June 9, 2026 • 37 mins
What separates a good cinematographer from one that directors, producers, and talent repeatedly trust with high-pressure productions?
In this episode, cinematographer Jared Hess shares hard-earned lessons from over a decade shooting for ESPN, WWE, Bellator, and major fight promotions. From filming in dangerous neighborhoods and chaotic gyms to working directly with elite athletes and unpredictable environments, Jared explains why technical skill alone is never enough. The real job is managing people, emotions, pressure, and trust while still delivering cinematic images under impossible conditions.
But beneath the stories of cameras and production lies a deeper conversation about collaboration, leadership, and surviving the modern filmmaking industry. Jared breaks down how cinematographers can build trust with directors and talent, why ego destroys sets, the importance of preparation, working without enough time or money, and how maintaining calm energy can completely transform an interview or production day. For indie filmmakers and aspiring DPs, this episode becomes a practical masterclass on professionalism, communication, and visual storytelling under pressure.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.
In this episode, cinematographer Jared Hess shares hard-earned lessons from over a decade shooting for ESPN, WWE, Bellator, and major fight promotions. From filming in dangerous neighborhoods and chaotic gyms to working directly with elite athletes and unpredictable environments, Jared explains why technical skill alone is never enough. The real job is managing people, emotions, pressure, and trust while still delivering cinematic images under impossible conditions.
But beneath the stories of cameras and production lies a deeper conversation about collaboration, leadership, and surviving the modern filmmaking industry. Jared breaks down how cinematographers can build trust with directors and talent, why ego destroys sets, the importance of preparation, working without enough time or money, and how maintaining calm energy can completely transform an interview or production day. For indie filmmakers and aspiring DPs, this episode becomes a practical masterclass on professionalism, communication, and visual storytelling under pressure.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
You are listening to the ifh podcast Network. For more
amazing filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, just go to ifhpodcastnetwork dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Indie Film Muscle Podcast, Episode number eight
fifty eight. Cinema should make You forget You're sitting in
a theater, Roman Polanski.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Broadcasting from the back alley in Hollywood. It's the Indie
Film Hustle Podcast, where we showed you how to survive
and thrive as an indie filmmaker in the jungles of
the film biz. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome, Welcome to another episode of the Indie Film Huscle Podcast.
I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Today's show is
sponsored by Rise of the Film Entrepreneur How to turn
your independent film into a profitable business. It's harder today
than ever before for independent filmmakers to make money with
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(01:42):
to order it, just head over to www dot filmbiz
book dot com. That's film bizbook dot com. Enjoy today's
episode with guest host Dave bullis my next.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Guest on this show, and I actually met by accident.
I actually reached out to him originally because I thought
he was the Jared Hess from Napoleon Dynamite, and he's
actually another Jared Hess who's a cinematographer. So we still,
you know, we talked, and you know, we agreed to
come on. So you know, Jared is on location in
this interview, So a few segments are going to be
(02:17):
a little noisy, so just bear that in mind, but
it's still very, very audible and without further ado, with
cinematographer Jared Hess.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Jared is a cinematographer based out of Orlando, Florida, and
Jared has worked in the indie film television market for
over ten years and has produced content for such clients
as Bellatour, WE and ESPN. Jared, how's everything going, Buddy
good Man?
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Out here in sunny Orlando? So I can't complain about
an eighty degree So another rest of the United States,
happier quota right now.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
So it's here in Philadelphia. It's been such a warm winter.
It's been unbelievable.
Speaker 5 (02:55):
Oh yeah, I've heard that. You know.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
I was just out west doing some cheoting also for
the you know, the weather's been great, like h for
the most part, so nobody's getting hit too hard by
snow winner So so you know, uh, you.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Know, Jared, just to begin, you know, the question I
always ask everybody is you know, how did you get started?
You know, you know, and what exact who's your background?
Speaker 6 (03:19):
Well, my dad was actually a screenwriter, you know, before
I was born, and he had a business partner, Wayne
Beach and he, you know, my dad went into other things.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Wayne Beach kept going at it.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
And he sold a couple of films to Westers Knife
Yard of Quaterer sixteen hundred, and then he directed Vetter
on Slowbird. You know, so I kind of always looked
up to him, and uh, you know, I was always
into doing telling stories.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
And thought I was going to be an actor for
a while. When I went to college, I.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Decided to kind of pursue the kind of film element,
doing digital media video production, and then the birth of
the D ninety came out, so I wasn't chasing down
the film stock and running expensive equipment and started making
my own content. I'm doing griller style filmmaking, putting some
(04:19):
short films, and then I started getting picked up, you know,
primarily by ESPN and then uh, Spike Television shooting a
lot of their feature content and what had you So.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So, how did they discover you at first? Did you
send them a real or did they maybe you know,
happen upon your content online.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
Well, I worked with a couple of individuals who I'd known.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
With and they kept pushing me and kind of exposing
some of the things that I've been shooting, and you know,
I did a couple of short films and I was
always looking to kind of self promote, and know, there
came up a couple opportunities where they needed some people
to d kind of a film style look for some
(05:07):
of the feature content and so kind of created kind
of that niche or fellow into that kind of niche
of kind of doing the film look for you know,
features for different clients, you know, whether it's they're usually
short form. I've done a couple of long you know,
long form hour long projects as well outside of features.
(05:33):
And when I mean features, I meant like, you know,
short form features for you know, different.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Whether it's a fight or you know, big events, those
kind of things.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
The story, the backstory and the storylines that are primarily
used without within the actual live event.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So now you know, you got to work with w
w uh you know, So so you know, what what
did you do for them? What did you shoot for them?
Speaker 6 (05:56):
Done a couple of you know, the best to do
a couple of different things where I've shooting and g
or do like some of their backstage kind of things.
You know, I really wasn't able to commit to them
because of Bellatur and then now I do Premiere Boxing Championships,
which is two shows on Spike Television.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
So you know, I've been on there.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
I do a lot of elements in them, almost thirty
weeks with Spikes and then h you know, so I
do a lot of their stuff. Right now, I'm shooting
the project with Hoys Gracie, Ken, Shamrock and Kim both
Slice for the doing an upcoming kind of fights that
(06:40):
they're doing an hour long project with those four guys,
those three guys primarily, you.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Know, and then that that's really cool.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Yeah, it's it's you know, actually, I'm I'm not really
a violent person at all. It's funny that I actually
end up doing a lot of fighting.
Speaker 5 (06:57):
Kind of stuff.
Speaker 6 (06:58):
So I've I've kind of become, I guess, the go
to guy when it comes to setting up shoots in
some you know, undesirable locations. But some of these gyms
aren't always the most flattering of places to be.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
Setting up a on location shoot. But since I've shot.
Speaker 6 (07:17):
In so many of them and become known a lot
to the fighters, some of the more prominent ones that.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
I guess you could say I've kind of created a
name in that environment.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
So you know, are some of the more popular gyms
are they are like are me in some of like
the rougher neighborhoods, And you know, is that maybe a
challenge of itself.
Speaker 6 (07:37):
Yes, Uh, recently, it's funny you mentioned that recently I
have shot in a and it's pretty Uh. I mean, Miami,
Florida has got several locations where you don't want to
be caught after dark. But recently I did a shoot
there and uh, when I was addressing my crew before
(07:58):
we got started, and I mentioned the first thing that
we want to make sure we do not do is
get shot, and that's safety was a number one.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Issue because we were clearly.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
Could be considered trespassing into enemy territory. It wasn't a
safe neighborhood by any me. So yeah, I mean recently
I also shot at you know, Mayweather's gym, which uh,
you know may arguably.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Be one of the greater fighters of our lifetime.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
And you know, you're going to like locations like that,
and people have shot so many times, dps have left in.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
The photo ball.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Sometimes you go into places and they're barely in electricity.
