How To Get Into Cinematography
As mentioned earlier, cinematographers are very popular these days. There are many ways to enter this field, but most do not involve dropping off a film with your and watching it! To be clear, being a cameraman does require some kind of formal education or training, however you can easily start filming yourself.
There are several mediums where people begin their journey as a filmmaker, including shooting documentaries, creating short films, Vlogging, and even making mini-movies or feature length movies. All of these can be filmed using free software or paid software that has a community dedicated to helping users learn how to use it. This article will talk about one such tool, and what students can do to get started.
This article and tool is sponsored by Adobe Creative Cloud which includes Photoshop, Lightroom, and other creative apps. By becoming an annual member, you can pick up new features and app updates for just $99 per year. I would definitely recommend trying out the 15 day trial before deciding if this is good for you!
Disclaimer: Like any educational material, we cannot guarantee that reading this will result in success. We can tell you from experience though that learning photography skills is fun and easy to pick up once you have the right tools.
Read up on cinematography
So, you want to become a filmmaker? Great! The first thing you must do is learn about what kind of film director you want to be. This will depend heavily on your passion for filming and storytelling.
You should also look into whether or not this career path fits with you as an individual. Are you someone who is creative and enjoys making things artistic? Then a movie director may fit you better than other careers.
As you begin exploring different filmmaking routes, you’ll come across three major branches: documentary, narrative (fiction), and action/horror cinema. Each one has their own specializations within it so make sure you know which ones are yours before moving forward.
Don’t worry too much about which ones are ‘better’ either. It all depends on what you like and how hard you are willing to work at it.
Practice filming yourself
A very popular way to get into cinematography is by practicing shooting your own footage or film. This can be done at home, in private settings, or even in public spaces!
Many people begin their career as photographers who then move onto video or videography. The more you experiment with recording yourself, the more advanced you will become.
You can start small by simply documenting daily life, work trips, family gatherings, etc. Then progress to longer videos of wider angles or closer shots.
These practice pieces do not need to look professional, they only need have an intention. Your audience does not care about the camera equipment nor how professionally edited the piece is- they only want to see what you could possibly show off during this time you had access to a camera.
This is important to note because it sets a frame for future professionals that such non-professional content is allowed and necessary to learn from.
Take a class
Now that you have your camera, what next? If you want to take it seriously then there is nothing wrong with taking some formal lessons under an instructor. This can be done through a film school, via online courses or in person at a studio who offers classes.
There are many schools offering cinematography-specific courses. Some offer both general filming courses as well as ones for documentary filmmaking or video production.
These courses typically last around one month and include lectures, group exercises and either direct teaching from instructors of their area (film making) or them being supervised by an experienced teacher. Most also require students to bring their own equipment so they’re not expensive to begin with.
A great way to learn more about cinematography is to look into different areas such as still photo editing or videography.
Become familiar with lighting equipment
A lot of people start taking pictures with cameras first, which is great! But then they feel that they can’t take good photos because they don’t have enough light or the right gear for developing their photography skills.
Starting off with lighting equipment will get those creative muscles going! There are many ways to begin working in lighting as a cinematographer.
You can buy basic lighting sets at a very low cost, like a softbox or gel pack or paper box tray. These do not require any expertise to use! By investing in these early on, you will learn how to create natural looking lights, control exposure, and add some beautiful shadows.
There are also more expensive pieces such as large format camera systems or robotic gels that can be even more advanced than what we mentioned before. However, this isn’t necessary unless you want to invest heavily into lighting. No matter what level you are starting out at, there are lots of resources and tutorials online and in books where you can find easy recipes for new tricks.
Learn to use your camera equipment
One of the most important things to know as you start shooting movies is how to use all parts of the camera. There are many different settings and features that require you to be able to use your camera effectively.
You will need to take good pictures with it, so there’s nothing wrong spending some time learning about exposure, shutter speed, ISO, and matrix screens. All these go hand in hand for capturing beautiful images.
There are also different types of cameras such as still cameras, movie or camcorders, and digital still cameras. It’s not too difficult to pick up after experimenting with each one!
Getting into cinematography isn’t just about knowing how to make pretty pictures, it’s about understanding the fundamentals of photography and developing your photographic skills.
Know your camera settings
A field of work that has seen many changes is cinematographic filming or as it’s more commonly known, film shooting. Gone are the days when people would pull out their own gear and create our own style with lighting and recording.
These days, there are lots of tools available for almost anyone to use. Even if you aren’t very artistic, there are plenty of ways to get creative with photography using software like Photoshop!
So, how does someone start working in this field? By learning about light and cameras.
Your first step should be to learn some key terms related to lights and lenses. These include close up, wide angle, long lens, macro, f/1, f/2, etc. Once you have these, look up what each one does!
It’s also good to know your exposure modes (shutter speed and aperture mostly). There are different ones depending on whether you want something bright and crisp (like photoshoot mode) or slow moving and fluid (action mode, story mode)!
After that, pick up a basic DSLR from Amazon or somewhere similar so you can play around and understand how things work. This will help you layer all the other equipment and software properly!
If you love watching movies, check out some old classics on Netflix and see why they were considered great films.
Practice taking pictures of things
A great way to get into photography is by practicing your skills in shooting nature. Taking photos outside or within your home is an easy way to start!
Nature can be beautiful at any time, so why not hone your craft by capturing some interesting scenes? There are many ways to do this.
Some people take very artistic photographs that use lots of lighting and colors, which is incredible to see. Others prefer more documentary style images, where nothing about the scene is really “lit” except for the light source itself, creating a raw feel.
Whatever genre you want to pursue as a photographer, learning how to capture natural beauty will help you achieve that.
Learn how to edit your photos
Beyond taking still pictures, or filming a movie with a camera, cinematographers also edit their shots. They do this by using software such as Photoshop or Indesign to enhance the images before they are filmed.
Cinematographers typically use these editing programs to take away things like distractions, add special effects, balance color, and overall improve the image. These changes are usually very artistic so it is not easy for someone without that talent to identify them.
There are many ways to learn how to edit photographs. You can either find free resources online or buy some basic ones first and then advance from there. There are even some degree courses at college or vocational training facilities that teach you how to do this!
Getting into filmmaking as a career requires being able to take good pictures, but beyond that, it’s all about being able to manipulate those pictures.