to learn from all of you and to one day contribute to this amazing craft.
Karim D. Ghantous Posted June 3 Posted June 3 I am not a DP, and I don't know if I ever will be one. However, I do know this: cinematography is mainly about light, and how to manage it. It's not literally everything, but it's the foundation. Understand that and everything falls into place. DPs don't ask, "Do I need a China ball?" Or, "Where do I put the China ball?" They ask, "What kind of light do I need here?" One thing I like to do is think about light and exposure wherever possible. Indoors, outdoors, evening, morning, etc. Take light readings with a light meter app on your phone. There are scenes where there is a huge difference between shadow and highlight, even if your eyes tell you otherwise. This podcast is a fun and useful resource: https://wanderingdp.com/category/podcast/ I recommend understanding the film business as a whole, from writing to marketing to producing and all the rest of the circus: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ Cooke Optics: https://cookeoptics.com/shot-on-cooke/tv-interviews/ One of my favourite magazines: https://theasc.com/american-cinematographer The AC's articles section, where you can read selected articles for free: https://theasc.com/american-cinematographer/articles/historical A little tip: negative fill is not talked about a lot, because it's the least sexy thing. The sexiest things are cameras, then lenses, then lights, then reflectors, then negative fill.
Premium Member Aapo Lettinen Posted June 3 Premium Member Posted June 3 16 hours ago, Lazar Kekic said: Hello everyone, I'm writing to you today as a complete beginner with a deep and growing passion for the art of cinematography. I'm at the very beginning of my learning journey and currently have no professional gear to speak of. My primary tool is my Samsung A23, and I've been using the Super 16mm app to try and emulate the beautiful aesthetic of 16mm film, a format that I find incredibly inspiring. Unfortunately, owning a 16mm camera is not something I can afford at this moment, but I'm determined to learn and grow as a cinematographer with the resources I have available. I'm reaching out to this knowledgeable community to humbly ask for your guidance. I'm eager to build a solid foundation in the principles of cinematography and would be incredibly grateful for any book recommendations you might have for a beginner. I'm looking for titles that cover the fundamentals of lighting, composition, and visual storytelling. Furthermore, if you know of any websites, online courses, or forums that are particularly good for learning, I would love to hear about them. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I'm excited to learn from all of you and to one day contribute to this amazing craft. You will need to craft some kind of yearly budget for your cinematography journey and choose your tools and upgrades based on that. You will need money to get forward but there is so many different paths that there will surely be lots of good options for all possible budget levels. You would need some kind of manual changeable lenses camera early on. For example a used digital camera (older dslr / mirrorless / used blackmagic camera etc) should work fine as a learning tool. Then some cheap old stills lenses or video lenses for the camera to cover the basic needs. I think a manual camera is a must because you can't get much forward with phone alone and need adjustment possibilities and removable lenses. The camera does not need to be expensive, if you for example have couple of hundred bucks you can get something pretty decent already which could be used for basic short films and tests. Some kind of very basic lighting kit would be needed too if wanting to learn cinematography. I would get used stands for cheap if possible, then having couple of different type lights. depends on what you do and what is available for cheap in your area. I would get at least a battery powered rgbw led tube, and some kind of fixture which generates sharp adjustable light for example a cob led fixture or old halogen fresnel etc. Then some third light which can be chinaball stuff or led mat or led panel or anything. Then some kind of foldable reflector and some kind of diffusion solution. Then making diy styrofoam reflectors/bounces and diy flags etc until you can afford factory made ones if you need them. Start with what you can afford, for example one light fixture and some used stands you get for cheap. then buy more stuff when having possibility and having learnt more so that you know better what is most urgently needed next. So I would start with a digital camera and get your lighting basics learnt first and getting the possibility to make your own small short films on digital. Digital because that allows you to make tests and shoot lots of material easily to learn quickly and get forward without waiting and film costs. when the moment is right you would have money saved to buy your first 16mm movie camera. If you are sure about the 16mm filmmaking I would invest on sync sound capable camera right away. for example cp16r or Eclair NPR or ACL. I would skip K3 and Bolex for a reason, you would spend couple of thousands extra if having the intermediate spring drive mos camera step and could use that money instead on a proper sync sound capable camera which would cover your camera needs for many years and no need to upgrade after shooting one or two years with the shoestring mos camera model
Premium Member Aapo Lettinen Posted June 3 Premium Member Posted June 3 as for lighting learning, forget the basic 3-point lighting "laws" for a moment, they are meant for TV and corporate media and don't apply that well on filmmaking. Instead, start to observe how real natural and artificial light behaves in different situations and environments and locations. the "mood" of those natural/normally occuring lighting situations is what you are trying to emulate with movie lighting so you need to know how real light behaves in the real world. Then doing your own tests and watching making of stuff and tutorials and examples and just doing lots of hands-on lighting stuff until you start to get the kind of results you want. When you have done lots of lighting stuff for some half a year or a year something suddenly changes in your head and you start to see and feel the light rays so to speak, you can see from a movie image what kind of light fixture is positioned where which creates this reflection or that backlight. You may not be able to replicate it fully yet but you "know what notes they are playing" now. You are kind of evolving from just listening to music others are making to actually playing and composing by yourself so you will first want to develop understanding what the others are doing and "what the different instruments are playing in the orchestra making such pleasing end result" then when knowing what causes it to sound good you can start learning to play it by yourself on some instrument.