You've got you know, it's you've got a garage door
that opens, so you're often surprised pleasantly or not on
what you're going to walk into, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
So you know, on those locations, you know, I guess
you know it. Really the challenge also comes because you
can't do a real tech scout, right, so you basically,
I mean, I'm sure the location scouted, if even there
is one, it's basically probably just them just showing, you know,
taking a photo with their cell phone. You probably somebody
from like you know, an entourage or you know, an
assistant probably taking a photo, right, and then you probably
(09:12):
just that's probably all you get, if even that correct?
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Am I correct?
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Not? You? Yeah, I mean, yeah, absolutely one hundred percent.
Scouting locations is fantastic, and it's a wonderful Uh it's
a wonderful thing to have if you can get it.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
But yeah, you're not.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
It's usually the lowest common denominator that's being sent out there,
you know, So it's kind of one of those things
that in the after thought. So a lot of the
times I'll do the research myself and you know, kind
of walking into situations where I'll have to just be ready,
you know, and and uh, you know, kind of rigging
(09:50):
up things and having things set up easy enough where
I can. A lot of times I don't have a
director and I'm producing out there and direc directing myself.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
So we'll be right back after a word from our
sponsor and now back to the show.
Speaker 6 (10:11):
I mean, knowing every element and how to over you know,
to compensate and to use certain things to my advantages.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
You know, if you've got you know, we're shooting two
hundred and forty frames.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
I've got a guy who's fighting twenty pounds in a
day and a half.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
He's not gonna want to sit there.
Speaker 6 (10:29):
And work out for me for two hours so and
and be patients while I set up lights. So I've
really got to kind of be ahead of the game
and h and be ready to go and be patient
with these guys.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
You know, the number one thing I'll say I think
I have going for.
Speaker 6 (10:45):
Me is you know, what I try to tell people
is that you've got to be a really good people person.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
Especially interacting with people, and.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
You know, showing that you're not stressed, even though you
may be, you'll get the better for the data on things.
And that's what's true. I think with any kind of
on location shoot.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
You mentioned not having a director on some of these shoots.
So when you go into you know, to to some
of these shoots, then is basically you just have that
shot list that you want to get and I'm guessing
you know, you're basically that that basically is becoming you know,
you're you're the director then with just a shot list.
Am I correcting that? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (11:27):
A lot of the time.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
We're working with a certain story elements, you know, so
if if.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
You know, we have certain backstory that's provided by you know, uh,
different producers or different pre interviews, so I'll be provided
a lot of that information, so you know, we'll get
certain I'll get certain shots instead of certain things that
will kind of kind of help out and kind of
(11:55):
captivate the story that we're trying to tell. So because
if you know, for shooting, for instance, somebody who's uh,
you know, tried to you know, try to escape Cuba
or something like that, we don't have any footage of
him trying to drive, you know, get on a boat
and come over from Cuba and come to the United States.
(12:15):
And and you know what, we also want to use
original footage as opposed to trying to dive into stock footage,
so you know, trying to recreate kind of emotional elements
that kind of tie in with the story.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
It's always you know, not only an obstacle, but it's
it's kind of a.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
Fun part because you know, it's a challenge and create
something that's still visually enticing and but also ties into
the story.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
You know, very true. You know, you know I've done
some you know, interview segments, not nothing of that caliber
what you're doing, and you know, usually you have that
you're the same question you know, the same questions that
you have to ask the subject and uh, you know,
like like for instance, I put together like an educational
real educational package excuse me for for a couple of universities,
(13:04):
and you know, you have to ask the same questions.
And one of the things that I found was was
that basically, you know, they they want you to. It
starts off, you know, small, like you're just being the videographer,
and then suddenly you know there's so many people having
different say you know, a different saying things that you've
got to you know, sort of please like you know,
five six, seven or eight different people, you know, do
(13:25):
you do you find that is the instance in some
of these cases.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
One hundred percent. And you're always trying to please other people,
and not only.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
That, you know, you know, uh, some of the things
that I shoot get used on a million different things.
I might be you know, say, hey, this is supposed
to be used in this location, but at any given
point it could be used during the live show, could
be thrown in with promotional stuff. So you're you know,
(13:51):
and then you always get the hey, why didn't you
do this for us? Well, I had no idea it
was going to be used, and that that's not why
I shot it that way. Yeah, I mean you're always
trying to kind of be ahead of the game please people.
Communication you know, is always cue. So yeah, you're always
trying to kind of communicate with what's what's going on.
(14:15):
And then not to mention, you always wanted to make
it look good and how you want to make it look,
you know.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Not just some generic, you know, flat shot of just coverage.
You want it to make it look cool, make it
look like.
Speaker 6 (14:27):
It's your own and kind of edgy, you know, and
it look like you really put some production value into it.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
And you've got to do that within a budget.
Speaker 6 (14:38):
And so yeah, I mean the other thing is it's
always great to have a bunch of hands on set,
but it also can get too many hands and you
got too many people put in their two cents. And
you know, I feel comfortable enough where I can walk
into a gym shoot with a fighter, you know, especially
somebody that I know or account that I know, and
(15:00):
it could be myself and you know a PA and
in a shooter or big have to shoot and some
them to do it.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I'm completely confident that I can get when I need
to get done.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
And communicate with the spider because I kind of it
is also just like in anything else, there's kind of
a unspoken rule book of what you're supposed to do
within the gym or within a certain environment, and you
want to kind of make it look like you've been
there before. So once they get the feeling that they
kind of know you or you kind of have that
(15:33):
cred I think you're you know, credit for the doubt.
You know, you'll get the extra twenty minutes to get
some extra stuff. He may you know, that's that fighter
that that you may be able to get some extra
stuff where maybe the initial interview didn't.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Wasn't able to get because he.
Speaker 6 (15:54):
Was nervous that you know, he didn't want to relate
that to anybody. But because if you that relationship, now
you've gained some information that hey, this would be a
great storyline to kind of add into the piece.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
So and then at the end of the day, you
have a job to do.
Speaker 6 (16:11):
It's as a producer that uh you know DP, So
you really got to kind of the guy is just
kind of sitting there.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
He's cutting twenty pounds, for instance, and he's just kind
of a lump. You gotta you gotta say, hey, let's
let's get this done. Let's try to sell this fight
and give me, give me all you can.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Give me for you know, fifteen minutes and we'll get
you back to what you do.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Get yourself ready to this fight. Well, let's get people
the watch, you know. So it's a lot of give
and take and.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Uh, you know, at the end of the day, I'm
just trying to make them look good. You know, that's
one thing I try to really do. So it's the talent.
