Hello cinematographers lounge,
I'm a cinematographer and I've mostly worked on independent films and I want to find a mentor or ideas to help push me to the next level with cinematography to be able to grow my skillet. I have a tripod, gimbal, slider, and car mount for camera rigs, but I know I can improve my camera movement and lighting and color grading. What techniques, tools, and practices do you recommend I start?
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Camera (and movement): grab some friends, and shoot short scenarios. You'll have to double as a director. Block the scene, shoot it. Thankfully with this digital realm we are in the cost is next to nothing to do things. Color grading: Checkout Stu Maschwitz (his website is ProLost.com and search for color grading). (Note: there's plenty of color grading tutorials out there, and many are confusing and do it wrong).
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Hi Navid John Namazi, welcome to the Cinematography Lounge! I love that you’re actively looking for ways to push your skills to the next level. That mindset alone will take you far.
When it comes to improving camera movement, lighting, and color grading, I’d recommend focusing on practical exercises that challenge you creatively with the gear you already have. In film school, they encouraged us to practice lighting and camera setups by recreating pieces of art or inspirational still photography and then adding movement to it. It’s a great way to train your eye for composition, light shaping, and visual storytelling without the pressure of a full narrative.
For lighting specifically, practice shaping available light before adding anything extra. Working with negative fill, bounce, and diffusion will help build your eye and precision. For color grading, DaVinci Resolve is an industry standard tool with a free version that’s incredibly powerful, even practicing with footage from your phone can help you get comfortable with color theory and matching tones.
Also, I’d highly recommend checking out Stage 32’s cinematography education, there are some fantastic webinars and classes led by industry professionals that dig into advanced techniques:
https://www.stage32.com/education/collections/cinematography
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Watch films and shows and dissect scenes you find interesting. Read articles in AC and BC mags. Go to trade shows. See what's out there.
Shoot as much as you can. Try new things. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Take risks. Test gear you haven't worked with.