Big Project

[Bianca Rossi]

hi

 

im doing a project on cinematography and i have a couple of questions to ask people here.if you can answer or give a link to where i can find the answer please do so.

 

1.what studies do you have to complete?

2.what do you need to be accepted into cinematography schools?

3.after your studies where can you start working?

4.what qualities do you need to be a cinematographer?

5.what posibilities do you have to get a promotion?(if this is possible)

6.what programs do u need to take in university/cegep?

7.whats your salary at the begining and whats the most you can earn?

 

you can even answer the questions personaly!

thank you so much to all those that answer.

[Jon Allen]

2 Guarunteed Formulas for Success in Moviemaking:

 

#1. Go to school, learn all you can from your profs, learn even more from cinematography.com, graduate with a decent reel, move to hollywood and get on the bitch squad (PA), forsake all human contacts to be available for production assignments, borrow all the money you can from every relative, max out your credit cards to pay for your first short film, land a very lucky 3am show at sundance, sell it to the first distributor who talks to you.

 

#2. Get born a Cappola.

[Bianca Rossi]

seriously tho, this thing is do in a week! can anyone really answer my questions?

[Jon Allen]

I think the lack of serious response is somewhat of a tribute to the fact that there is no real "formula" for getting "in" the biz.

Granted, a lot of kids think that going to the right school is going to get you the gigs you want. But from my experience, it's all about where you want to go, how fast you want to get there, and how you are with people. There are a lot of dicks that went to film school and think they're the next hitchcock and DESERVE to land that big director roll immediately after graduating school.

I read a short article about a production assistant opening up to higher and higher jobs, that is, once you're already on the set of a production.

There are a lot of experience sets that aren't readily associated with the glitz and glamour, one being a truck driver- sometimes a CDL will get you places an MFA won't, second is electrical and construction knowledge- if you can build it...

 

I digress, most of my "cinematographical" education began after my BA was earned (electronic media, to be specific). A movie is a great way to become famous, but until that happens, some of us will have to make do with making TV commercials for the local bank.

[Chris Keth]

I'll give you what I know in short. You should really do some research on your own, you know.

 

1.what studies do you have to complete?

 

There's no really essential studies you ahve to complete. Many cinematographers have not studied in school at all but have learned on the job as an AC or a gaffer, etc. Today, it's fairly common for a cinematographer to have attended some sort of film school or to have studied photography.

 

 

 

2.what do you need to be accepted into cinematography schools?

 

This varies, every school is different. Some require portfolios, some don't.

 

 

 

3.after your studies where can you start working?

 

You probably won't just become a DP after you graduate. In fact, a degree isn't the same in this business as in, say, the business world. You get hired job by job so there's a lot of networking and self-promotion involved. A lot of people work their way up starting as maybe a loader and working up the camera crew, other start as a PA and work up to gaffer, etc.

 

 

4.what qualities do you need to be a cinematographer?

 

This is how you are hired, really. You need to be very knowledgeable about lighting, storytelling, psychology, photography, chemical and digital processes involved.

 

 

5.what posibilities do you have to get a promotion?(if this is possible)

 

There aren't really promotions, per se. You can work your way to different jobs, but that's on a job per job basis.

 

 

6.what programs do u need to take in university/cegep?

 

See the qualities question. Anything that would teach you those would be thing you want to take.

 

 

7.whats your salary at the begining and whats the most you can earn?

 

This varies very widely. A green dp might work some jobs for free to get his name out there. On the other end of the scale, a very well known and respected DP (an ASC membership is often involved, either as a result of the respect or as something a producer looks for) can make pretty enormous sums of money.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Rik Andino]

hi

 

im doing a project on cinematography and i have a couple of questions to ask people here.if you can answer or give a link to where i can find the answer please do so.

 

1.what studies do you have to complete?

2.what do you need to be accepted into cinematography schools?

3.after your studies where can you start working?

4.what qualities do you need to be a cinematographer?

5.what posibilities do you have to get a promotion?(if this is possible)

6.what programs do u need to take in university/cegep?

7.whats your salary at the begining and whats the most you can earn?

 

you can even answer the questions personaly!

thank you so much to all those that answer.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

1) Most people go to film school (either graduate or undergraduate)

2) It varies from school to school. Some don't have any if many requirements

others do. If you're going to grad you'll need a demo reel of your work.

 

3) That's a good question most of us are still looking for a good answer. Short

answer is: anywhere you can. Filmmaking is mostly freelancing, sorta like

contractors, we have to find work anywhere there is. There are some

cinematographers who can land work in production companies but these are

rare. Some videographers get work for television studios or news studio.

However there aren't many permanent jobs for those freshly outta school.

 

4) You need to be a good networker and shameless self-promoter :)

On the technical side you should know lighting, visual composition, photography

It helps to know storytelling and acting too.

Some shameless self-promoter call themselves DPs without knowing sqat

But these usually don?t last long, once find out they?re just frauds & phonies

 

5) Again filmmaking is a contractual business, so unlike a office job

You only work there till the project is done.

As far as promotions within the project itself--a DP is the highest level

After a Director or Producer, so usually you don't need to get promoted

As for getting better jobs in the future it eventually happens...

But it's not as easy as being promoted from Teller in a bank to loans manager.

The film industry works so much different from anything most people do

It is difficult to describe it.

6) Study filmmaking, especially cinematography course, photography course

Should also watch alotta movies and study their visual styles

7) This again is another difficult question to answer. There are no set salaries

Except if you're in the Union-->but to get in the union

You've had to be working for sometime so there are no set starting salaries

Usually you'll find people working for free to get experience

Then they'll scramble to work for any decent money they can get (I do this alot)

Once in the Union though there are fixed rates

I think the lowest is around $2000 a day for commercials

And the highest: THE SKY'S THE LIMIT

(although you don't get more than Tom Cruise or any celebrity :) )

 

 

Anyways I hope this answered your questions (They were very hard questions)

Good luck on your paper

I remember when I was in HS I hated doing papers :angry:

[Greg Gross]

GO TO FILM SCHOOL, not just any film school but a good one! You can ask

the ASC for advice on film schools, www.theasc.com. In film school you'll

get to play all the roles,you'll learn the history of film. You'll learn everything

there is to know about making films. At 57 years of age, I'm sitting here right

now wishing I had gone to film school. The one plus that I have working for

me is that I've been to photography school and I'm a professional photograp-

her. I'm also a professional in medicine. Its 2 a.m. on the east coast right now.

Before I go to bed at 4 a.m., I'll read from 3 or 4 books to catch up on the film

school I did not go to. I'm studying everyday about the craft,art of cinematogra-

phy. You don't have to go to film school, many people here will tell you not to

go. By 9 a.m. I'll be in my studio doing some scheduled portraits following that

I'll be doing some darkroom work. At 3 p.m. I'll be going in to the hospital to

manage ventilators on acutely ill people for 8 hrs. . I only work at the hospital

every other week for 6 days. Any free time from studying is spent promoting

myself to new filmmakers. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A CINEMATOGRAPHER,

GO TO FILM SCHOOL. Go while you are young and get the education under your

belt. Best regards for your future studies.

 

Greg Gross

[Bianca Rossi]

thank you all for you're help!