I want him to look good. Then they will be
the ones to say, hey, I want to work with
this guy. He understands me and it makes me look good.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
So you know, you know you mentioned being a people
person and how you know important that is. Uh, you know,
I think that is a great point to make because
you know, I've been on set sometimes where you know,
even the director's cinematography or even the director has just
been a complete jerk to everybody, and you know they're yelling,
(17:19):
you know, every everything is yelling at everybody. So you know,
by the end of the day, they're just based gatuning
that guy out.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's like I said, if things
are gonna go wrong, dude, So if you know I've
had fighter, what our notorious or I'm the same fighter,
That's what I'm working on right now.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
But it doesn't matter regardless.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
Of you're working with, You've got things are gonna go wrong.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
If some getting a point technically for getting missed, all
that kind of stuff.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
But if they you know, you developed the rapport, maybe
not that guy but maybe his buddy or something like that,
you you're gonna get the benefit of the doubt. If
your tiptoe around him and make him feel awkward, I
think it's kind of create an environment that that's not
conduced to not only to get your help you out
(18:13):
but I think it just creates something like a like
a trust a mistrust situation where you just want to
create like a really kind of relaxed you want them
to be themselves. You know, hey, help me out. I
promise I'll make you look good. You want to give
them the confidence that you're not there to make him
look bad. Ultimately, it's black and white as that sounds,
(18:35):
that's really you know, these especially if you're working with
somebody who's you know, if you're working with an Albert Poohole,
so you're working with the hoist Gracie, you're working with
somebody who's always he's got a camera in their face
all the time. You want them to kind of develop
a trust with you so you know they're Otherwise they're not,
(18:55):
they're just gonna be like, Okay, yeah, I'm just gonna
give you the same answer I will give everybody else.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
You want the new answer, you want the new look, you.
Speaker 6 (19:02):
Want the the thing that somebody else is going to get,
you know, and and it comes with you know, I
think confidence, knowing what you're doing, being ready, but also
kind of developing that personal relationship.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Yeah, you know, that's an excellent point. You know, I
always find if you're going to interview somebody basically not
if you could, if you can talk to them even
through email beforehand, that's a huge bonus. But if you
have to meet them the day of which you know,
I've been in that situation too, you know, I find that,
you know, just talking with them for five to ten minutes,
shaking the hand is important, sort of getting that like
(19:38):
a physical contact, you know what I mean. They know
you're not going to be you know, pretty but basically
a jerk, you know. And you know, one thing that
I've I've learned is whenever I'm going to interview with
a subject, so if whenever I see they're nervous, I
usually just roll the camera and and I begin talking
to them. And I said, you know, okay, you know,
we'll begin, you know, whenever you're.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
So basically I'm just rolling because you know, we're all
shooting digital now, so there's no film to be wasting.
So you know, I usually roll and just say, you know,
whatever you feel comfortable, you know, you can introduce yourself
and start talking basically sort of it makes them feel
that they're in control of the situation, which some degree
they are, but they aren't.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
If you know what I mean, yeah you wanna yeah,
if you if you, if you're you want to make
them feel like you're ready, but.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
You're you know, not necessarily waiting on.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Them, but yeah, you want to feel like I mean,
I think it's creating an environment where they feel relaxed.
If you know, there's there's this sense of anxiety whether
they want, may they or not. So if you can
kind of nip that in the butt right away, like hey, listen,
I'm gonna get out of your way, you know, and
and we're gonna get you.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
We're gonna make you look good. Everything's taking care of,
everything's ord and I you know whatever, let's chill.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
You know, maybe you crack a joke something to kind
of humanize yourself because they don't want you think you're
a robot and kind of yeah, it's at the end
of the day, I feel like I've always been able
to get the you know, because you're always gonna get
the oh, we need to get that or oh, by
the way, So if you develop a personal relationship, you know,
you can text or call these guys and just say hey, man,
(21:26):
I hate to bother you again, but you know this,
uh you know, I really need to grab it for
one extra thing. I can't get five more extra minutes
of your time, and I rarely have that, you know,
that time where the talent is unless unless they're really
doing something where they said no, you know you they're like, yeah, man,
(21:47):
no problem.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Give me, you know, give me an hour. Let's do
it right before dinner or something like that. So and
you know, like.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
I said, that's kind of helped me in that avenue,
you know where I'm like, okay, yeah, no problem, man,
thank you forgiving me your extra time.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I'll work around you. You know, I'm in your environment.
You're not in my environment. You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
So yeah, yeah, they development never poor is very important.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
You know.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
I I agree one hundred percent. You know that that
is something that I found over the years as well,
you know, and you know, I know you also, you know,
as you mentioned before, you work on on films as well,
so you know sort of to transition to that. You know,
when you're on a film set, obviously you know there
is going to be a director, you know, hopefully hopefully
right Jared but uh. Yeah, but but if you know
(22:36):
you're as you're working on a film set, you know,
I I think you know, building that that teamwork and
building that trust is sort of key because you know,
I've been on film sets where you know, there is
no teamwork. Uh, sort of everybody is off on their
own little island, so to speak. Sure, and yeah, and
you really don't feel like everyone's kind of working together.
(22:57):
You feel like everyone's working and doing their job, but
it's not to do the same goal, if you know
what I mean.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Yeah, I mean I would say that whenever I have
an opportunity to put together guys, or I walk into
a situation where you know, whether I'm replacing somebody else
or you know, you're you cut everybody's crude already and you're.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
Kind of brought into you kind of manage the team.
Uh you know, you you're you feel kind of like
you're walking in enemy territory or something like that.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
Tell them once again, you know, I always try to
nip that in the butt, you know, And if you
can get along with everybody and kind of show them
that you don't have an agenda, I think that and
your agenda is just to do a good job.
Speaker 5 (23:44):
You know.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
I think that that whether it takes time more time
than other times than not, uh, you know, it seems
to kind of work. That's kind of worked for me.
Is that, Hey, guys are just you know, not that
that's the situation. I understand. I don't know you guys.
I'm sure you guys are all talented. Let's do a
good job here. There's any confusion, I promise you. Or
(24:07):
something goes wrong, you know, I'll stick up for you.
We're not here to throw anybody under the bus, you know.
Let's just do a good job and get and and
make this look good and kind of go over what
we what you can and the alloted time because it's
never enough time, you know that.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
So yeah, it's always time and money, right, Jared.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Oh are you kidding me?
Speaker 6 (24:26):
Yeah, I'm learning more and more as I do things
to keep asking for even more time than I'm giving
because there's always the olde by the way, and there's
always the uh you know, I've changed my mind, you know.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
So, And is as much as you want to get
aggravated and get angry, it's just but it doesn't really help,
you know.
Speaker 6 (24:48):
You just want me to get on and and hope
the guys that are around you, I can can I
have the same mindset and a ready for it as well.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Yeah, you know, I I I find that, you know,
the shooting schedules where you know you're working like sixteen
eighteen twenty hour days and you know you're trying to
mush all of this shooting schedule into a very short window.
I found that, you know, over the years that not
only I think is that, well, I just feel that
that's not the right way anymore. And I think more
(25:21):
more filmmakers, more indie filmmakers are coming to their to
their senses that you know, we don't have to emulate
the big guys and and shoot you know, an entire
script and you know this little tiny window if we can,
let's get a little more breathing room in here, and
you know, that way, we're not you know, burning ourselves
out within the first week. I mean, is that something
you're finding out as well?
Speaker 6 (25:41):
Yeah, it's you know, it's stretching. It just depends I
think where the lines are drawn as far as what
you are and aren't doing, you know, especially in regards
to budgeting and that kind of thing. You know, you've
got a lot if everything is laid out and everybody
and everything is very transparent and you kind of see
(26:03):
from beginning to end all the you know ab CD.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
You know, everything's light out, pre production is done.
Speaker 6 (26:11):
You should be pretty ready right on pace, and you're
not really kind of burning yourself out. But as you know, uh,
that never happened, so you you know, but that's cool,
and uh, you know, for the most part, that's kind
of what I was brought along in that hemisphere.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
So it's it's not comfortable for me. It's not the
most ideal situation, but I.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
Excel at it, and uh, you know, let's at the
end of the day, you know, I still still get
the job done. I get it the way I want
it to look, and I think that's which counts.
