First time Cinematographer, long time filmmaker

[u/OkTwo3116]

Hi all,

I've been an actor, comedian, writer for 21 years (I've written on a few shows and acted in dozens), so I have a good overall understanding of the industry. I've written and directed quite a few short films and the hardest part is always getting a crew together...

So I wrote a short film with one location, 3 actors, and I want to just shoot it myself on my iPhone. I'd like to point out that I have a deep respect for the craft of DPing, but due to not having much income and wanting to create more content, the idea of just saying screw it and shooting it myself has gone from a half joke to "why not?". I don't plan on making this short film my masterpiece or expecting to win an academy award...

With all of this said, I have no knowledge of the technical part of cinematography. Does anyone have a resource for beginners? Like a youtube channel, an online course, etc. where I can learn the basics from aperture settings, to f/stops, and beyond?

I plan on using whatever budget I have on paying for audio, post, location, and meals.

Any other tips or pitfalls you can help me avoid would also be welcomed!

Thank you in advance.

[u/LNC95]

First of all, congratulations on your career and your initiative. Nobody starts out knowing everything, and seeking to learn is what makes someone great, in my opinion.

That being said, I'm an experienced composer, but a beginner in film composition; I have many compositions inspired by soundtracks and a few other works. So I would love to be able to collaborate with you on your productions, even with a tight budget.

My portfolio is at the link below, best regards, Lucas.

lucascomposer.carrd.co

[u/-Cardolan-]

In depth cine is a great channel for very niche filmmaking knowledge, Lewis Potts is an amazing g cinematographer that explains his setups and why so. For learning basics like aperture and iso, I would say DSLR guide in his early days is pretty detailed in that area.