Cinema Photografer...just a dream?

[will_akandou]

Hi,

 

I'm french and i would like to get into pro wedding photos...necause its an

accessible middle, and i like taking picture of happy people. But i have another

kind of pictures i would love to work as a "professionnal".

I would love to be a Cinema Photographer (the one that take pictures on movie

stages etc.) but it seems like it's so unaccessible. Does anybody do this job and

live of that?

How hard will it be to get into this middle coming from nowhere (and especially

from france... yeah i love US cinema, but not french cinema)

 

Do i have to give up this dream?

 

Thank you

 

sorry for my english!

[leicaglow]

I was able to work for a studio in college when they made a film at my school. They had an official photographer, but used me to do the daily's sent to local papers. It was a good gig for me at the time. I was close enough to the right people I could have pursued it probably, but it wasn't my thing. You also need to consider what equipment you'll be using. The pros use a blimp around their cameras to keep the sound down, I used a Leica at the time and they were okay with that.

[ellis_vener_photography]

First get to know the people at the studios and production companies where you live. Most large cities have one or several. Make lots of connections. Start small, do good work and build your reputation. The work does not generally pay very well until you get to the level of doing "specials" (basically producing photos for advertising, posters , etc.) and it is standard that the production companies require that they own all rights, or as it also known "work for hire".

 

Yo uwill need a specialized and expensive piece of gear, a Jacobson Instruments Sound Blimp for your cameras and lenses:http://www.soundblimp.com/

 

I've tried alternatives and there really is nothign else that compares to the Jacobson product. it is necessary to completely muffle the sound of the camera. You'll need a body case and tubes for the different lenses.

 

If you are smart you charge for the blimp as a special item rental to the production company to make it pay for itself.

 

You'll also need fast primes 35mm f/2 or 1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.2 or f/1.4 and a 100, 105mm or 135mm f/2 lens and a high end DSLR with very good high ISO performance.(Canon EOS 1D Mark 3 or NikonD3) and an ability to shoot "raw" and quickly process the results.

 

My experience in the field is not extensive: stills for several VH-1 / MTV Movies of the Week, several PBS shows (NOVA, etc.) and a couple of "real" movies.

[will_akandou]

when i say "cinema photographer" i m just talking about taking picture on the shooting stage (actor, director etc.) like we can see often on DVD bonus.

 

a sound blimp? what is that (sorry my english is not that good for now :D) is it like a case to reduce dslr noise when you shoot?

 

D3 or mark III...hum...couldn't we to this work with "just" an excelent dslr as the D300 or canon 40Dand skip the supra excellent cameras@6000$? :)

[Ian Taylor]

These days most of the good jobs in that field are held by long time pros who are in it for the security. They are also unionized, so it's very tough to break into at the end where you can actually make a living.

<p>

I know 2 shooters who do it, both ex-commercial types. Not to discourage you, but you want to approach it with both eyes open. That said, lots of independent films need stills shooters, but be prepared to make $100 for a very long day.

[Spearhead]

I was just shooting for a local cable show last night, a once a month live filming. There are a whole set of other skills you need in addition to what Ellis mentions, personal working skills. You need to be able to both shoot what you need to and stay out of the way, to become invisible to the other people. You are the least important person there, so nobody is going to accommodate you. You are less important than the caterer and bartender. You need to be able to work without tripping on cables, bumping the dolly or interacting with any people. You especially need to stay out of the way of the video crew and figure out what they are doing before they do it.

 

On the cameras, you can't expect to get work on the cheap. Ellis is definitely on target about the low light performance. You're expected to produce what they expect, not what your equipment lets you. As opposed to more casual shooting, equipment here is going to make a big difference. By the way, the weather sealing can be important, I've worked stages when champagne bottles were being sprayed and that string stuff from cans was going everywhere. You can't turn around to hide your camera because you don't have the right equipment.

 

The other thing is that you will probably be better off starting with small productions, maybe stage events or TV shows. And you may, like I am, be located somewhere that movie production and especially soundstages are a rarity. I don't think there is much in the US outside of New York City and LA, maybe Miami, I've seen some stuff from there.

 

I don't use a blimp, I almost always work in a live environment, but I doubt anyone wants to hear your camera firing on a set.

[Spearhead]

<i>That said, lots of independent films need stills shooters, but be prepared to make $100 for a very long day.</i><p>Or $50 and two drink tickets for a night.

[argv]

This is a union job--you can't get the work unless you're part of one of a variety of film industry unions.

 

You can work for indie films, of course, but to get them, you have to attend a lot of indie film festivals and network. (That's how I got a lot of those gigs.) You have to work (typically) for free (like most of the other production staff) in hopes of using the work as part of a portfolio you present to studios. I've done a number of indie film production shoots, and it's extremely easy/simple work. They've done all the lighting and everything--you just stand behind the film camera and shoot what it shoots. You can go above and beyond this requirement and shoot your own on-site work, but it'll never see the light of day--it's strictly for your own use or that of the production company. Oh, and your portfolio as well.

 

Most real production photographers have a sweet deal because of the union association, because it pays well, *and* you can work independently on non-film gigs. But, you don't just apply--you have to move up through the indie ranks.

 

dan

[Spearhead]

<i>You can go above and beyond this requirement and shoot your own on-site work, but it'll never see the light of day--it's strictly for your own use or that of the production company.</i><p>This really depends on who you're working for. I work on indie stuff and never have to give up anything except what I agree to give them. A lot of indie stuff is indie enough that they see it as a community rather than as a business grab, so everybody gets their piece.

[argv]

> This really depends on who you're working for.

 

I didn't mean from a "rights" point of view, as in who owns the rights to the pix. They may very well be your photos in copyright and so on. It's the rights of the people in them that I was referring to. It's true that many indie companies just don't care about the pix, but it's the fact that the shots were done in a private, controlled, orchestrated setting that makes virtually use display of those pictures a sure-fire violation of privacy rights. Not that many people complain about this either, of course, but it's strictly a legal thing.