Speaker 5 (26:52):
And so yeah, telling a good story, right, that's what
you're there to do. So yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
And you know that's actually one of my next questions
for you was, you know, you know, what advice would
you give to directors who who work with cinematographers. You know,
maybe there's something they do that you know, is grading
on cinematographers or some directors, or you know, maybe they're
they're sometimes they're not clear enough. So you know, if
you you know, what advice would you give to directors
(27:21):
when they're working with cinematographers.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Yeah, I mean I think number one. You know, if
you bring in a cinematographer and where you do a
good job, you know, you look at their work you said, Wow,
this guy's good, and you brought them in to do something.
I think you just trust them with it, you know,
especially I turned on to carry an ego with me,
(27:44):
so I can't you know, I don't know if that's
a good or bad thing sometimes, but you know, go in,
just try to do a good job and and.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Once again develop orrapport with you're a director.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
And see how he liked to you know, and get
on the same page with him, and and really do
as much pre production if humanly possible, so you when
you walk in it it's something that you're you're ready,
You're ready to go. You know exactly how you want
it to look that matches up with the end product,
and so that when they're going through daily they're looking
(28:20):
for it.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
Hey, I think it shortened your days, you know.
Speaker 6 (28:24):
I think at the end of the time, at the
end of the day too, keeps them on budget. Because
you're not sitting there sweaking with things consistently or doing
pickups and that kind of thing.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
And uh yeah, I mean number one thing, it's just trusting.
You know.
Speaker 6 (28:37):
Really, if you bring in somebody to do a job
and you see and you or or you know, you've
worked with them in the past, it's just trusting their
their eye and and that they're going to be there
and do.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
What you, uh I want them to do. Actually, they've
got a director here calling me. Now you line, do
you take it? I can call him back here in
a moment. Are we almost wrapping up here?
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Uh yeah, probably like three minutes a couple, is that?
Uh so, you know, uh you know, is there any
advice then you have for first time cinematographers.
Speaker 6 (29:13):
I mean, uh yeah, I would say, you know, you know,
developed develop relationships with with.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
With people in the business. You know, networking is always great.
You know. I think doing.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
Things the right way the first time and getting off
on that that foot in regards to you know, showing
what you can do but not stepping on people's toes
kind of give you because you're going to develop a
reputation one way or another, so it might as well
be a good reputation.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
You know, and you know, making things look scratch, you know,
scratch that itch man.
Speaker 6 (29:52):
You know, that's the one thing I started doing was
I was like, man, this looks so great.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
How do I do this? And how can I do this?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor,
and now back to the show.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Uh, with what I have? You know, how can I
attain this look? With what what I have to use?
Speaker 6 (30:16):
And you know, trying to recreate certain looks and certain
ways of shooting and always trying to.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
You know, change things up, so it's not always the repeat.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
You know, it's not not everything you do is the same,
you know, because I think everybody who's picking up a
camera and is trying to be a TP is really
just uh, you know, it's really just uh, it's an
outlet for creativity, you know.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
So that outlet of creativity.
Speaker 6 (30:45):
You're trying to always come up with new looks. You
may not be the first person to do that, but
it's always a I think it's self satisfying when you
are able to accomplish something that you know, you pull
off a look that you're like, man, I I.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
Wanted to look this way. I've got my mind's eyes
got it.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
And when you when it's in the can and everything
looks just the way you want it to be and
the delivery was right there, you know, you get that
that self joy and if you're able to do it
the right way without stepping on his and hurst toes
and you know, pissing off this guy and that guy.
You know, I think that that's really it's really cool,
(31:30):
really cool moment that I have. It's like, hey, Victor
was happy, the producer is happy that, you know, the
talent loves working with me.
Speaker 5 (31:43):
You know, the PA was happy just to be there.
You know that kind of thing when everybody just like
I love being there and you kind of helped be
a part of it. And then you.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Also get that that end project that looks fantastic.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
It's really gratifying.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Yeah, and you know, I concur you know, it really
is great when everyone sort of uh you know, comes together.
You know, I just to I know, you have to go,
so just just to sort of close this out, you know,
I recently was on a I was working with m
Night Shamlan's producer Okay, and we got to go to
this post production house and it was a beautiful theater,
and the guy who works there was saying, you know
(32:24):
that the track lighting that they use on the floor
there those floor lights, he said. As soon as they
started screening footage of another movie, the director's cinematography was like,
wait a minute, he goes, this color is off down
in the bottom left here, What the hell is going on?
And then he turned off the lights and now it's
like pitch black except for the screen. And the director
photography was like, okay, now this is now, this looks good.
(32:46):
I remember this looking like this now, and you know,
and everyone's sort of you know, uh, you know obviously
you know, some people I probably wouldn't even notice that,
but obviously you know he did, because you know he
has that I.
Speaker 6 (32:59):
He tells her, all is something that you're you're especially
you know you're looking now. It's even more difficult, I think,
because you have.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
You know, everybody is shooting.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
You're shooting constantly because it's cheap, and you don't have
your money's not quitting Charantino, so i't have yet the
ability to.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
Shoot on film.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
So uh, you're just constantly shooting because it's cheap. You
can just take another director maybe watching them this monitor,
you know, so if they're not calibrated correctly, who knows
what they're seeing? You know, who knows what they're Maybe
they're looking at as the raw without a lut dropped
in and you're just you know, you're looking at nonsense essentially.
(33:42):
So yeah, there's it's it's it's an interesting thing where
you never know who's going to be looking at it
and where they're going to be looking at it, and
uh and what lightings you know set up.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Are they sitting there a dark room, they sit in
a light room with it looking at a been monitor.
Are they looking at its twenty four K monitor? They're
looking at it oled you know.
Speaker 6 (34:04):
So it's that's another thing I would say, especially with
the old thing, that's that's dp's best friend, is an
no lead monitor if you can have one on set
at all times. That was just doing that because then
you know exactly what you're seeing and at.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
The end of the day.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Yeah, that that post production house recommended that as well,
because they actually had their workflow recommendation and that was
on there the monitor.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Yeah, I mean, yeah.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
An O lead monitor is it's especially for running gun stuff.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
You're walking into floors and you're woke it into uh
you know.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Jeff who knows you and you're trying to set up
you want to make sure that you've got one of
those on on site because there's a couple of them
out there. The Odify now has one where you can
uh drop on a lot and match it up, so
it's pretty close to what your editor is going to
(35:09):
be looking at, or your colors is going to be
kind of looking at, so uh, you know, correct your
blacks and and those kind of things, which is just,
I mean, just incredible to have on site. You're not
guessing and hoping that the guy you know, the colors
decides to go this way.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
Or that way.
Speaker 6 (35:28):
It's it's just I mean, I can't tell you how
much that saved me and saved my probably my careers.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
You're having one of those on on site at all times.
You know, it.
Speaker 6 (35:40):
Is not as the able to see you close to
end product on especially low budget type stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
So yeah, that's you know again, like one of the
things they were saying was, you know again like these cinematographers,
they always tell them how important that the the that
particular monitor is. So listening to this, I'll make sure
to link to it in the show notes. The monitor
we're talking about, Jared. You know, I know you have
to go, so you know in closing, you know where
(36:08):
you'll find you out online.
Speaker 6 (36:10):
You can check out jared as video dot com. I
also do I'm doing the new show with for Bellator
for the upcoming fight of February nineteenth with Gracie and Shamrock,
so you can check out my work there.
Speaker 5 (36:26):
The show will be released the leak prior. Yeah, and
I'm actually doing some stuff this week for ESPN Soil.
We're doing a couple of bowl Gang type stuff. So yeah,
I'm all over the place.
