Jump to content

Don't know where to begin...


Josh Gallegos

Recommended Posts

I don't want to be an insult to the art of cinematography, I know it takes a consistent lifetime to learn the craft and those who are prestigious enough to become ASC members earned it with their life-long commitment and sacrifice. Realistically, I'm 33, and I understand that you don't start at this age to become a professional, but I want to become competent enough to shoot my own short films and hopefully a low budget feature film that may open a door. I honestly don't know where to begin, I know I have to make short films not for an audience but to work on the craft, that means filming someone making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something to refresh my memory, it's harder than I remember, my mind just goes blank when I imagine myself on a small set. Ok, it begins with the script, but this time I won't be able to write dialogue, since I won't have any money to afford any sound, but I saw a short film by Agnes Varda that had no dialogue, it was in black and white and its basically two lovers walking around with back ground music playing and it was lovely, it was 3 minutes and I figured this is the kind of work I have to do. No sound, just moving images. This is a deviation from before as I only made short films with dialogue, I mean I have nothing better to do with my life, as far as I know this has been my life since I was 16, the only thing I ever thought about doing, I just never did it consistently. I know the odds are against me, I don't have the funds, the connections, the experience or even the talent, but something keeps telling me that I'll get to where I want to be if I continue down this path consistently. That means going hungry for a while, but I just have to find the meaning, I can't live another day feeling unfulfilled it makes me feel like a soulless animal. I can't just live for comfort, I have to try, I realized that when you try, you don't fail because you are already living the dream when you place yourself in the right path to your destiny. Sad it took this long to realize that. To make films, do you need a consistent method to start? Again, I have no connections, so it will just be me and the camera and a subject in front of me. I already decided on the Sony Alpha ii, I'm learning about the camera and its capabilities, but it feels like something's missing. To be honest I don't feel excited like before, but maybe when I start shooting something again that feeling will become alive again, maybe it's because I haven't written the right script to shoot, but I feel I shouldn't just jump back in without making a series of no budget short films to become better at the craft. When people say they are "passionate", what does that mean? Because when I say "passion" it means something I'm attached to, for instance The Passion of The Christ, the cross that he carries, that burden is because of his passion, his passion has caused suffering and sorrow, and that's what I mean by it. When I think about the task I feel overwhelmed, challenged, uncomfortable, and the feeling never goes away... But that's enough of that, I have to read the ASC manual again just to learn the basic essentials again. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, David Mullen ASC said:

I made dozens of silent short films in Super-8, I always started by drawing them out on paper almost like a comic book.

Yes, I saw that interview on YouTube. You made films of silhouettes and you were just a child. Is there a way we could see those films? I saw a student film you made a long time ago it was about a prisoner trying to find redemption or something. Congratulations on your recent award wins, very well deserved. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know what I'm talking about but Gall's Law always seems to hold true. Keep it simple.

I find this book to be really excellent:

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Camera-Course-Video/dp/1621535266/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_0/132-4337164-9781051?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1621535266&pd_rd_r=e2224cc1-5810-497e-9978-944fbd1304b0&pd_rd_w=jUief&pd_rd_wg=DYEMT&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=YDE4WW0P76DJMSZQXBQE&psc=1&refRID=YDE4WW0P76DJMSZQXBQE

Limitations force choices. Choices define your voice. David Lynch used to talk about how it was easier to choose when you have no budget than when you have a big one. I look at the really early films from my friends who've had success and they're shot on a dvx100 or something and they always have more character to them than the later stuff does. (If they're talented, that is, if not, the early stuff is not as good imo.) Don't focus on what everyone else has, but what you have that no one else does.

Generally David Lynch's advice seems to resonate most with me, but full disclosure–I own too much gear and am not very successful. One mistake I'll make is assuming there are restrictions where there aren't, though. I wanted to use dSLRs instead of shooting on film because it allowed me to use a Ronin or something and pretend I had a steadicam? But that's just another choice. So I guess be open to anything but keep it simple. It used to be so easy for me to choose but lately it's not been so easy.

