 Hi, I'm here again. So today's topic is going to be interesting because it's something I've been asked regularly, but I've never really had the time to accumulate all my thoughts. So this is an attempt on Putting together all I think and hoping it's going to be beneficial to you I think disagree with the entire idea of we have like an industry you get but I would like to say We have an ecosystem. We can have a conversation on the comments below and you could tell me that okay not the woods an industry and I'll tell you why things an ecosystem you get and Why that is great Today's topic will be for cinematographers or aspiring cinematographers those of you want to ascend to become cinematographers, right? And this is accumulation of some of the things that I have Taking note of on my journey to where I am because for me it's an ongoing process There's a lot of failing learning on learning that I still need to do because things keep changing people change deliverables change And also it's a growing conversation because it's the standards and everything that's involved It just keeps going higher and higher and you have like push yourself or you become stagnant and you become outdated and Before you know it. It's all Asian history. So let's dive into it the first thing that comes to mind would be research Rather than Descend down the rabbit hole from interest, which is also great because you it's it's almost feels like blind faith Right, I would prefer researching like not the height of what that career could be not to breath Not everything then takes the sacrifices you would make and be fully aware of what? It demands of you. So before you get on the journey, you don't just actually come from the place of Zeal and passion which could take you very far But it's not all that you require to actually go the mile and the next thing that will be on my list that I have Yes, you have to test those theories. So for example, if your mind tells you that I have to learn how to shoot a music video or make this kind of work and before you know I would be working with this person or like you figured out the strategy You have to put the strategies to test because the like I said We are about meets the road That's when the truth of every experience is revealed and you find out that there's a lot more it could take or Maybe you are the factor you've been waiting for you can just leave it locked up in your head And say mentally it works because whatever translates in your brain usually doesn't translate tonight because people are weird People are messed up people are different people are Greats people are good people are kind but you do not know what portal or pool you would actually meet when you actually which means You have to test every theory go back to redrawing board Restrategize and actually come at it again from a different angle. I'll call it mentorship But what that usually speak to is because Technically people usually get this thing wrong Right my perspective the foundation of a mentor is a short cut to your destination Literally, so when somebody agrees, which is why I usually turn down mentorship and I'll tell you why When somebody agrees to become your mentor They are surrendering to become your sacrificial lamb giving you their access their resources their experience everything They've accumulated in let's say 200 years or no 200 a we don't live more than 70 80 now They so sorry I take that back Say 10 15 years right and they pack it down to you in probably one week two days one month And you're up and running Because one they can vouch for you. They can guide you They can give you their resources to actually get you to become the powerhouse So Nestle what what literally happens is that they make a younger versions of themselves with the same intensity knowledge and propensity right just in the very short time and That's like a big ax ax of someone you get so and even if you agree you can replicate it across hundreds of people Because it's it's quite difficult. It's quite intimate, especially when you're giving out like contacts. For example, you have like a Producing friend you're like, oh, yes, I think this person be good for you You have most of those opportunities are not that plenty to be able to say you can have 200 mentees and if you truly say you have 200 mentees the chances that you are true to those 200 personnels would not be the truth of the case because in real life scenarios There's no way you can offer all 200 the access the opportunities Maybe you can offer them your resources and experience but not in all complete totality Which is why it's a very tricky conversation when I get oh want you to be a mentor. I'm like I See I'm even lost for words because I don't think I have the capability to even serve a function To that calling at the level that I know what it truly requires so it's almost like Like I read somewhere on Instagram you have to figure out who's what the oil so you don't have to go waste your oil on people That are not what it you get so If that doesn't work for you because you meet people who turn you down and disagree not to become your mentors That's okay and fine, but Generally it leads me to my second question, which means you have to do the work you crave Because the reason we're reaching out to these mentors that because they do things that resonates with you Which is why you want to actually be plugged into the entire system that they represent If that's no longer working for you, then you have to become your own instigator and it's quite a long path But it will still take you to your destination. You have to do the work you crave avoid the rave of the moment For example Do what's true to you know what's It's in demand at the moment because what's in demand at the moment will constantly change But what's true to you it would attract your crowd Attract the people who wants the experience that only you can deliver that's not available on the market That's not available from a lot pack shop or from some software for some plug-in Things that is only specific that only you