Why No Socials?
“You Don’t Post On Instagram?!”
“But social media has to be so important for you given the industry you’re in!”
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, well I probably wouldn’t be here writing this.A strong social media presence is regularly preached as one of the cornerstones of success in many industries, and is a de facto requirement for visual creatives. Your instagram posts become your portfolio, and sharing stories from set make sure people know that you’re still working. Social Media, creatives claim, is one of the best ways to drive success in your creative career.
And you know what? They’re not wrong. Social media is an incredibly potent tool for driving engagment and making sure the world knows what you do.
But it doesn’t have to be the only way.
The Other Side
Even as we’re all aware of the benefits of social media, we’re all becoming increasingly familiar with the darker aspects of it as well. The doomscrolling, comparison, and pressure that can emerge from constantly feeling under the gun to put your best face forward. Comparison is the primary reason I chose to step back from social media.
It isn’t that I don’t thing there’s any healthy way to engage with social media. I know plenty of other filmmakers who do, and for them it’s a good and helpful thing! Personally, though, I just can’t bring myself to go back to it, at least in the traditional sense. While I do miss funny videos and seeing the cool things my friends were working on, it always felt a little impersonal, a little fake, and not a lot of fun.
That said, the choice to not post to Instagram or Facebook is descriptive, nor prescriptive.
If you’ve got a good thing going, keep at it! Maybe some day I’ll join you back on there.
But for now…
Cinematography-sans-Socials
A blog. Never thought I’d see the day, but here I am! The truth is that, as a human being, I’m happier when I’m not posting on mainstream socials. I also know that I need to have a portfolio online that’s accessible and shows people what I can do.
So, what do I want this blog to actually do?
Showcase - Give context behind different projects I’ve shot and be my portfolio.
Discuss - Share my thoughts on ideas, trends, and techniques within the cinematography space.
Teach - Highlight more specifically different shots or setups from projects.
My goal with this is to create a more honest and authentic online portfolio for myself, one that invites people not to scroll for five seconds, but to stop and stay a while. Will that cost me jobs? Definitely. Will it hopefully lead to collaborations with people who also want to be intentional about what they shoot and how they shoot it? That’s the goal.