Edited by M Joel W
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

You sound like you really want to be a director and not a cinematographer. If that is the case, the best thing to do is to start to gather a team which would like to tell the same style of stories you do. Get a good cinematographer and editor on your side. And a sound designer and a composer. Write some original stories you really really want to tell, NOT something you think you have to do to success. You will get nowhere by doing some generic camera test short films where boy and girl are walking around with nice city lights and background music. Make something creative and original (and gather a team which you want to work with and who support you and have the skills and creativity needed for the project)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Id love to assemble all those people, but as someone who is virtually impoverished, I have to do it all on my own. I actually did a couple short films five years ago where I did everything myself, I actually learned a lot by doing it that way, I think I still have the link for my old Vimeo account https://vimeo.com/jthomsg , I know they’re bad but I want to be able to find what I enjoy the most from filmmaking. To me it was framing and trying to edit the pieces together, that’s where I found the most joy. Maybe I really do want to be a cinematographer I just don’t have the connections or finances to get it done, so I just create my own projects to get behind the camera. This is why I want to live in Austin, Tx because there I wouldn’t be out of place. There’s lots of other people creating and maybe there I’ll find the connections I need and maybe get on an actual set with real equipment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
19 minutes ago, Josh Gallegos said:

Id love to assemble all those people, but as someone who is virtually impoverished, I have to do it all on my own. I actually did a couple short films five years ago where I did everything myself, I actually learned a lot by doing it that way, I think I still have the link for my old Vimeo account https://vimeo.com/jthomsg , I know they’re bad but I want to be able to find what I enjoy the most from filmmaking. To me it was framing and trying to edit the pieces together, that’s where I found the most joy. Maybe I really do want to be a cinematographer I just don’t have the connections or finances to get it done, so I just create my own projects to get behind the camera. This is why I want to live in Austin, Tx because there I wouldn’t be out of place. There’s lots of other people creating and maybe there I’ll find the connections I need and maybe get on an actual set with real equipment.

I like to watch film examples with sound off to see how well the story works by only the images and editing. To me it still seems that you might be happier directing films than shooting them but it is best to try different positions to see what you like the most. 

You might want to test making short films with continuous long takes where you would only concentrate on following the action documentary style and could forget the editing for a moment. To find the best affecting camera positions and images and being able to concentrate on the scene more than with the normal approach. 

It might be good to make some music videos or similar purely visual projects first to get a grip on the technical stuff again and to develop your visual style. Operating experience will be important for your future projects so it might be a good idea to ask around if someone would let you operate the camera on their short film projects (not being the DP, only the camera operator! then you can learn from the DP and the director how they handle different scenes and shooting situations. this way you will learn much more than otherwise) 

If wanting to be a director, I would still recommend getting a separate DP and Editor so that you will get valuable feedback and ideas and can concentrate on the storytelling and actors instead of handling the purely technical tasks which would only cause you unnecessary task loading. If wanting to be a pro you will need to work with other people anyway so learning that early on is a huge plus and will make the transition much much easier

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, filmmaking is a collaborative process. I’ve been watching a lot of Lena Dunham’s earlier work and it was interesting seeing her grow in visual style in all areas of filmmaking. I just have to put in the work, everyone starts from the bottom, I also saw Reed Morano’s early short films- she has come a long way. I know I’m starting late, and I don’t measure up to their talents, but like the quote from INCEPTION goes “Do you want to take a leap of faith? Or die an old man filled with regret.” I choose leap of faith, that way I can have the pleasure of knowing that I went all the way.
 

I was thinking of getting a start by asking young student filmmakers if they want their projects shot and I’d do it for free, after the COVID lockdown ends I’m sure there will be plenty of web series/short films made and I’d be working with other people instead of doing it alone. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Some random thoughts: 

Today is the youngest you’ll be for the rest of your life. And 33 is still quite young.  

Very few DPs ever get to become ASC members. It’s not really a realistic goal for 99% of us, so I wouldn’t judge the success of your career (or mine) based on that criteria.

The path to success is paved by our failures. If you never fail, you probably aren’t trying hard enough. 