Speaker 6 (36:38):
I haven't Yeah, I would stop working since the tenth
So so you're on Twitter as well, right, Yeah, Twitter
Jared hat Dero six and Instagram is Jared's zero six
as well, but it's usually just basis of my son, so.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
I will link all that in the show notes. Everybody, Jared,
I want to say thank you very much for coming on.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Hey, thanks thanks for having me man, good talking.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
Good talking to you too, buddy, Take care are YouTube.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
Bye.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I want to thank Dave so much for doing such
a great job on this episode. If you want to
get links to anything we spoke about in this episode.
Head over to the show notes at Indie film huscle
dot com forward slash eight fifty eight, and if you
have it already, please head over to Filmmaking podcast dot com.
Subscribe and leave a good review.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
For the show.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
It really helps us out a.
Speaker 5 (37:24):
Lot, guys.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Thank you again so much for listening to guys. As always,
keep that hustle going, keep that dream alive, Stay safe
out there, and I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Thanks for listening to the Indie Film Hustle podcast at
Indie film Hustle dot com. That's I N D I
E F I L M h U S T l
E dot com.
You are listening to the ifh podcast Network. For more
amazing filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, just go to ifhpodcastnetwork dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Indie Film Muscle Podcast, Episode number eight
fifty eight. Cinema should make You forget You're sitting in
a theater, Roman Polanski.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Broadcasting from the back alley in Hollywood. It's the Indie
Film Hustle Podcast, where we showed you how to survive
and thrive as an indie filmmaker in the jungles of
the film biz. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome, Welcome to another episode of the Indie Film Huscle Podcast.
I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Today's show is
sponsored by Rise of the Film Entrepreneur How to turn
your independent film into a profitable business. It's harder today
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episode with guest host Dave bullis my next.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Guest on this show, and I actually met by accident.
I actually reached out to him originally because I thought
he was the Jared Hess from Napoleon Dynamite, and he's
actually another Jared Hess who's a cinematographer. So we still,
you know, we talked, and you know, we agreed to
come on. So you know, Jared is on location in
this interview, So a few segments are going to be
(02:17):
a little noisy, so just bear that in mind, but
it's still very, very audible and without further ado, with
cinematographer Jared Hess.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Jared is a cinematographer based out of Orlando, Florida, and
Jared has worked in the indie film television market for
over ten years and has produced content for such clients
as Bellatour, WE and ESPN. Jared, how's everything going, Buddy
good Man?
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Out here in sunny Orlando? So I can't complain about
an eighty degree So another rest of the United States,
happier quota right now.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
So it's here in Philadelphia. It's been such a warm winter.
It's been unbelievable.
Speaker 5 (02:55):
Oh yeah, I've heard that. You know.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
I was just out west doing some cheoting also for
the you know, the weather's been great, like h for
the most part, so nobody's getting hit too hard by
snow winner So so you know, uh, you.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Know, Jared, just to begin, you know, the question I
always ask everybody is you know, how did you get started?
You know, you know, and what exact who's your background?
Speaker 6 (03:19):
Well, my dad was actually a screenwriter, you know, before
I was born, and he had a business partner, Wayne
Beach and he, you know, my dad went into other things.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Wayne Beach kept going at it.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
And he sold a couple of films to Westers Knife
Yard of Quaterer sixteen hundred, and then he directed Vetter
on Slowbird. You know, so I kind of always looked
up to him, and uh, you know, I was always
into doing telling stories.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
And thought I was going to be an actor for
a while. When I went to college, I.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Decided to kind of pursue the kind of film element,
doing digital media video production, and then the birth of
the D ninety came out, so I wasn't chasing down
the film stock and running expensive equipment and started making
my own content. I'm doing griller style filmmaking, putting some
(04:19):
short films, and then I started getting picked up, you know,
primarily by ESPN and then uh, Spike Television shooting a
lot of their feature content and what had you So.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So, how did they discover you at first? Did you
send them a real or did they maybe you know,
happen upon your content online.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
Well, I worked with a couple of individuals who I'd known.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
With and they kept pushing me and kind of exposing
some of the things that I've been shooting, and you know,
I did a couple of short films and I was
always looking to kind of self promote, and know, there
came up a couple opportunities where they needed some people
to d kind of a film style look for some
(05:07):
of the feature content and so kind of created kind
of that niche or fellow into that kind of niche
of kind of doing the film look for you know,
features for different clients, you know, whether it's they're usually
short form. I've done a couple of long you know,
long form hour long projects as well outside of features.
(05:33):
And when I mean features, I meant like, you know,
short form features for you know, different.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Whether it's a fight or you know, big events, those
kind of things.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
The story, the backstory and the storylines that are primarily
used without within the actual live event.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So now you know, you got to work with w
w uh you know, So so you know, what what
did you do for them? What did you shoot for them?
Speaker 6 (05:56):
Done a couple of you know, the best to do
a couple of different things where I've shooting and g
or do like some of their backstage kind of things.
You know, I really wasn't able to commit to them
because of Bellatur and then now I do Premiere Boxing Championships,
which is two shows on Spike Television.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
So you know, I've been on there.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
I do a lot of elements in them, almost thirty
weeks with Spikes and then h you know, so I
do a lot of their stuff. Right now, I'm shooting
the project with Hoys Gracie, Ken, Shamrock and Kim both
Slice for the doing an upcoming kind of fights that
(06:40):
they're doing an hour long project with those four guys,
those three guys primarily, you.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Know, and then that that's really cool.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Yeah, it's it's you know, actually, I'm I'm not really
a violent person at all. It's funny that I actually
end up doing a lot of fighting.
Speaker 5 (06:57):
Kind of stuff.
Speaker 6 (06:58):
So I've I've kind of become, I guess, the go
to guy when it comes to setting up shoots in
some you know, undesirable locations. But some of these gyms
aren't always the most flattering of places to be.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
Setting up a on location shoot. But since I've shot.
Speaker 6 (07:17):
In so many of them and become known a lot
to the fighters, some of the more prominent ones that.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
I guess you could say I've kind of created a
name in that environment.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
So you know, are some of the more popular gyms
are they are like are me in some of like
the rougher neighborhoods, And you know, is that maybe a
challenge of itself.
Speaker 6 (07:37):
Yes, Uh, recently, it's funny you mentioned that recently I
have shot in a and it's pretty Uh. I mean, Miami,
Florida has got several locations where you don't want to
be caught after dark. But recently I did a shoot
there and uh, when I was addressing my crew before
(07:58):
we got started, and I mentioned the first thing that
we want to make sure we do not do is
get shot, and that's safety was a number one.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Issue because we were clearly.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
Could be considered trespassing into enemy territory. It wasn't a
safe neighborhood by any me. So yeah, I mean recently
I also shot at you know, Mayweather's gym, which uh,
you know may arguably.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Be one of the greater fighters of our lifetime.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
And you know, you're going to like locations like that,
and people have shot so many times, dps have left in.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
The photo ball.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Sometimes you go into places and they're barely in electricity.
You've got you know, it's you've got a garage door
that opens, so you're often surprised pleasantly or not on
what you're going to walk into, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
So you know, on those locations, you know, I guess
you know it. Really the challenge also comes because you
can't do a real tech scout, right, so you basically,
I mean, I'm sure the location scouted, if even there
is one, it's basically probably just them just showing, you know,
taking a photo with their cell phone. You probably somebody
from like you know, an entourage or you know, an
assistant probably taking a photo, right, and then you probably
(09:12):
just that's probably all you get, if even that correct?
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Am I correct?
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Not? You? Yeah, I mean, yeah, absolutely one hundred percent.
