Cinematography Breakdown Vol. 4
Writing, directing, and cinematography all simultaneously with a small crew is a daunting task. Until “Let Me Rest,” I hadn’t attempted all three at once since 2019, and even then, it was haphazardly done. Fortunately, my two years of experience in cinematography for other projects had prepared me enough to tackle this personal project.
Should LUTs Be Free?
Throughout the mid-to-late 2010s, a concerning trend emerged among YouTube content creators. While I won’t name names, you’ve likely come across creators who promised their fans the ability to achieve “CINEMATIC” visuals just like theirs—using a LUT available at an “affordable” price. However, many fans quickly realized that applying these LUTs to their footage didn’t yield the promised results…
Why I Finally Decided to Write What I Know
With my upcoming short film, “Let Me Rest,” I’m putting myself out there. Even though it isn’t completely biographical, it still represents thoughts I’ve had, hard conversations that were actually exchanged, and moments of loneliness and anger felt after losing my mother to cancer in 2020. The film represents a “what if” scenario through the main character of Lynn.
Write What You Know
For 13 years, I’ve been creating short films off and on. Typically, my approach has been to craft stories based on research, genre, or a specific theme I wanted to explore—sometimes tailored for a particular film festival. But I hadn’t yet ventured into writing and directing a project that deeply reflected my own experiences…
High Pressure Cinematography for a High Fantasy Shoot
Imagine stepping onto the set of a high-fantasy pilot with 29 pages of script and over 20 scenes to shoot in just 28 hours. Daunting? Absolutely. But for me, it became a welcome challenge. This wasn’t just another pet project—it was a proof-of-concept, and if we pulled it off, it could open doors to bigger things. The pressure was palpable, but so was the excitement.
The Old Days
Before committing to this photography / cinematography life full-time, before my normal 9-5 day job, before college, I made videos with my closest friends. We just did what any other teenager was doing; goofing around, laughing at stupid things, but we channeled that into standing in front of a camera, improvising, and trying to piece our nonsensical puzzles together for our own enjoyment.