Jean Renoir once said in an interview that technical perfection was destroying art. I think  his argument is even more relevant today: 


To me the greatest filmmakers are not the technical wizards, but the ones who manage to illuminate some sense of the divine in simple everyday human experience. A film like ‘Paris, Texas’ or ‘Three Colors: Blue’ sends shivers down my spine. It sounds to me like that’s your goal as well, which is at least half the battle. Most filmmakers never even try for that.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Satsuki Murashige said:

Jean Renoir once said in an interview that technical perfection was destroying art. I think  his argument is even more relevant today: 

 

That's a great interview !! Thanks for sharing !!! Imagine only what would have to say with today's flat and naturalistic trend in cinematography

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Satsuki, it’s hard to believe the screenplay for Paris, Texas was never nominated, and it was actually shot in my hometown of Houston, TX. No one has ever captured the city on camera in such a way. 

It’s great to be back, I’ll be buying my equipment next month, I just have a good feeling about it. And here’s a little something from Elon Musk that keeps me motivated, and also Joel Osteen spoke life into me. I was out of hope, getting ready to die until I heard his message. I can’t believe I’m here again.I post the videos because maybe someone has struggled with hopelessness and if it helped me maybe it can help someone else.

 

Edited by Josh Gallegos
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
13 hours ago, Josh Gallegos said:

I was thinking of getting a start by asking young student filmmakers if they want their projects shot and I’d do it for free, after the COVID lockdown ends I’m sure there will be plenty of web series/short films made and I’d be working with other people instead of doing it alone. 

I was talking earlier about trying to get camera operating gigs on low budget films. but I meant specifically that you would only operate the camera, NOT act as a DP on those shoots. Because the idea was to get on sets where there is much more experienced people than you are so that you can learn the craft from them. You will learn more than if you would be the DP on those shoots. You will need lots of operating experience as well so you would get part of that from those projects as well.

The idea is to surround yourself with people who are much more experienced than you are and to learn how they work and solve everyday creative challenges on set. This way you will learn much quicker and can reach to much higher level than if only doing your own projects and only learning from the micro projects where you are always being in a HOD position from beginning so that there is no way to learn from others or find different approaches you would not have thought by your own

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I can only find some frame grabs from a VHS tape of one of my Super-8 short films... I was heavily influenced by David Lynch and Orson Welles at the time, plus I had a lot of time lapse shots (the clouds behind the stop sign, the cars behind the watch) because I loved "Rumblefish"... Every shot was drawn out on paper as storyboards rather than writing a script since it was all about images that flowed one into the other.
gift1.JPEG

gift3.JPEG

gift4.JPEG

gift9.JPEG

gift10.JPEG

gift13.JPEG

gift14.JPEG

 

 

 

 

  • Like 3
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Josh Gallegos:

I feel you should read "Like Brothers" by Jay and Mark Duplass. It'll inspire you to make movies!

The good news is that you've got a camera, a really good camera. When I started out, the Canon 5D Mark II was barely on the scene and a lucky few were shooting on it. I was left with tiny chip cameras that had the dynamic range of screen printed t-shirt. BUT, some great films were shot on cameras like that (28 Days Later) is an example. The best thing you can do is just make movies, a lot of them. The more you shoot, the better you'll get.

---

@David Mullen ASC:

These frame grabs are cool!

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, David Mullen ASC said:

I can only find some frame grabs from a VHS tape of one of my Super-8 short films... I was heavily influenced by David Lynch and Orson Welles at the time, plus I had a lot of time lapse shots (the clouds behind the stop sign, the cars behind the watch) because I loved "Rumblefish"... Every shot was drawn out on paper as storyboards rather than writing a script since it was all about images that flowed one into the other.
gift1.JPEG

gift3.JPEG

gift4.JPEG

gift9.JPEG

gift10.JPEG

gift13.JPEG

gift14.JPEG

 

 

 

 

These are remarkable. You can just tell when someone has great potential inside of them.I particularly like the silhouettes in the beach. The mirror shot also reminded me of Psycho for some reason, I’m seeing so much talent out there, on Vimeo, but I guess it’s best to simply run my own race and focus rather than look over my shoulder. I actually have a new idea for a short film, it’s going to be called “Wash Us in The Blood”, I was watching John Huston’s ‘Wise Blood’and got some ideas, but it’s nothing definitive yet. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I love many of the recommendations above. Ya really don't need much of a script, drawing out some ideas that make sense on paper (I use a still camera) and figuring out your silent movie story that way, is a great idea. 