Scouting locations is fantastic, and it's a wonderful Uh it's
a wonderful thing to have if you can get it.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
But yeah, you're not.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
It's usually the lowest common denominator that's being sent out there,
you know, So it's kind of one of those things
that in the after thought. So a lot of the
times I'll do the research myself and you know, kind
of walking into situations where I'll have to just be ready,
you know, and and uh, you know, kind of rigging
(09:50):
up things and having things set up easy enough where
I can. A lot of times I don't have a
director and I'm producing out there and direc directing myself.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
So we'll be right back after a word from our
sponsor and now back to the show.
Speaker 6 (10:11):
I mean, knowing every element and how to over you know,
to compensate and to use certain things to my advantages.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
You know, if you've got you know, we're shooting two
hundred and forty frames.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
I've got a guy who's fighting twenty pounds in a
day and a half.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
He's not gonna want to sit there.
Speaker 6 (10:29):
And work out for me for two hours so and
and be patients while I set up lights. So I've
really got to kind of be ahead of the game
and h and be ready to go and be patient
with these guys.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
You know, the number one thing I'll say I think
I have going for.
Speaker 6 (10:45):
Me is you know, what I try to tell people
is that you've got to be a really good people person.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
Especially interacting with people, and.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
You know, showing that you're not stressed, even though you
may be, you'll get the better for the data on things.
And that's what's true. I think with any kind of
on location shoot.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
You mentioned not having a director on some of these shoots.
So when you go into you know, to to some
of these shoots, then is basically you just have that
shot list that you want to get and I'm guessing
you know, you're basically that that basically is becoming you know,
you're you're the director then with just a shot list.
Am I correcting that? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (11:27):
A lot of the time.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
We're working with a certain story elements, you know, so
if if.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
You know, we have certain backstory that's provided by you know, uh,
different producers or different pre interviews, so I'll be provided
a lot of that information, so you know, we'll get
certain I'll get certain shots instead of certain things that
will kind of kind of help out and kind of
(11:55):
captivate the story that we're trying to tell. So because
if you know, for shooting, for instance, somebody who's uh,
you know, tried to you know, try to escape Cuba
or something like that, we don't have any footage of
him trying to drive, you know, get on a boat
and come over from Cuba and come to the United States.
(12:15):
And and you know what, we also want to use
original footage as opposed to trying to dive into stock footage,
so you know, trying to recreate kind of emotional elements
that kind of tie in with the story.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
It's always you know, not only an obstacle, but it's
it's kind of a.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
Fun part because you know, it's a challenge and create
something that's still visually enticing and but also ties into
the story.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
You know, very true. You know, you know I've done
some you know, interview segments, not nothing of that caliber
what you're doing, and you know, usually you have that
you're the same question you know, the same questions that
you have to ask the subject and uh, you know,
like like for instance, I put together like an educational
real educational package excuse me for for a couple of universities,
(13:04):
and you know, you have to ask the same questions.
And one of the things that I found was was
that basically, you know, they they want you to. It
starts off, you know, small, like you're just being the videographer,
and then suddenly you know there's so many people having
different say you know, a different saying things that you've
got to you know, sort of please like you know,
five six, seven or eight different people, you know, do
(13:25):
you do you find that is the instance in some
of these cases.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
One hundred percent. And you're always trying to please other people,
and not only.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
That, you know, you know, uh, some of the things
that I shoot get used on a million different things.
I might be you know, say, hey, this is supposed
to be used in this location, but at any given
point it could be used during the live show, could
be thrown in with promotional stuff. So you're you know,
(13:51):
and then you always get the hey, why didn't you
do this for us? Well, I had no idea it
was going to be used, and that that's not why
I shot it that way. Yeah, I mean you're always
trying to kind of be ahead of the game please people.
Communication you know, is always cue. So yeah, you're always
trying to kind of communicate with what's what's going on.
(14:15):
And then not to mention, you always wanted to make
it look good and how you want to make it look,
you know.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Not just some generic, you know, flat shot of just coverage.
You want it to make it look cool, make it
look like.
Speaker 6 (14:27):
It's your own and kind of edgy, you know, and
it look like you really put some production value into it.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
And you've got to do that within a budget.
Speaker 6 (14:38):
And so yeah, I mean the other thing is it's
always great to have a bunch of hands on set,
but it also can get too many hands and you
got too many people put in their two cents. And
you know, I feel comfortable enough where I can walk
into a gym shoot with a fighter, you know, especially
somebody that I know or account that I know, and
(15:00):
it could be myself and you know a PA and
in a shooter or big have to shoot and some
them to do it.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I'm completely confident that I can get when I need
to get done.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
And communicate with the spider because I kind of it
is also just like in anything else, there's kind of
a unspoken rule book of what you're supposed to do
within the gym or within a certain environment, and you
want to kind of make it look like you've been
there before. So once they get the feeling that they
kind of know you or you kind of have that
(15:33):
cred I think you're you know, credit for the doubt.
You know, you'll get the extra twenty minutes to get
some extra stuff. He may you know, that's that fighter
that that you may be able to get some extra
stuff where maybe the initial interview didn't.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Wasn't able to get because he.
Speaker 6 (15:54):
Was nervous that you know, he didn't want to relate
that to anybody. But because if you that relationship, now
you've gained some information that hey, this would be a
great storyline to kind of add into the piece.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
So and then at the end of the day, you
have a job to do.
Speaker 6 (16:11):
It's as a producer that uh you know DP, So
you really got to kind of the guy is just
kind of sitting there.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
He's cutting twenty pounds, for instance, and he's just kind
of a lump. You gotta you gotta say, hey, let's
let's get this done. Let's try to sell this fight
and give me, give me all you can.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Give me for you know, fifteen minutes and we'll get
you back to what you do.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Get yourself ready to this fight. Well, let's get people
the watch, you know. So it's a lot of give
and take and.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Uh, you know, at the end of the day, I'm
just trying to make them look good. You know, that's
one thing I try to really do. So it's the talent.
I want him to look good. Then they will be
the ones to say, hey, I want to work with
this guy. He understands me and it makes me look good.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
So you know, you know you mentioned being a people
person and how you know important that is. Uh, you know,
I think that is a great point to make because
you know, I've been on set sometimes where you know,
even the director's cinematography or even the director has just
been a complete jerk to everybody, and you know they're yelling,
(17:19):
you know, every everything is yelling at everybody. So you know,
by the end of the day, they're just based gatuning
that guy out.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's like I said, if things
are gonna go wrong, dude, So if you know I've
had fighter, what our notorious or I'm the same fighter,
That's what I'm working on right now.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
But it doesn't matter regardless.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
Of you're working with, You've got things are gonna go wrong.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
If some getting a point technically for getting missed, all
that kind of stuff.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
But if they you know, you developed the rapport, maybe
not that guy but maybe his buddy or something like that,
you you're gonna get the benefit of the doubt. If
your tiptoe around him and make him feel awkward, I
think it's kind of create an environment that that's not
conduced to not only to get your help you out
(18:13):
but I think it just creates something like a like
a trust a mistrust situation where you just want to
create like a really kind of relaxed you want them
to be themselves. You know, hey, help me out. I
promise I'll make you look good. You want to give
them the confidence that you're not there to make him
look bad. Ultimately, it's black and white as that sounds,
(18:35):
that's really you know, these especially if you're working with
somebody who's you know, if you're working with an Albert Poohole,
so you're working with the hoist Gracie, you're working with
somebody who's always he's got a camera in their face
all the time. You want them to kind of develop
a trust with you so you know they're Otherwise they're not,
(18:55):
they're just gonna be like, Okay, yeah, I'm just gonna
give you the same answer I will give everybody else.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
You want the new answer, you want the new look, you.
