The dynamics of finding a mentor

Brandon Del Nero · August 10, 2010

After doing a fair amount of DP work over the course of the past 3 years, I'm more or less seeing my career as a bit stagnant. I'm in the same boat as many young DPs out there, kinda caught in a perpetual cycle of free work for web series mixed in with the occasional short documentary or reality shoot. I guess I'm slightly confused as to where my career is headed and how to steer it in the direction I see fit.

I've always thought that the idea of having a mentor was great, especially in times like these, and although I've come close to having a one before, it never quite seems to pan out. There have been a few very well respected guys here in the industry that have shown interest, but ultimately had to bail on me, likely because of time restraints, which I can completely understand. What’s escaping me at this point is how people find the right person to take them under their wing and pass on knowledge to the next generation of filmmakers and what the dynamic of the relationship is. Are these chance relationships or is there a degree of searching? I’ve reached out to people I respect and have had some success, but nothing has really gone anywhere.

It seems this was the norm in old Hollywood, but these relationships seem to be scarce nowadays.

Any opinions or info would be much appreciated!