American Cinematographer - June 2020 - 15

ASC member Charlie Lieberman, chair of the Society's Photo Gallery Committee, has created a "Lockdown
Photo Series" as a way to continue his still photography
and share a bit of beauty with others during this time.
About the project, he says: "All the photographs I've
shared these last few weeks have been shot in areas of my
neighborhood that completely burned to the ground in the
Woolsey Fire of November 2018. Before the fire, all of what
I've been aiming my camera at was overgrown, old brush
that fully obscured the views. After the fire, all that was left
was the dirt, the rocks and scorched tree trunks. Now that
we're beginning the second post-fire spring, the continued
rising from the ashes is lovely to behold, and the views are
outstanding. The added bonus of the beautiful morning
fogs makes for pictures that for me are serene, natural,
beautiful and, most importantly, hopeful. My purpose isn't
to show forbidding pictures, but to share quiet moments
that take in what is still sublime. My goal is to bring a
moment of peace and promise."
that it works on relationships. You must
network and you must do it constantly. It
never ends. Most of us hate this part and
we shy away from it. We're creative
artists, not sales people! But if you want
to be in this business, you absolutely
must network.
Cinematographer Jendra Jarnagin
is responsible for changing my whole
perspective on networking during the
Sundance Film Festival in 2019. Her
philosophy is not to attend these parties
and events desperately looking for that
one person who can hire you or greenlight your project - which only leads to
frustration. Go to events, festival parties
and screenings and just meet people.
Talk to people and have fun. Find individuals you like and would enjoy hanging
out with. Basically, go and make friends.
Forming these friendships with people
who also work in the business is more
likely to lead to a fruitful professional
endeavor than anything else; you end up
making friends and then working with
your friends. It's about creating bonds
and then nurturing them, so once you've
made a connection, stay in contact.
Social media makes this an entirely new
ballgame, and so much easier than
making 50 phone calls every time a job
ends - that's what we used to have to
do!

Where
do
you
network? Well, as a cinematographer you should be
networking where producers
and directors hang out. Cinematographers like to show
up at NAB and Cine Gear, and
to rental-house parties -
and while that's great for
fostering relationships with
crew and vendors, and
checking out new tools, it's
terrible for finding your next
job. Directors and producers
rarely go to those events.
They go to film festivals
(especially the parties); they
go to events where famous
producers or directors are
speaking; they go to filmrevival screenings. If you go
to these events, you're likely
to meet a director or
producer who's terribly tired of being
pitched stories by struggling writers or
approached by other directors looking to
get their films made! A conversation with
a cool cinematographer is likely to be
taken as a breath of fresh air.
Use social media. I can't really
harp on this enough. Follow directors
whose work you admire, and who you'd
like to work with. Engage with their posts
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with professional and intelligent
comments. If you do this enough (and
have a good social-media presence that is
a mix of your work, professional and
personal life), you're likely to make
connections.
Do lunch. That may be the biggest
Hollywood cliché, but it's a powerful
connection/networking tool. Connect
with people face-to-face over a meal and
June 2020

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American Cinematographer - June 2020

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