Connection is Key

For the past few weeks, I’ve begun to contemplate and reflect on whether or not filmmaking was the right choice for me, and if I truly want to continue pursuing it. I started hitting more and more roadblocks in my original work project, and I just felt stuck. It felt as though I had done so much yet achieved so little - I filmed and planned all of these details for the past two months, but I fell back to square one. I lost sight of my vision, and nothing was quite coming together in the way I had hoped.

Naturally, I decided to ask my mentor for some advice. Turns out, what I had been feeling is typical and even expected - it didn’t mean I should question whether I wanted to be a filmmaker or not or make myself question my willingness, passion, or capabilities.

What I was running into was the typical video editor’s dilemma. It’s the point where you have all of your footage, but nothing is coming together in the way you planned. As a DP (director of photography), you certainly have to shoot everything with the final edit in mind, but even my mentor said sometimes he might shoot something and think that the edit will look amazing, but it ends up not working out. Unfortunately, sometimes, it’s just the way it is.

After giving me some advice, my mentor decided to connect me to a producer he knows named Sarah Haber, who has quite a bit of experience with documentaries. I emailed her that afternoon and managed to secure a phone call with her the very next day.

I prepared about five questions for her, all of which branched off of the main issue I was having - making my film flow smoothly and establishing a solid message and story. To my surprise, she answered all of my questions, gave me some advice, and gave me new insights that I hadn’t even thought of before - all in under 15 minutes.

It was inspiring to speak with her - she knew exactly what would help me, and she gave such detailed answers in an incredibly effective way.

It’s been at least a few months since I’ve spoken to a professional on the phone (other than my mentor), and I forgot how much I loved meeting new people and networking. Sometimes even just talking to new people and making those connections turns out to be incredibly inspiring and fills me with optimism for my future. I’m extremely grateful and fortunate that she agreed to let me reach out to her again if I had further questions - I think I can benefit from her perspective and experience not only from documentaries but from a producer standpoint as well!

As much as I enjoyed making new connections, I love working with the network and connections I've already established. One of my biggest goals for my filmmaking journey (especially in high school) is to collaborate with other filmmakers. I’m lucky enough to have a connection to both of the other ISM students who are interested in film, Shreyansh Dixit and Aly Rose, and I’ve wanted to work with them for the longest time. After all, films are rarely made entirely by one person - collaboration is a skill and asset for filmmakers, so I might as well flex my connections and get as used to it as possible while I can.

Over spring break, an opportunity arose that would allow me to achieve my goal of collaborating with other filmmakers. Initially, Shreyansh asked me if he could borrow some equipment to shoot his original work project but he eventually agreed to have me on “set” as well to lend some extra hands. As it turned out, he had already asked Aly to help him with the filming process, so now, the trifecta of ISM film kids had united - in one very small bathroom with fake cigarettes and a phone flashlight for a light source.

The duration of the shoot was about 7 hours. I can confidently say that those seven hours were well-spent, productive, fun, and exciting for all of us. Between scenes, we talked about some of our experiences and how much we had been enjoying our time together. It was almost as if we just could not shut up about wanting to collaborate more - I guess that’s what happens when you work with people who have the same level of enthusiasm and passion for a career and an industry you all collectively want to pursue.

This particular shoot taught me a lot - not only about the benefits of collaboration but about the way things might realistically flow and work on an actual set. We are not professionals, but I think out of the three of us, both Aly and Shreyansh have far more extensive knowledge about filmmaking than I do.

Seeing how Aly worked the camera and how Shreyansh took to directing made me feel like we were doing something truly special - it wasn’t just some shabby high school film for a random project. These were three kids who have dedicated a year of their highschool life to learn about film putting in their best efforts and working together creatively to make something spectacular. It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than I could have imagined. Shreyansh managed to produce a rough cut of the footage we shot, and from what I’ve seen, the final film will be nothing short of an amazing project all three of us will be proud of. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

When we wrapped up the shoot, I reflected on some of the thoughts I’ve been having for the past few weeks. Do I want to pursue down this path of filmmaking? Should I continue studying to become a cinematographer? I had found the answer to both. It was yes. I do want to pursue filmmaking, and yes - well, maybe - I should continue studying to become a cinematographer.

There is nothing that screams passion for filmmaking more than a person’s sheer excitement over collaborating with others to film a project and their pure curiosity and drive to learn the ins and outs and tips and tricks of filmmaking, so surely I should continue learning about filmmaking.

But why is the cinematography thought in question? Well, the only reason I answered “maybe” instead of a definite “yes” is because I do genuinely enjoy cinematography, but I also want to look into producing or more oversight or management roles.

As it came up during our shoot, I was told that I have a sort of presence and leadership quality that makes me great management material. From what I know and what I’ve experienced, I can say I’m excited to work with people on sets and love filmmaking, so maybe I could make a good director or producer.

Although I’m currently sticking to my course and education on cinematography, I think I’ll start taking a look at producing or directing. With the new connection I made with Sarah Haber, perhaps I could even ask her about it!

Even if I begin to deviate from the world of cinematography, I must say I’m very happy with the way my mentorship is progressing and I could not be more grateful for the help, support, and advice I’ve been given. Cinematography truly fascinates me, and although I may find that I’m really not that great at it, my experience with Peter has set me up for an amazing career in whatever I do choose to pursue.

With Peter’s support, honesty, and encouragement, I’ve realized that I’ve been restricting myself too much to just one path. Many people in the film industry are not just editors or cinematographers - they can take on a different role for different projects. Maybe you’re a DP for one project, but you’re a DP and editor for another. It’s a process, and it’s actually better to be skilled in more than one aspect of filmmaking so you can be flexible with the jobs you choose to take.

All in all, I’ve had a very productive few weeks. My next step will be to work with some of the suggestions I was given regarding my original work, which mainly includes creating a paper edit of my interviews. In essence, it’s a script for my film, formulated from highlighted audio bytes from the transcription of my interview. By creating this paper edit, I'll be able to get a better grasp of my story and fill in gaps with my narration. Hopefully, I will be able to finish this paper edit up in the next few days and send it to my mentor for review early next week. My goal will then be to begin executing that vision and story and recording any other interviews, narration, or audio bytes I need to complete my film. Although things may have seemed a little convoluted and hopeless a week or two ago, I’m happy to say that I have a renewed and clear vision for what I want and need to do next.