Case studies: Freelance cinematographer: Taina

Taina studied philosophy and politics as well as cinematography and art.

I studied Art at the Central School of Speech and Drama then went on to graduate with an MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University before taking a Masters in Political theory at the London School of Economics.

I chose a career in television and film camerawork because I knew my career would engulf my life and so I wanted to do something that would satisfy me totally and felt I could express myself most fully by working as a cinematographer. Also, I like working in a team of dynamic, creative people and I have a great love of cinema. I’m probably quite unusual in that I studied philosophy and politics as well as cinematography and art. All were important to my training and have affected the way I engage with my work.

After I completed my MSc from the LSE in 2001, I assisted in lighting and camera for two years. I then jumped the traditional long apprenticeship route by going to the Film and TV school: The Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague. I studied at the FAMU because I thought there is a stronger tradition of cinematography in the Czech Republic than in the UK.

Whilst at FAMU, I gained technical skills and found out how a film comes out of the work of a group of people. I watched a lot of films and worked on more student films than anyone else in my year in order to gain experience of working with different people.

I built a website to show my work and, after graduating from FAMU, I started getting work based on my showreel. Luck and persistence are key to getting into this profession!

As a cinematographer on drama, I work with the director to flesh out the visual world of the film. I interpret his or her vision of the script through discussions and research so that I know on set where to place the camera and how to move it in relation to what will be in front of it. I'm also responsible for the ‘look’ of the film and for making the film look consistent. On set, I operate the camera and lead a team of people to realise what has been previously planned. In post-production, I work on the grading of the film, that is, very simply, getting the colours right. On documentaries, basically the same applies except that we work much faster and I'm unlikely to have any assistants.

I really enjoy my job as long as the director is talented and the project is interesting. Sometimes the shooting conditions are not ideal, but you have to work with what you’ve got and always produce the best possible result.