Premium Member Aapo Lettinen Posted June 3 Premium Member Posted June 3 16 minutes ago, Aapo Lettinen said: when the moment is right you would have money saved to buy your first 16mm movie camera. If you are sure about the 16mm filmmaking I would invest on sync sound capable camera right away. for example cp16r or Eclair NPR or ACL. I would skip K3 and Bolex for a reason, you would spend couple of thousands extra if having the intermediate spring drive mos camera step and could use that money instead on a proper sync sound capable camera which would cover your camera needs for many years and no need to upgrade after shooting one or two years with the shoestring mos camera model I can say as a kind of camera expert, DO NOT BUY THE K3. get some better camera instead even as a first camera. you will waste precious money on the K3 filmmaking when you could use just slightly bit more to get much better camera kit. the K3 and Bolex prices have inflated in recent years and they are not cost effective any more. I mean, you would spend close to a grand on working basic mos camera kit, either K3 or Bolex. For something like between 1600 and 2000 you could get a sync sound capable 16mm movie camera with basic zoom lens and 10x better mechanics and much better viewfinder than the K3 has and more ergonomic than the Bolex is. You have time to find a good used sync sound camera which is in good enough condition and affordable enough and which you can manage with for years to come. If buying the shoestring MOS camera it is relatively expensive for what it is and you will need to upgrade to the better camera pretty soon so the money is basically wasted. especially beefed up K3 cameras don't make much sense. with s16 and pl mount and video tap and tons of custom made accessories they cost more than the Eclairs which are 5x or 10x the quality in every aspect and are tens of times more durable for having proper bearings and made for shooting lots of 400ft rolls a day instead of the couple of 100ft rolls a month the K3 cameras are made for! so no K3 cameras and no Bolex stuff I would say. first learn on video and then get the Eclair or CP16 camera. proper 16mm shooting right away instead of trying to manage with lower quality mos cameras which fall short on specs quickly
Lazar Kekic Posted June 4 Author Posted June 4 On 6/3/2025 at 4:26 AM, Karim D. Ghantous said: I am not a DP, and I don't know if I ever will be one. However, I do know this: cinematography is mainly about light, and how to manage it. It's not literally everything, but it's the foundation. Understand that and everything falls into place. DPs don't ask, "Do I need a China ball?" Or, "Where do I put the China ball?" They ask, "What kind of light do I need here?" One thing I like to do is think about light and exposure wherever possible. Indoors, outdoors, evening, morning, etc. Take light readings with a light meter app on your phone. There are scenes where there is a huge difference between shadow and highlight, even if your eyes tell you otherwise. This podcast is a fun and useful resource: https://wanderingdp.com/category/podcast/ I recommend understanding the film business as a whole, from writing to marketing to producing and all the rest of the circus: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ Cooke Optics: https://cookeoptics.com/shot-on-cooke/tv-interviews/ One of my favourite magazines: https://theasc.com/american-cinematographer The AC's articles section, where you can read selected articles for free: https://theasc.com/american-cinematographer/articles/historical A little tip: negative fill is not talked about a lot, because it's the least sexy thing. The sexiest things are cameras, then lenses, then lights, then reflectors, then negative fill. I'm sure one day you will be DP. Thankyou for all of this Karim i will check everything that you recommended 🙂 - Lazar
Lazar Kekic Posted June 4 Author Posted June 4 On 6/3/2025 at 5:52 PM, Aapo Lettinen said: I can say as a kind of camera expert, DO NOT BUY THE K3. get some better camera instead even as a first camera. you will waste precious money on the K3 filmmaking when you could use just slightly bit more to get much better camera kit. the K3 and Bolex prices have inflated in recent years and they are not cost effective any more. I mean, you would spend close to a grand on working basic mos camera kit, either K3 or Bolex. For something like between 1600 and 2000 you could get a sync sound capable 16mm movie camera with basic zoom lens and 10x better mechanics and much better viewfinder than the K3 has and more ergonomic than the Bolex is. You have time to find a good used sync sound camera which is in good enough condition and affordable enough and which you can manage with for years to come. If buying the shoestring MOS camera it is relatively expensive for what it