Fine art student to Music video director

On episode 3 of the podcast I sat down director Vasilisa Forbes to talk about our experiences working together as well as her experiences working with other cinematographers.

Vas explains how she went from studying fine art and working as a photographer to landing her first directing job.

Personality vs skill set

An often overlooked aspect of being a director of photography is people skills and the ability to read the vibe of a set or project. Sometimes the cinematographer with the best body of work isn’t necessarily the best person for the job.

Vas talks about her process when it comes to selecting a cinematographer for a specific project and why personality is sometimes more important than the ability to create great photography

The curse of the showreel

Any visual artist will most likely have a showreel on their website. Often times the first question we get asked by any prospective employer is “Can I see your reel?” and if they don’t ask to see one the chances are they’re already googling you to find that themselves.

We discuss the importance of a showreel for both the cinematographer and director.

Is it better to stay in your lane and find a niche?

Or,

Is it better to show variety in your work?

There are definitely pros and cons to both methods.

conclusion

This was such a fun interview and it really felt like more of a conversation than anything else.

Personally I think the relationship between the director and cinematographer is one of the most important on any production.

What do think? Leave a comment below I’d love to know what you think.