Cinematography : Advice for aspiring cinematographers? by Tan Narkchaiya

Absolutely not film school. Not for a DP. Simply get a job at a camera or lighting rental house in Hollywood sweeping out trucks, keep your eyes open and mouth shut. Be to work early, stay late, and become indispensable and learn to anticipate people's needs. Befriend everyone.. especially those 2 or 5 years beyond you in experience- they are the most likely to remember you and get you onto sets. Do NOT tell people " I want to be a DP" or " I am a DP" - stay connected with " I want to work camera and lighting departments" Everything a top film school will teach a budding DP can be learned by reading and re-reading half a dozen books; The 5 C 's of Cinematography, Operating Cinematography, Film Lighting by Malckiwicz, Set Lighting Technician's handbook, Grammar of the Film Language, and another. There is also value to shooting but don't go crazy trying to go the indie route- it's dead end for most DPs at this point in history. Don't buy gear- gear is everywhere. You could buy basic lighting gear once you know more about it and how you might like to light- buy it used, it will not get out dated. A DSLR might help you learn some things , might not. It did when one needed a darkroom to go with it and you only had 36 exposures available for the weekend. Enjoy the journey and have patience. DP is a goal, not something one " just does". Not if you want to be a stand out and do memorable work.

Like both of these guys mentioned, there are two ways to try and get it in and you're not guaranteed success in either of them. I, personally, am not doing film school (or at least until I can't fid any more work). Ever since I was a little kid, I've been working my way onto sets and finding a way to get myself involved in production. Even though I have plenty of experience and work to show for it, I'll often contact some of my idols and ask for "advice for an aspiring DP/gaffer/filmmaker/AC" and I'll get fantastic insight (as well as contact information which is what matters). If you are doing film school: - Find a group of 2-5 friends that make films, and go make a couple of shorts in two years. Don't stress yourself out over these or let them distract you from school, however. I choose to not go to film school because of an experience I had with the head of recruiting at NYU. She loved my work, except when it came to talk about grades, I had nothing special because I was constantly working. My passion is on sets, not in the classroom, so when she told me I needed to stop working and and start studying to get into that school, I realised I didn't need that school. Sadly, much of the upper education system in the US is focused on numbers and statistics and rankings, no longer "return of investment" like in the good ol' days of major studio filmmaking. If you aren't doing film school: - WORK. WORK. WORK. Ask rental houses if they need interns for the summer or over breaks. I contacted my state's public television station and got myself on their crew call list and do lots of various PA gigs with them. Depending where you are, the job market might be a bit stagnant but... That doesn't stop you from cold-calling local production companies or your local film office for apprenticeship/crew opportunities. Hopefully some of this is helpful! If you're ever in the DC area, let me know!

Some great advice. I'll also add that your networking should start NOW. That's one of the reasons I built this site was to give students the opportunity to get a running start before they graduate. Find mentors, find champions.

Janusz Kamiński, Dion Beebe, Robert Richardson, Roger Deakins, Vilmos Zsigmond, Lazslo Kovacs, Michael Slovis, David Mullen all went to film school, as did hundreds of other successful and talented cinematographers. If you don’t know these names – that is another reason you should go to film school. Film School allows you to learn from those that have worked in the field, allows you to work with professional equipment you can not get without a million dollar liability insurance policy, allows you to form networks with others who will become producers, directors, production managers who will hire camera crews in the future. Before film school only those with a relative already working in the biz were able to find employment. The education on the art and craft of lighting and camera were learned on set, handed down by mentors. What film school did was allow those with dreams to learn the craft and experiment. It all depends on where you go. In good film schools, you get four years to really learn from others, experiment yourself and shoot a lot – and receive qualified feedback. Just making your own films will allow you to make all the same mistakes others have made before you without any answers as to how to do it better or more professionally. In the professional film industry, no one is self taught. We all worked our way up in the industry, watching and learning from the pros that came before us. No one comes out of film school and works as a cinematographer, editor, screenwriter, producer or director. But they have a better understanding and jump on everyone else, that usually leads to getting hired faster and moving up faster.