Speaker 6 (19:02):
Want the the thing that somebody else is going to get,
you know, and and it comes with you know, I
think confidence, knowing what you're doing, being ready, but also
kind of developing that personal relationship.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Yeah, you know, that's an excellent point. You know, I
always find if you're going to interview somebody basically not
if you could, if you can talk to them even
through email beforehand, that's a huge bonus. But if you
have to meet them the day of which you know,
I've been in that situation too, you know, I find that,
you know, just talking with them for five to ten minutes,
shaking the hand is important, sort of getting that like
(19:38):
a physical contact, you know what I mean. They know
you're not going to be you know, pretty but basically
a jerk, you know. And you know, one thing that
I've I've learned is whenever I'm going to interview with
a subject, so if whenever I see they're nervous, I
usually just roll the camera and and I begin talking
to them. And I said, you know, okay, you know,
we'll begin, you know, whenever you're.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
So basically I'm just rolling because you know, we're all
shooting digital now, so there's no film to be wasting.
So you know, I usually roll and just say, you know,
whatever you feel comfortable, you know, you can introduce yourself
and start talking basically sort of it makes them feel
that they're in control of the situation, which some degree
they are, but they aren't.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
If you know what I mean, yeah you wanna yeah,
if you if you, if you're you want to make
them feel like you're ready, but.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
You're you know, not necessarily waiting on.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Them, but yeah, you want to feel like I mean,
I think it's creating an environment where they feel relaxed.
If you know, there's there's this sense of anxiety whether
they want, may they or not. So if you can
kind of nip that in the butt right away, like hey, listen,
I'm gonna get out of your way, you know, and
and we're gonna get you.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
We're gonna make you look good. Everything's taking care of,
everything's ord and I you know whatever, let's chill.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
You know, maybe you crack a joke something to kind
of humanize yourself because they don't want you think you're
a robot and kind of yeah, it's at the end
of the day, I feel like I've always been able
to get the you know, because you're always gonna get
the oh, we need to get that or oh, by
the way, So if you develop a personal relationship, you know,
you can text or call these guys and just say hey, man,
(21:26):
I hate to bother you again, but you know this,
uh you know, I really need to grab it for
one extra thing. I can't get five more extra minutes
of your time, and I rarely have that, you know,
that time where the talent is unless unless they're really
doing something where they said no, you know you they're like, yeah, man,
(21:47):
no problem.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Give me, you know, give me an hour. Let's do
it right before dinner or something like that. So and
you know, like.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
I said, that's kind of helped me in that avenue,
you know where I'm like, okay, yeah, no problem, man,
thank you forgiving me your extra time.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I'll work around you. You know, I'm in your environment.
You're not in my environment. You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
So yeah, yeah, they development never poor is very important.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
You know.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
I I agree one hundred percent. You know that that
is something that I found over the years as well,
you know, and you know, I know you also, you know,
as you mentioned before, you work on on films as well,
so you know sort of to transition to that. You know,
when you're on a film set, obviously you know there
is going to be a director, you know, hopefully hopefully
right Jared but uh. Yeah, but but if you know
(22:36):
you're as you're working on a film set, you know,
I I think you know, building that that teamwork and
building that trust is sort of key because you know,
I've been on film sets where you know, there is
no teamwork. Uh, sort of everybody is off on their
own little island, so to speak. Sure, and yeah, and
you really don't feel like everyone's kind of working together.
(22:57):
You feel like everyone's working and doing their job, but
it's not to do the same goal, if you know
what I mean.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Yeah, I mean I would say that whenever I have
an opportunity to put together guys, or I walk into
a situation where you know, whether I'm replacing somebody else
or you know, you're you cut everybody's crude already and you're.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
Kind of brought into you kind of manage the team.
Uh you know, you you're you feel kind of like
you're walking in enemy territory or something like that.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
Tell them once again, you know, I always try to
nip that in the butt, you know, And if you
can get along with everybody and kind of show them
that you don't have an agenda, I think that and
your agenda is just to do a good job.
Speaker 5 (23:44):
You know.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
I think that that whether it takes time more time
than other times than not, uh, you know, it seems
to kind of work. That's kind of worked for me.
Is that, Hey, guys are just you know, not that
that's the situation. I understand. I don't know you guys.
I'm sure you guys are all talented. Let's do a
good job here. There's any confusion, I promise you. Or
(24:07):
something goes wrong, you know, I'll stick up for you.
We're not here to throw anybody under the bus, you know.
Let's just do a good job and get and and
make this look good and kind of go over what
we what you can and the alloted time because it's
never enough time, you know that.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
So yeah, it's always time and money, right, Jared.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
Oh are you kidding me?
Speaker 6 (24:26):
Yeah, I'm learning more and more as I do things
to keep asking for even more time than I'm giving
because there's always the olde by the way, and there's
always the uh you know, I've changed my mind, you know.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
So, And is as much as you want to get
aggravated and get angry, it's just but it doesn't really help,
you know.
Speaker 6 (24:48):
You just want me to get on and and hope
the guys that are around you, I can can I
have the same mindset and a ready for it as well.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Yeah, you know, I I I find that, you know,
the shooting schedules where you know you're working like sixteen
eighteen twenty hour days and you know you're trying to
mush all of this shooting schedule into a very short window.
I found that, you know, over the years that not
only I think is that, well, I just feel that
that's not the right way anymore. And I think more
(25:21):
more filmmakers, more indie filmmakers are coming to their to
their senses that you know, we don't have to emulate
the big guys and and shoot you know, an entire
script and you know this little tiny window if we can,
let's get a little more breathing room in here, and
you know, that way, we're not you know, burning ourselves
out within the first week. I mean, is that something
you're finding out as well?
Speaker 6 (25:41):
Yeah, it's you know, it's stretching. It just depends I
think where the lines are drawn as far as what
you are and aren't doing, you know, especially in regards
to budgeting and that kind of thing. You know, you've
got a lot if everything is laid out and everybody
and everything is very transparent and you kind of see
(26:03):
from beginning to end all the you know ab CD.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
You know, everything's light out, pre production is done.
Speaker 6 (26:11):
You should be pretty ready right on pace, and you're
not really kind of burning yourself out. But as you know, uh,
that never happened, so you you know, but that's cool,
and uh, you know, for the most part, that's kind
of what I was brought along in that hemisphere.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
So it's it's not comfortable for me. It's not the
most ideal situation, but I.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
Excel at it, and uh, you know, let's at the
end of the day, you know, I still still get
the job done. I get it the way I want
it to look, and I think that's which counts.
Speaker 5 (26:52):
And so yeah, telling a good story, right, that's what
you're there to do. So yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
And you know that's actually one of my next questions
for you was, you know, you know, what advice would
you give to directors who who work with cinematographers. You know,
maybe there's something they do that you know, is grading
on cinematographers or some directors, or you know, maybe they're
they're sometimes they're not clear enough. So you know, if
you you know, what advice would you give to directors
(27:21):
when they're working with cinematographers.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Yeah, I mean I think number one. You know, if
you bring in a cinematographer and where you do a
good job, you know, you look at their work you said, Wow,
this guy's good, and you brought them in to do something.
I think you just trust them with it, you know,
especially I turned on to carry an ego with me,
(27:44):
so I can't you know, I don't know if that's
a good or bad thing sometimes, but you know, go in,
just try to do a good job and and.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Once again develop orrapport with you're a director.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
And see how he liked to you know, and get
on the same page with him, and and really do
as much pre production if humanly possible, so you when
you walk in it it's something that you're you're ready,
You're ready to go. You know exactly how you want
it to look that matches up with the end product,
and so that when they're going through daily they're looking
(28:20):
for it.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
Hey, I think it shortened your days, you know.
