Hi, I'm a 35 year old looking to get into filmmaking particularly cinematography as I have always loved being behind the camera, problem is I have zero experience. I really want to build a career as a d.o.p but not sure how to go about this and I find myself down some days wondering if it's too late for me.
I enrolled in a Uni but the course has so far been very theoretical and has had very little to do with camera operating (before beginning I 100% told the Uni I wanted to be trained in camera operating and they said the course would definitely cover that area...hasn't been the case though), also the students are just so young its hard finding someone who you can relate to. I was wondering if there are intensive one year camera operator practical courses out there to set me on the right path towards this career.
Any advice or resources would be appreciated.
Hey,
About me: 35 this year. Didn't really start making films until I was 30.
I just want to say off the bat that this idea that it's too late for you to start filmmaking at 35 is silly. Notice I didn't word "start filmmaking" as "have a career" because there'd be no guarantee you'd have a career even if you were graduating film school at age 22 tomorrow.
35 definitely isn't too late to start learning cinematography, but you have to consider where you are in life with the reality of the industry.
Can you really afford to quit your job, go to school, and jump from set to set as you learn your craft, which is what most people do when starting out? Do you have a support system that will allow you to take these jobs, when you don't know where your next gig will be coming from or whether you'll get paid next month?
I wish I knew more about the specifics of your situation so I could be of better assistance. With the information you've provided here, I would still say that you have little reason to fret if you're trying to pursue filmmaking. I would say keep the day job if you have one, and find a film society where you live to continue pursuing your passion. I've been following Film North in Minnesota, though I haven't taken any classes with them. The Austin Film Society is great, and offers online cinematography courses. Tal Lazar with Latent Images has been wonderful, and he's restarting his cinematography group on February 29th online (you can visit his website at latentimages.com).
Regarding having a career in film, so much is out of your control, and as someone who's been based in Los Angeles for pretty much all of the last decade and who watched morale in the city plummet with the (still very necessary, I felt) writer's strike, I would say the focus for anyone looking to make films should be not having a career in the business, but being able to make films at all. This is especially because a lot of what's made out there aren't artistic, creatively fulfilling Well-Made Masterpieces With Lots to Say. Especially starting out, you could be shooting horror movies on sets with terrible scripts, and where the director doesn't know what the hell they're doing, and the days are long -- but hey, you'd be getting paid $500 a day, so are you taking the gig, especially when you have to make rent for the month?
Hollywood CPR might be for you. It's an LA program that offers low-income students the chance to build employment skills and enter the industry after graduation. I've heard people having lots of success with that program, and I believe they have a camera operator track.
Otherwise, I'd try being around other filmmakers, and reading everything you can about cinematography. If you get stuck, seek out resources in your community or virtually you can go to for help. Reddit filmmaking communities I've found to be very supportive.
In your shoes, I would say without knowing too much about your situation: don't quit your job, find a film society in your area you can join, save your money to hire people on projects who know more about their craft than you so you can make stuff with them and learn on the go. To make a film, all you really need is time and money. Try to get yourself in a position where you don't have to lose too much of either to pursue your dream. As someone who's your age, I would look at ponying six figures of cash for a film school program when I'm halfway to 40 to be an absolutely incredible risk (and yes, your health and body are not the same at 40 as at 25; this matters).
However, I know that you said you wanted a one-year program, but economics and pursuing a dream are absolutely intertwined, and the financial cost of things is absolutely something to think about. I've heard of UCLA Extension also being good, but I'm reluctant to pony up $800 for a class. Even if I am taking a cinematography class, I'm out $800.
Decide what's best for you. All is not lost. Protect your time and money and work toward your goals. Remember, the goal should be the fact that you get to pursue the art and the craft of cinematography at all, not to have a career -- at least that's what I think as someone who's your age. If you're working in finance, but you've lensed two short films on the weekends over the past year, and you've got a regular network of filmmakers to bounce ideas off of and hang with and that you love being around, you're more or less living the dream. At least that's what I think (one opinion). Good luck.