as that cinematographer or that image creator can actually create you have to seek out partnerships and Don't be shy to put yourself out there What that speaks to is that You know the popular saying a tree can't make a forest, right? It's very true When you move as a tribe is a lot more easy to combine Everybody's 10% to come to 100% than when you're moving alone It is not impossible to move alone if that's what you see the card fate or the world has dealt you But it's just gonna take a longer process than if you're leveraging on People resources and networking become a value house I mean value to the craft as in terms of due diligence being able to like coordinate things being able to translate things that are set verbally into documents that will be useful to the production being able to Learn how to prepare pitch learn how to drop a lighting diagram Then how to be able to put technical things on paper when you're actually distributing production dog all those things that could be of extreme supportive value to your Mentor that you're trying to get to become your mentor or to the person or the place that you're trying to actually function you get Oh, like like look for the what's missing the missing gap that they have and actually become The final completion screw in that chain actually fills up that hole that plugs in and actually projects value Now this leads me up to my very next interesting point which says pick up the good habits and leave the bad so sometimes you get yourself stuck in with a mentee who has Certain habits you appreciate and certain habits you do not appreciate because we all work in progress Nobody has it all figured out and none of us are actually perfect you get As a mentor there's a tendency to copy that this is what he did that brought him here So it's also comfortable to also stay in that state and pick up those wrong characters. No The best thing that will set you up for success will probably rise above what Your mentor is is to pick up all that's great about him and leave all that sucks about him in the past So you become the version 2.0 or 3.0 and if that was supposed to continue for generations after generations You can see how perfection we get even more closer because all the good characteristics that you that are amazing about that person Is what you instill and all the bad you do not atta you do not take you just leave that behind and fill up that gap with more balance etiquette and Common sense find yourself low-level productions where you can gain experience from Because apart from all this research you need to put in the man hours. There's nothing as They there's nothing like the joy of doing you get you could read all you could say all you could Forecast it put it down present it make all the technical plans be all intellectual sound But there's nothing like the joy of doing there's nothing like dealing with the reality of you have just two hours So should the Sun will soon go down and you need to can about two more things about making those pressure decision because filmmaking is never about Having the right situation where something does not go wrong even when you have all the million budget something will still go wrong It could be that oh For example something broke down on set despite you had everything on ground and you have to do without your initial plan So it's always about what can you deliver when things go wrong because definitely something always go wrong on set if you doubt me I like to tell students I talked to you know, it's not a matter of how well can you make a movie? It's how well can you make it under the circumstances? because there's always circumstances and You cannot use that as an excuse you can't put a title card at the head of the movie So we were out a really bad problem You know the actor got sick and it rained this day and we had a hurricane and you know You can't the cameras broke down. You can't do that. You simply have to Show them the movie and it's got to work It's way more intense and In a cool way, there's a book that says the obstacle in the way I'm not trying to plug the book But it generally speaks to the idea of the difficult part is usually the most rewarding This will bring it to the next skill that says naturally Building your skill set because of this whole pressure situation being able to think articulatively being able to respond in chaos Managing all the things that required within the space of all that's erupting at the moment All the things will lead you to be able to build Character building a skill set have having the ability to keep a cool head when things are going wrong Learning how to checkmate yourself around people because it's a people's business as much as you're great with all the f-stop numbers People were just just want to be with great people They do not want to be with people that actually make them feel bad about themselves Build a portfolio build a body of work something that speaks true to what you create which ties into my earlier point that says You have to Create the experience you crave Which is what's going to attract the type of clients or the type of people that gravitates to your work There's always somebody for everybody out there So never feel pressure to say that's how they've been doing it That's how you want to do it in your own craziness You can find a new way of doing it in your own craziness You could come up with it may not be that popular But it speaks true to you because among everything you want to live with the Satisfaction that you left everything on the table You did all that there is that was possible and it actually speaks to what you what's true to you The reason why we have people like David Fincher West understand they have all the stylized work that we can recognize is because at the heart of all these Decisions they make they make things that are actually true to them things that actually speaks and resonates with them And that's all I have for you for this week's episode So I hope you're great on the next time I see you and provides adapt no for come. Thank you