More than “lights camera action”

The enigmatic world of the film industry brought to light

By Adrian Martinez

it’s viewing the newest blockbuster in Alamo Drafthouse, or re-rere-watching a family favorite film in the comfort of your own living room, we all enjoy the beauty that movies provide. They make us laugh and cry, inspire us and teach us.

However, there’s so much more to

Whetherthese cinematic works of art than the average watcher is aware of. The intricacies that go into creating the films we all know and love are vast and it is far from a one person job. In fact, if you name any type of cinema that you enjoy, it is a guarantee it took a team of dozens to put that together. There is an unimaginable amount of effort and creativity that takes place behind the camera that is important for the viewer to both know about and appreciate.

Yuta Yamaguchi, an Austin-based cinematographer, has been in the film industry for over 15 years, working with accomplished actors such as Robin Wright in his films, and winning awards in multiple film festivals. He has also worked with companies such as Dell, McDonalds, and MTV. In an interview, Yamaguchi shared an insider perspective on the process of making a film, as well as his favorite parts of being in the business.

“It’s working with different people, because everybody brings different strengths. So even though the medium is all about the director, their vision, it’s also all about all the collaborators that come to help make that vision and the communal feeling you get when you’re working with other people.” said Yamaguchi. “Through all the sharing of ideas and collaboration, it becomes anything better than you could imagine. I feel like on a [feature] film, everybody on that crew [becomes] like a family living together for like a few months.”

Getting to that step in filmmaking isn’t an easy task, however. Before anything can happen, one requires a vision. Filmmaking is an art, and just like drawing, dance and music, it requires dedication, creativity and passion to truly succeed. Yet, that’s easier said than done. To reach the top, you must be able to put all of yourself into the art you create, be able to dive into your universe, and be able to, at the end of the day, still love your job.

“I think filmmaking is hard enough. So if you don’t find something of yourself from the work, then you’re probably not going to do a good job, or you won’t put in the effort that’s required to make it.” said Yamaguchi.

Another director who we had the honor of interviewing was Steve Acevedo. A seasoned veteran in the film business, being a part of it for almost 2 decades, winning many awards, creating a feature film in his own house, and working with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio. During an interview, he also gave insight to the roses and thorns of creating films.

“If you want to pursue this as a career, you have to love it. And while there are some people who hit big quickly, it’s more of a marathon than it is a sprint. So it might take, you know, 20 years before you get your break, right, you might have to grind for 20 years before you get that opportunity,” said Acevedo about the hard work that goes into this profession. “There were some years where I was very thin on money, I wasn’t making very much, but I just kept pushing.”

Even if you are lucky enough to make it, the difficulties don’t stop there. Having a good work-life balance is essential in all professions, but even more so in film.

“I’ll tell you, it’s up and down. The whole idea of the artist’s struggle, you know, is open to more than just film, you know, anything that’s a creative outlet that someone tries to do as a career comes from that artist’s struggle. And the struggle is not in doing the art because that’s what we love to do,” commented Christian Nelson, Production Services manager at the Austin Film Society, or AFS. “this is what we could stay up past midnight doing, but we have to learn that we can’t always do that and need to retain this balance to stay healthy.”

All of these disclaimers may make simply starting out seem like a daunting task, and one that may not even be a promising career choice. In fact, it may even seem deterring to the point that it may leave you wondering who in their right mind would ever go into a field like this.

On the contrary, creating film is more accessible than ever for the average person, and social media platforms that specifically promote video content, such as Youtube and TikTok, have made the growth of moviemaking exponentially higher.

“Everyone now has a portable film studio in their pocket,” said Acevedo on the matter.

Does this mean all of these films are the next blockbuster? No. But everyone needs to start somewhere. And nowadays, everyone can start somewhere. Whether it’s a crappy camera from when the dinosaurs still roamed (the 90s), your personal iphone, or even a shiny new Canon camera you got cause you’re the favorite grandchild, developing that love for filmmaking is easier than ever. While, yes, the movies you start with aren’t going to make you millions, beginning is the first step to reaching your goal.

“The thing that is easy to kind of gloss over is that it’s still a lot of work. And it’s really hard to make something cohesive. And, you know, you gotta make a lot of small stuff you know, and practice and fail and make bad sh*t before you can start making true art of cinema,” commented Acevedo on starting out.

But, through all this, how does one make the jump from making movies with an iphone to getting into the film scene? There is a difference between that iMovie you made last Tuesday, using the first take of everything and shooting it at the neighborhood park and carefully crafting a film with professional technology, crew, editing, and locations.

“I think my biggest advice is to find your community. It takes a village to make a phone call… I think Austin has that like young filmmakers that are supportive of each other. So go to events, be involved with the local film community, just, you know, provide help to other people, other filmmakers, and they’ll help you.” said Yamaguchi when questioned about tips for starting out filmmakers.

The film industry is a more vast and complicated place that anyone can fathom. And while not all sunshine and rainbows, it is a community of people who are intelligent, creative, and above all, love their job. They pour blood sweat and tears into the motion pictures that we all adore, so the next time you see a movie, you can now take a look at the credits, and fully appreciate each and every one of those names.