Cinematographer Interview

I interviewed a local freelance cinematographer, Seth Whelden 

When and how did you become interested in cinematography?

My first interest in cinematography came in high school, however, though I studied cinematography in college (my first time around), it wasn't until years later that I went back to school (at PCC) with hopes of making a career of it. During that time, I fell back in love with the artistic component of camera and lighting, and since then, I've been completely immersed in the film/video industry.

Is there a struggle you faced when you first started out?

My initial struggle is much like anyone else: I wanted to be a cinematographer but needed to work my way up the ladder a bit first. To my fortune, I found a great internship right out of school that allowed me to grow and experience many different roles in the industry. I was officially hired as an audio engineer, something I kind of learned on the job, but eventually I was given some opportunity to shoot and just tried to own it. Confidence is important, as is knowledge. Do everything you can to learn from others early on, and make friends with some great gaffers!

If I want to pursue cinematography and wanting a lot of it being outdoors, what is the best way to do so other than just getting out and shoot?

Don't limit the stuff you work on super early in your career. Focus is okay, but work on anything you can because there are valuable lessons to be learned in any environment. Shooting a commercial in a studio will give you knowledge that could/will come in handy down the road some day when shooting outdoors. The more you can work with big crews, the more you'll be ready for that if the right budget comes your way. Beyond that, get out and shoot.

As a cinematographer trying to get my foot in the door, do you have any advice?

Work on anything you can, especially projects with people who are more experienced. Don't be afraid of seemingly boring content, just use those opportunities to learn process, terminology, and flow on set. Commercial content is all the same in some way or another, so if you see yourself in that space (which for outdoor stuff, you probably will be) you can learn a lot from a commercial production house.

When you're shooting your own content (assuming there is no client), don't be afraid to fail miserably and try again. Plan crazy shots and hope for the best. Shoot in crazy weather, and see how it goes.