The Journey Ahead

I’ve officially started my mentorship journey, and I now have a vision of what the road ahead could look like for me.

Spoiler alert! The road is long. Maybe that's not so much of a surprise, but I tend not to look so far into the future, so it was, to some capacity, surprising for me.

Besides being long, it will be nothing short of complex and rewarding. My mentor, Peter Mosiman, helped me plan out a basic direction and vision for my original work project - the product I am creating for the next 5 months.

I’ll be honest - the main reason the road ahead will be difficult for me is because of this original work project and my overthinking brain. I love to plan things out far in advance, which leads me to overthink certain steps in the process, which leads to the unfortunate conclusion of self-doubt and trashing the entire idea.

I haven’t even begun this project because I’m still very much in the planning stage. I’ve gone through about 5 or 6 ideas, some of which branched off or evolved from the other, and I'm honestly just confused at this point. But then again, that’s why I have 5 months to complete it.

Luckily for me, Peter is extremely helpful when it comes to generating ideas. When I first told him about this original work project, he already sounded excited and said he had so many ideas.

I can’t begin to explain how refreshing that was for me to hear because I was at a loss. I’ve been stuck in a creative rut now for quite some time, and it’s especially difficult for me to generate ideas without a solid baseline and direction. Surprisingly enough, even though I take pride in calling myself creative, I thrive with structure. As long as I have someone like Peter build ideas with and point me in the right direction, I should be alright.

As I’m generating ideas for this original work project, I will also continue to watch movies, listen to podcasts, and watch people do breakdowns of commercials and videos to learn a bit more about what it might be like when filming on a set.

Watching movies or short films (for enjoyment purposes) does help my cinematography journey. By being exposed to all kinds of directors and cinematographers of various styles through movies in different periods and genres, I can get inspiration from the color schemes used, lighting techniques, frames, etc. The possibilities are truly endless.

As for podcasts, well, there’s nothing more educational (other than being on an actual set) than listening to a bunch of DPs (directors of photography) talk about the job and their experience. Through listening to these podcasts, I can hear about the problems I may run into and all these tips and tricks that will help me deal with them on my journey.

Something I am looking forward to on my long journey ahead is the possibility of getting on set. So far, every filmmaker I’ve talked to has said that being on sets is truly the best way to learn.

But unfortunately, with the current state of the pandemic, I probably won’t be able to get on a set anytime soon, and dismissed the idea of it entirely. However, Peter did mention the possibility of inviting me onto the set of a music video (maybe after I graduate). I will admit, I became almost giddy when he said this. Being on set would be an absolute dream for me, and I think that’s where all the minor roads of my journey will converge. All of my knowledge about cinematography will come together one day on a set, and I’ll see it all come to life right before my eyes. I can’t wait!

But until I can achieve my dream of being on set, I’ll be creating as much as I can from home, in whatever means possible. I will continue shooting stills and adding them to my portfolio, planning my original work project, listening to some more podcasts, watching movies, TV shows, and short films. Hopefully, all of these experiences will help me learn more about the art of cinematography and find inspiration as I continue on my journey ahead.