How To Get Into Cinematography
As we already mentioned, cinematographers are very artistic people that love filming and developing stories through their lens. They also have large communities of followers across various social media sites like Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
By starting your own account as a DP, you can join these communities and get some tips and tricks from experienced professionals!
There are many ways to start taking pictures or shooting videos yourself. Starting with stills is a great way to begin. By investing in good quality photography equipment, you’ll be able to take beautiful images that will help you grow as a photographer.
Moving onto video, there are lots of free software and apps that most major smartphone companies make available for users to create and edit videos. Finding one that fits your needs and learning how to use it properly is an easy way to start producing content.
Find your passion and the people who feel the same
As mentioned earlier, the best way to get into cinematography is by doing it. If you enjoy taking pictures or filming videos, then start shooting!
You could make your own film using only free software such as Photoshop or iMovie. Or if you’re more tech savvy, then learn how to use Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro so that you can edit footage in professional settings.
Alternatively, there are many courses available via YouTube and other streaming platforms which can easily cost around £100-£500 depending on what level course you choose. Many of these can be accessed anywhere so even if you don’t have much money, you can still gain knowledge.
If you want to really dive in and expand beyond being a camera operator, then studying photography is another option. There are lots of ways to develop your photographic skills, so whether you're looking to take photos for personal use or to sell them, this is an excellent starting point.
Read up on cinematography
While not every movie has significant camerawork, most do at least contain some flashes of brilliance or touches that make it stand out. To become a better shooter, you need to look into the basics of how cameras work, and what makes a good camera for filming scenes with people.
Cameras come with lots of settings and features by default, so many people forget about them. These advanced settings can include things like shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, autofocus, white balance, depth of field (or focus), and more.
The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but the others apply to how well your film looks and captures natural beauty. Having a basic understanding of these will help you as you begin shooting your own movies!
This is especially true if you want to add special effects such as flares, glows, or slow motion bubbles.
Practice shooting videos
While most cinematographers do not have an educational film school that teaches them their craft, they are given opportunities to hone their skills in filming other people’s material or practicing their own.
There are many ways to pick up tricks of the trade beyond attending filmmaking classes and workshops. You can spend hours watching movies and taking note of good shots and bad ones, you can take pictures with your phone using different settings and styles, and then edit down those images into something cinematic yourself, or you can use professional grade equipment to produce quality footage.
The best way to get started as a cinematographer is by investing in some basic camera gear and learning how to use it. There are plenty of free resources online for anyone who wants to learn more about setting up cameras and producing beautiful movie-style photographs.
You can also take photography courses if you already have a background in this field. Both creative writing blogs and business sites offer rewards cards and/or coupons for these lessons so you will still receive value even if you are too busy to make time to study cinema professionally.
Become an expert at lighting
A very popular way to get into cinematography is by shooting lightning in place! This is also known as documentary style filming or real life footage shooting.
Documentary style filmmaking comes down to creating stories through editing. The key ingredient of this story-telling technique is good editing.
Editing means changing what, when, where, and how something is filmed. For instance, if the subject of the video is looking away from you, you can edit by moving the camera closer to them or pulling back to make them look at you.
Your editor will probably be very familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of your camera so they can help you achieve the best possible look for your film.
The most important thing about light is it always does something. When you start filming documentaries, there are two main types of lights that you use - natural ambient light and professional studio light.
Ambient light is just nature’s own light source, like sunlight. You typically only have access to these light sources during non-night time times, so using artificial light is necessary.
Studio light is not common outside of movies due to its expensive cost but it can easily be found via freelance sites such as Fivrr or Upwork.
Use the correct lens
A decent starting point is choosing between general purpose, action, event, fashion, documentary, or studio lenses. These are categorized according to what type of film you want to make!
General purpose photography lenses include wide angle lenes (like the fisheye) and normal lenes that are very close in size. They are great for establishing background scenery and giving your camera more depth. For example, if you wanted to take pictures at an outdoor party, a wide-angle fish eye lens would be perfect so that people can’t escape the picture!
Action cameras like GoPro have become extremely popular due to their affordability and ease of use. If you love filming sports then why not start with capturing some events?
Documentary style cinematographers use long focal length lences such as telephoto or ultra-wide to create a sense of distance and depth. This makes it seem bigger and more dramatic than if they used a shorter lens.
Event photographers need specialised equipment to capture photos and videos during events. Most event photo vendors sell backpacks full of gear designed just for this!
The best way to learn how to do cinematography is by practicing, practicing, practicing! There are many ways to get into the field now days. You can either pick up the basics doing candid photoshoots or taking courses via Udemy or similar sites.
Know your equipment
As mentioned earlier, being a cinematographer does not just mean having great lighting gear and technical skills with it. It also means knowing how to use all of these tools for the right purposes. This is very important as there are so many ways to achieve the same thing!
As you start exploring different facets of cinematic photography, you will come across different types of cameras. Some are full size professional film stock that cost a lot of money, some are smaller mirrorless or DSLR’s versions of similar quality stocks, and some are completely digital only. There are even some that combine both!
The best way to begin working in cinema is by investing in good quality camera equipment. Even if you do not plan to shoot exclusively using this equipment, at least try one out to see what features make it special. Many companies have online resources and tutorials to help get you up to speed quickly!
There are several brands that get lumped into the ‘cinematic photographer’ category, but none more than Zeiss. They may go over their name a little bit, but they are known for making really high-quality lenses that can be quite expensive. However, they do offer lots of service and support which makes them worth it!
Some other well know manufacturers include Broncolor (who make color correction gels), Arri (the company who made the Alexa camera system!), and Sony (NEX and A65).
Be a good composer
While some people may consider editing or production sound gurus, that is not necessarily the case. Being a good cinematographer means being able to tell a story through your camera, your lighting, and your music.
As we already mentioned before, great editors also make excellent cinematographers. The best ones are always looking for ways to enhance the film by adding their own style and touches.
And as much as you might think filmmakers only pay attention to visuals, they actually pay a lot of attention to sounds as well. Great cameramen will look for interesting angles and compositions, while paying close attention to background noises and musical cues.
These things all add to the overall feel of the movie, and help set the tone and mood. To be successful, though, you must first be a good composer.
Understand the different lighting settings
A very important part of cinematography is knowing your light sources! There are three main types of lights in filmmaking that play an integral role in shaping how your film looks.
These are natural light, external camera equipment like lamps or large softboxes, and artificial light (also called electric or gelled light).
Understand what each one does, where they come from, and how to use them properly so you can take full advantage of their potential.
Natural light comes directly from the sun, and is usually the most affordable type of light to source. Many filmmakers start out using only natural light before investing in other lighting tools.
External light sources are not related to the camera, and are typically powered by batteries or via electricity. Common examples include lamps, large softboxes, and boom arms.
Artificial light is produced through various means such as fluorescents, flashlights, and expensive professional grade studio lights. These more powerful lights are used when creating special effects or illuminating specific areas of the frame.