is and you will need to upgrade to the better camera pretty soon so the money is basically wasted. especially beefed up K3 cameras don't make much sense. with s16 and pl mount and video tap and tons of custom made accessories they cost more than the Eclairs which are 5x or 10x the quality in every aspect and are tens of times more durable for having proper bearings and made for shooting lots of 400ft rolls a day instead of the couple of 100ft rolls a month the K3 cameras are made for! so no K3 cameras and no Bolex stuff I would say. first learn on video and then get the Eclair or CP16 camera. proper 16mm shooting right away instead of trying to manage with lower quality mos cameras which fall short on specs quickly I was thinking about getting a good Panasonic Lumix GH2 and then hack it i think it will give me decent results for a beginner who is just learning about cinematography what do you think Aapo Is it worth it buying that camera? - Lazar
Premium Member Aapo Lettinen Posted June 4 Premium Member Posted June 4 1 hour ago, Lazar Kekic said: I was thinking about getting a good Panasonic Lumix GH2 and then hack it i think it will give me decent results for a beginner who is just learning about cinematography what do you think Aapo Is it worth it buying that camera? - Lazar it could work reasonably well for a first camera and allows you get lots more resources on getting better lighting kit. so yes it could be a good solution for now. If you won't hack it then would use GH3 instead, it is more expensive but you would still get it for well under 200. if going for more expensive Lumix I would skip the gh4 and go for gh5 or gh5s if getting it for cheap. Or you could buy one of the used Blackmagics or some other brand dslr/mirrorless too. If wanting to have under 200 priced camera then the gh2 or gh3 could be good option. you will need just some kind of camera which has interchangeable lenses and manual controls. Use rest on lights for now and start experimenting with lighting and storytelling. A camera tripod would help too but you can manage without for half a year if needed so can buy it later if wanting to shoot handheld for starters.
Giles Sherwood Posted June 4 Posted June 4 I would also recommend getting to know your way around DaVinci Resolve (free) and understanding how important image processing really is to creating the look you're trying to achieve--not in a "fix it in post-production" kind of way but rather a "set it in pre-production" way. 2
Jon O'Brien Posted June 5 Posted June 5 I also recommend getting to know Davinci Resolve free version as soon as possible. There is a bit of ground to cover in the color grading, editing and sound side of things, and it does it all. Don't despair if your progress at first is slow and frustrating. Keep at it and all will eventually become clear further along the track of learning. Don't be concerned about not having a 16mm camera. Even phones can do amazing things. There's at least one webpage I've seen of a business where she does wedding videos with mobile phones as camera. Save up for a film camera if that is your long term goal. Film is easier than many think. Best wishes! 2
Lazar Kekic Posted June 7 Author Posted June 7 On 6/4/2025 at 8:11 PM, Aapo Lettinen said: it could work reasonably well for a first camera and allows you get lots more resources on getting better lighting kit. so yes it could be a good solution for now. If you won't hack it then would use GH3 instead, it is more expensive but you would still get it for well under 200. if going for more expensive Lumix I would skip the gh4 and go for gh5 or gh5s if getting it for cheap. Or you could buy one of the used Blackmagics or some other brand dslr/mirrorless too. If wanting to have under 200 priced camera then the gh2 or gh3 could be good option. you will need just some kind of camera which has interchangeable lenses and manual controls. Use rest on lights for now and start experimenting with lighting and storytelling. A camera tripod would help too but you can manage without for half a year if needed so can buy it later if wanting to shoot handheld for starters. You have changed my perspective on seeing things and applying them to the art of cinematography, and you know what? You're absolutely right GH3 it is. Thankyou Aapo.
Lazar Kekic Posted June 7 Author Posted June 7 On 6/4/2025 at 9:28 PM, Giles Sherwood said: I would also recommend getting to know your way around DaVinci Resolve (free) and understanding how important image processing really is to creating the look you're trying to achieve--not in a "fix it in post-production" kind of way but rather a "set it in pre-production" way. This seems very interesting and I'll keep an eye on it, it is very intriguing what you can do with it, thankyou Giles. - Lazar
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