Speaker 6 (28:24):
I think at the end of the time, at the
end of the day too, keeps them on budget. Because
you're not sitting there sweaking with things consistently or doing
pickups and that kind of thing.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
And uh yeah, I mean number one thing, it's just trusting.
You know.
Speaker 6 (28:37):
Really, if you bring in somebody to do a job
and you see and you or or you know, you've
worked with them in the past, it's just trusting their
their eye and and that they're going to be there
and do.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
What you, uh I want them to do. Actually, they've
got a director here calling me. Now you line, do
you take it? I can call him back here in
a moment. Are we almost wrapping up here?
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Uh yeah, probably like three minutes a couple, is that?
Uh so, you know, uh you know, is there any
advice then you have for first time cinematographers.
Speaker 6 (29:13):
I mean, uh yeah, I would say, you know, you know,
developed develop relationships with with.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
With people in the business. You know, networking is always great.
You know. I think doing.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
Things the right way the first time and getting off
on that that foot in regards to you know, showing
what you can do but not stepping on people's toes
kind of give you because you're going to develop a
reputation one way or another, so it might as well
be a good reputation.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
You know, and you know, making things look scratch, you know,
scratch that itch man.
Speaker 6 (29:52):
You know, that's the one thing I started doing was
I was like, man, this looks so great.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
How do I do this? And how can I do this?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor,
and now back to the show.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Uh, with what I have? You know, how can I
attain this look? With what what I have to use?
Speaker 6 (30:16):
And you know, trying to recreate certain looks and certain
ways of shooting and always trying to.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
You know, change things up, so it's not always the repeat.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
You know, it's not not everything you do is the same,
you know, because I think everybody who's picking up a
camera and is trying to be a TP is really
just uh, you know, it's really just uh, it's an
outlet for creativity, you know.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
So that outlet of creativity.
Speaker 6 (30:45):
You're trying to always come up with new looks. You
may not be the first person to do that, but
it's always a I think it's self satisfying when you
are able to accomplish something that you know, you pull
off a look that you're like, man, I I.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
Wanted to look this way. I've got my mind's eyes
got it.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
And when you when it's in the can and everything
looks just the way you want it to be and
the delivery was right there, you know, you get that
that self joy and if you're able to do it
the right way without stepping on his and hurst toes
and you know, pissing off this guy and that guy.
You know, I think that that's really it's really cool,
(31:30):
really cool moment that I have. It's like, hey, Victor
was happy, the producer is happy that, you know, the
talent loves working with me.
Speaker 5 (31:43):
You know, the PA was happy just to be there.
You know that kind of thing when everybody just like
I love being there and you kind of helped be
a part of it. And then you.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Also get that that end project that looks fantastic.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
It's really gratifying.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Yeah, and you know, I concur you know, it really
is great when everyone sort of uh you know, comes together.
You know, I just to I know, you have to go,
so just just to sort of close this out, you know,
I recently was on a I was working with m
Night Shamlan's producer Okay, and we got to go to
this post production house and it was a beautiful theater,
and the guy who works there was saying, you know
(32:24):
that the track lighting that they use on the floor
there those floor lights, he said. As soon as they
started screening footage of another movie, the director's cinematography was like,
wait a minute, he goes, this color is off down
in the bottom left here, What the hell is going on?
And then he turned off the lights and now it's
like pitch black except for the screen. And the director
photography was like, okay, now this is now, this looks good.
(32:46):
I remember this looking like this now, and you know,
and everyone's sort of you know, uh, you know obviously
you know, some people I probably wouldn't even notice that,
but obviously you know he did, because you know he
has that I.
Speaker 6 (32:59):
He tells her, all is something that you're you're especially
you know you're looking now. It's even more difficult, I think,
because you have.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
You know, everybody is shooting.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
You're shooting constantly because it's cheap, and you don't have
your money's not quitting Charantino, so i't have yet the
ability to.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
Shoot on film.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
So uh, you're just constantly shooting because it's cheap. You
can just take another director maybe watching them this monitor,
you know, so if they're not calibrated correctly, who knows
what they're seeing? You know, who knows what they're Maybe
they're looking at as the raw without a lut dropped
in and you're just you know, you're looking at nonsense essentially.
(33:42):
So yeah, there's it's it's it's an interesting thing where
you never know who's going to be looking at it
and where they're going to be looking at it, and
uh and what lightings you know set up.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Are they sitting there a dark room, they sit in
a light room with it looking at a been monitor.
Are they looking at its twenty four K monitor? They're
looking at it oled you know.
Speaker 6 (34:04):
So it's that's another thing I would say, especially with
the old thing, that's that's dp's best friend, is an
no lead monitor if you can have one on set
at all times. That was just doing that because then
you know exactly what you're seeing and at.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
The end of the day.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Yeah, that that post production house recommended that as well,
because they actually had their workflow recommendation and that was
on there the monitor.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Yeah, I mean, yeah.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
An O lead monitor is it's especially for running gun stuff.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
You're walking into floors and you're woke it into uh
you know.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Jeff who knows you and you're trying to set up
you want to make sure that you've got one of
those on on site because there's a couple of them
out there. The Odify now has one where you can
uh drop on a lot and match it up, so
it's pretty close to what your editor is going to
(35:09):
be looking at, or your colors is going to be
kind of looking at, so uh, you know, correct your
blacks and and those kind of things, which is just,
I mean, just incredible to have on site. You're not
guessing and hoping that the guy you know, the colors
decides to go this way.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
Or that way.
Speaker 6 (35:28):
It's it's just I mean, I can't tell you how
much that saved me and saved my probably my careers.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
You're having one of those on on site at all times.
You know, it.
Speaker 6 (35:40):
Is not as the able to see you close to
end product on especially low budget type stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
So yeah, that's you know again, like one of the
things they were saying was, you know again like these cinematographers,
they always tell them how important that the the that
particular monitor is. So listening to this, I'll make sure
to link to it in the show notes. The monitor
we're talking about, Jared. You know, I know you have
to go, so you know in closing, you know where
(36:08):
you'll find you out online.
Speaker 6 (36:10):
You can check out jared as video dot com. I
also do I'm doing the new show with for Bellator
for the upcoming fight of February nineteenth with Gracie and Shamrock,
so you can check out my work there.
Speaker 5 (36:26):
The show will be released the leak prior. Yeah, and
I'm actually doing some stuff this week for ESPN Soil.
We're doing a couple of bowl Gang type stuff. So yeah,
I'm all over the place.
Speaker 6 (36:38):
I haven't Yeah, I would stop working since the tenth
So so you're on Twitter as well, right, Yeah, Twitter
Jared hat Dero six and Instagram is Jared's zero six
as well, but it's usually just basis of my son, so.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
I will link all that in the show notes. Everybody, Jared,
I want to say thank you very much for coming on.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Hey, thanks thanks for having me man, good talking.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
Good talking to you too, buddy, Take care are YouTube.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
Bye.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I want to thank Dave so much for doing such
a great job on this episode. If you want to
get links to anything we spoke about in this episode.
Head over to the show notes at Indie film huscle
dot com forward slash eight fifty eight, and if you
have it already, please head over to Filmmaking podcast dot com.
Subscribe and leave a good review.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
For the show.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
It really helps us out a.
Speaker 5 (37:24):
Lot, guys.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Thank you again so much for listening to guys. As always,
keep that hustle going, keep that dream alive, Stay safe
out there, and I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Thanks for listening to the Indie Film Hustle podcast at
Indie film Hustle dot com. That's I N D I
E F I L M h U S T l
E dot com.
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Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.