Education is not to be undervalued... but in this day and age, it needs to be the right degree. I have a strong opinion on this that is relevant now but not historically... I do not believe any film school provides a tuition's worth of advantage in today's entry level work place for below the line crew. Period. I stand by this. it's a different matter for aspiring writers and directors who are already advantaged in some manner, the experience and degree of a major ( UCLA USC NYU ) can lead to internships with recognizable employers. For foreign students it can lend credibility when they return home to their native markets as many do, I agree a DIY experience alone lacks feedback, focus and guidance, and we see that everywhere in the digital revolution... but it defies economic sanity to pay $250,000 or more for 4 years of sampling less useful film-making knowledge than one can be paid to learn on-the- job in half the time. What I see happening in Hollywood today is that very young people are entering the filmmaking world as crew, and are finding the best among themselves to partner with and use digital technologies to create their own side projects, while earning that important living on the sets of larger , " real" projects day to day. The access to cheap, amazing gear backed with internet access to anything in print or motion has eliminated the barriers to entry formerly guarded by schools. Feedback can be harsh but acceptance can rocket careers. Somewhere along the line, trade schools went out of fashion in America. Too bad. They are all that might be needed in this industry ( and many others). I believe a filmmaker would do best to study law and business- since those will affect his ability to eat and to retire, where a study of French New Wave Cinema or a weekend booming a classmate's thesis will most definitely not ( unless the classmate becomes A-list and loves and remembers you ). My 2 cents ( $60 after inflation ).

The long term prognosis for the job designation cinematographer is slim, the "cine" part is gone already. I'm am old retired sprocket jockey and when your name went on the slate you had to do it all, then go home and sweat out the dailies. Digital technology means less and less is being done on the set. Film students with visions of queing the indians with a bull horn, like D.W. Griffith are deluding themselves. Content creation will be sitting, handcuffed, to a console staring into a monitor... forever. I retired when my work became a layer.

College is a worthwhile experience. Students learn to be responsible for themselves and to become a more well rounded person. They grow into an adult. After working professionally for over 30 years I started a cinematography concentration at Fairleigh Dickinson university where my students take art history, stage lighting, chemical photography and non-America cinema courses. I also encourage them to take philosophy, psychology and physics. Most of my students are working professionally in the business within a year after graduation. One of my first students is now head of Panavision digital in NYC and almost all of my others are supporting themselves as camera operators, ACs and electrics. While at college they can take the time to really learn and study and learn collaboration, cooperation and compromise. Full Sail is and the Maine photographic workshops are trade schools. Their students learn the technical very well, but lack creativity and originality. College is about getting students to begin to think for themselves rather than just mimic and repeat. In my union, Local 52, there are many grips and electrics that didn’t go to film school. They are very good technicians. But they seldom of ever care about why they are doing what they are doing. They do what is needed, but seldom come up with unique original ways to achieve something when push comes to shove. The ones that did go to film school are more resourceful, as they have a better understanding as to how their part fits into the overall whole. I know many camera assistants who skipped college and came up through working in rental houses – and they have by and large remained camera assistants. They are very good and wonderful workers. Then there are film school ACs who also started at rental houses, but moved up faster into being operators and eventually cinematographers. Every case is unique. College is not a waste of time or money. Is it over priced? Yes! It’s horrible how expensive it has become. But there still is no substitute for it in building well rounded, individual thinkers.

There are plenty of opportunities for success in the digital era. As a film trained DP, the successful transition has more to do with retaining control of work than the loss of the tyranny of the light meter. Not everyone can hack the transition. It was a bit bumpy for me... we reinvent. The fact is for the up and comers, if they do good work, and develop a visual "voice", art is merely evolved. You simply have to keep people off your canvas. It can be done, but you have to WANT it.