I assume when you say no audio, you mean no scripted dialog, but why not shoot a documentary? Why not interview people and produce a nice piece to along with the interviews? I did this a few years ago to figure out how to use the Blackmagic Pocket camera when it first came out and they were a lot of fun! Everyone knows someone with an interesting story, just dig them up. 
 


 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s great, I enjoyed your film. I just want to jump into the world of filmmaking. At the moment I just want to shoot anything, even if it’s a horrible script, I’m getting on facebook since that’s where local filmmakers in Houston network. I figure I’ll shoot anything I can and make my own projects, this way I can develop connections along the way. I feel like I’m going to go insane if I don’t do it, never felt that before. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OP,  no matter how broke, there is not much excuse not to do something. At least with digital that is. (OK, film cost $$, so you may have an excuse.)

You can get a out of date 720p or 1080p digital camera on eBay for next to nothing. You can get early Movavi editing software on eBay for very little. Does all the basics. 

Best of luck in finding what you need for a steady diet of inner fulfillment. 

Edited by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I remember back in 2015 when my girlfriend sent me on my first audition where I actually got the part and walked onto set. Until then I had never thought about filmmaking since I was a kid and we shot films with my dad's cameras. Except for college where I had photography and film as courses and remembered what I wanted to do as a kid. But the moment I came onto set I remembered everything and when I came home and started explaining to my girlfriend what I wanted to do she of course encouraged me to start learning about filmmaking and we both actually got started that way.

So to learn more about it we started filming short stuff. Soon we realized we needed material to shoot and since we were both dancers and we started shooting our own dance videos. Soon after that we got some of our friends who were also dancers as clients who wanted some dance videos. From there we progressed to music videos and slowly to short films, documentaries. 

A few weeks ago we wrapped up shooting a pilot episode for a TV series that is getting picked up by a local network.

My girlfriend and I started out with my old Nikon dslr and my student subscription Adobe so that we could edit. Last year we bought the BM Pocket 4K camera and some basic sound gear and we've got a couple of lights. There's a hell of a lot you can do with some basic gear and knowledge of a good editing software like Resolve.

But the thing is that gear is not the answer. Yes knowledge of filming gear and software is important but what I've leaned in my short time is that learning about storytelling is really the most important thing. I do that all the time and on every project there's always something new that we have to try. Either try to tell the story in a different way or something.

Basically this is what gives me one part of fulfillment for me is that I always try to upgrade something that I did in a previous project or try something more complicated like a more difficult shot.

For example in a recent music video that we had shot I shuffled around the story in a way that doesn't revel things in a linear way but still makes sense. We also added a complicated choreographed steady cam shot at the beginning. These were the two things that I wanted to try and do on this project and I'm very glad that they worked. 

Anyway I hope you find what drives you and gives you inspiration. Filmmaking is basically something where you can always find something new to play with that will make it interesting.

Good luck ?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

@Josh Gallegos, if you're really into cinematography, then perhaps you are stretching yourself spaghetti-thin by taking on the roles of director, writer, casting, sound etc. You'll find the capacity to learn and experiment stifled when you're stressed about other immediate tasks (actor motives, wardrobe, mic wind noise, continuity).

I learned this after my second short film, and quickly realized I had no interest in directing. So I went to facebook film groups and sought out short film productions so my work on set was only ever focused on cinematography.

The more time you have to learn and experiment on set, the faster you'll grow as a shooter. And the more confident you'll be with your setups. But it takes setup after setup, dissecting your results, to learn the patterns in lighting, to judge how much movement is necessary for an emotional shot, why a tighter lens length might be more appropriate. Put yourself in situations to keep learning only your interests and nothing else, and you will find the most growth.

I started at age 32 as well, funny enough. I lived in Tyler, Texas (100k population), and no one there was making movies. Facebook film groups were all in Dallas or Austin. I was semi-knowlegable with a camera, but not lighting. So I built a tungsten package (1k Redheads and Lekos) in some suitcases, with extension cables and color gels, and applied as a gaffer to all the shoots in Dallas. It's all experimenting; that's what shorts are for, and I used it as an opportunity to figure it out. Had I continued producing my own shorts, I would still be in Tyler.

An important thing to remember: Keep working. Don't stop. Keep looking for work, free or paid. The point is to stay busy to learn.

I hope this helps.

Edited by Stephen Sanchez
typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Stephen Sanchez said:

@Josh Gallegos, if you're really into cinematography, then perhaps you are stretching yourself spaghetti-thin by taking on the roles of director, writer, casting, sound etc. You'll find the capacity to learn and experiment stifled when you're stressed about other immediate tasks (actor motives, wardrobe, mic wind noise, continuity).

I learned this after my second short film, and quickly realized I had no interest in directing. So I went to facebook film groups and sought out short film productions so my work on set was only ever focused on cinematography.

The more time you have to learn and experiment on set, the faster you'll grow as a shooter. And the more confident you'll be with your setups. But it takes setup after setup, dissecting your results, to learn the patterns in lighting, to judge how much movement is necessary for an emotional shot, why a tighter lens length might be more appropriate. Put yourself in situations to keep learning only your interests and nothing else, and you will find the most growth.

I started at age 32 as well, funny enough. I lived in Tyler, Texas (100k population), and no one there was making movies. Facebook film groups were all in Dallas or Austin. I was semi-knowlegable with a camera, but not lighting. So I built a tungsten package (1k Redheads and Lekos) in some suitcases, with extension cables and color gels, and applied as a gaffer to all the shoots in Dallas. It's all experimenting; that's what shorts are for, and I used it as an opportunity to figure it out. Had I continued producing my own shorts, I would still be in Tyler.

An important thing to remember: Keep working. Don't stop. Keep looking for work, free or paid. The point is to stay busy to learn.

I hope this helps.

I think without any knowledge of cinematography it's impossible to create anything at all, and I agree that I would learn a lot by watching an actual professional work on a set, but I haven't earned that right yet, I don't think a professional would want an extra burden on set or have someone watch them work when there's enough pressure on them already. This is why I'm learning what I can from the forums and applying it to the work itself. Before when I was a younger I wanted to be a writer/director, but I realized that I'd rather be on a film set as anything than to not be in one at all. I started out as a screenwriter, I've written seven spec scripts, some of which made the top list on The Black List website and that's the reason I did my short films because I wanted to see how the script translated to screen. At the time I discovered that you need to know the visual language, how the images are going to cut together and bring the story to life through the actors. And here's the thing about filmmaking, it doesn't matter how good the film looks or how well or badly written it is. If the acting is atrocious nothing will work. I 've seen films with bad scripts but when the acting is interesting you can still sit down and watch it, and to me great cinematography is something like Alice in the Cities, it's not the most pristine-looking film, but it really captures the emotion, alienation and loneliness, the best directors know how to work with actors, I think as long as the cinematography remains true to the actor, it works. My goal at the moment is to become better at the technical things, I want to know how to put pieces of film together and make them mean something. I was watching Phantom Thread and taking snap shots on my phone to see how each shot is framed how they connect, and there's always an idea behind it, I think it's an intuitive process, I think it's a process that you have to feel your way through, just the way the actors are captured, the gleam in their eyes, the way the emotions form, it's building to something. I'm already connecting with other filmmakers in Houston, I might film something in October, I'm really interested in all aspects of filmmaking, I think the greatest challenge comes with lighting, that's really an art, to paint with light, that's just something not many people can do. I think I can just work on something instead of sitting and waiting for something. If I'm not filming anything I can just sit and write a screenplay, and if I can't direct my own work I can go out and film something for someone else for free. Maybe someday someone will let me be on an actual professional set once I create something worthy of attention. But I'm just going to stick to filmmaking, I'll be lucky if I manage to get paid to work on a film set one day.  

Edited by Josh Gallegos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
1 hour ago, Josh Gallegos said:

I think without any knowledge of cinematography it's impossible to create anything at all, and I agree that I would learn a lot by watching an actual professional work on a set, but I haven't earned that right yet, I don't think a professional would want an extra burden on set or have someone watch them work when there's enough pressure on them already. This is why I'm learning what I can from the forums and applying it to the work itself. Before when I was a younger I wanted to be a writer/director, but I realized that I'd rather be on a film set as anything than to not be in one at all. I started out as a screenwriter, I've written seven spec scripts, some of which made the top list on The Black List website and that's the reason I did my short films because I wanted to see how the script translated to screen. At the time I discovered that you need to know the visual language, how the images are going to cut together and bring the story to life through the actors. And here's the thing about filmmaking, it doesn't matter how good the film looks or how well or badly written it is. If the acting is atrocious nothing will work. I 've seen films with bad scripts but when the acting is interesting you can still sit down and watch it, and to me great cinematography is something like Alice in the Cities, it's not the most pristine-looking film, but it really captures the emotion, alienation and loneliness, the best directors know how to work with actors, I think as long as the cinematography remains true to the actor, it works. My goal at the moment is to become better at the technical things, I want to know how to put pieces of film together and make them mean something. I was watching Phantom Thread and taking snap shots on my phone to see how each shot is framed how they connect, and there's always an idea behind it, I think it's an intuitive process, I think it's a process that you have to feel your way through, just the way the actors are captured, the gleam in their eyes, the way the emotions form, it's building to something. I'm already connecting with other filmmakers in Houston, I might film something in October, I'm really interested in all aspects of filmmaking, I think the greatest challenge comes with lighting, that's really an art, to paint with light, that's just something not many people can do. I think I can just work on something instead of sitting and waiting for something. If I'm not filming anything I can just sit and write a screenplay, and if I can't direct my own work I can go out and film something for someone else for free. Maybe someday someone will let me be on an actual professional set once I create something worthy of attention. But I'm just going to stick to filmmaking, I'll be lucky if I manage to get paid to work on a film set one day.  

it can be pretty easy to get on a professional set to watch how they work or even to do something useful as long as it does not be a insurance issue to them. Just ask around until you find the right people, either them or their connections can arrange something :) 

I learned lighting by doing countless student short films as a lighting technician / electric / gaffer. One of the reasons was that there was nothing else to do on those student sets because every other position was already taken and outsiders had to pretty much choose between continuity (I also did that every now and then) and lighting department where one always needed extra hands because it can be physically demanding at times and few people were interested in it for that reason. I started to see and feel pretty quickly how the light behaves and how to control it and create the mood wanted. The disadvantage is though that there comes a one year period where you can't watch any movies or tv-series or anything without always realising where every single light is placed and how the light is tweaked between shots and when the camera angle is changed. You can't enjoy movies for a year or so because of this (so distracting when you notice the lighting too clearly which drops the illusion) but that is a fair price to pay for your cinematography career :) 

After getting better with lights you will typically manage with less of them and can instantly choose the best working approach to every shooting situation (the quickest, most practical way to light it which still maintains the required mood but is the most efficient way to do it with available gear taking into account the blocking, the schedule and the constantly changing natural light as well as the rigging restrictions etc.) . Sometimes the most practical way is just a single reflector or a small led light or even nothing at all if the natural light is already doing all the work for you. (for example a single round Lastolite style reflector would have made your hotel room short much better looking visually by getting more spark to the eyes of the actors even if otherwise trusting the available light)

One of the things to keep in mind is to not aim too low. This does not mean that everything you do needs to be very high level or "expensive looking" or "expensive" work... but it rather means that it is not good to restrict yourself to only doing small scale stuff and nothing else. Typically you will start low and aim high, then end up somewhere in between in the end. So it is good to do micro budget shorts and small scale stuff to keep busy and to learn a lot but you will need the larger productions as well. Get yourself on small indie projects but do music videos as well and get yourself on the student film sets to learn how they work and to build connections. Try to get on the professional sets every now and then just to see how they work if nothing else (you will get lots of new ideas from there as well even if just being there couple of hours). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
2 hours ago, Josh Gallegos said:

I agree that I would learn a lot by watching an actual professional work on a set, but I haven't earned that right yet, I don't think a professional would want an extra burden on set or have someone watch them work when there's enough pressure on them already.

In my humble opinion, life is too short to worry such things. If you get the opportunity to do what you want to do, take it. No one will hand it to you when you think you finally deserve it. 

I’ve become a bit obsessed with tennis over the past several years, and I’ve found some interesting life lessons in the sport. Sometimes you get lucky and win a point by accident - you give the ‘sorry’ apology hand to your opponent, but you don’t give the point back and you don’t feel bad about it. Life is full of breaks both good and bad, you gotta grab the good ones when they show up.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...