Beginner Cinematography Career Path 2.0 – Shane Haributh

This is the roadmap every beginner cinematographer wishes they had.

There’s a huge gap between camera theory and becoming a successful Director of Photography on a real set. The Beginner Cinematography Career Path is about leadership, communication, and solving problems under pressure when the clock is ticking and the money is burning.

Become a Trusted Leader

We’ve structured this career path to mirror how a career is actually built. You won’t start with lenses and lights; you’ll start with how to be a leader and how to communicate with a director. We’ll get into the real-world ethics and attitudes that make people want to hire you again. If you can’t master the human side of the job, the best gear in the world won’t save you.

Master the Art of Visual Storytelling

Once you have that foundation, we dive into the craft. We’ll get you comfortable with the entire process, from breaking down a script and scouting locations to choosing the right tools for the story you’re trying to tell. You’ll learn the language of the camera—how focal lengths make an audience feel, how composition guides the eye, and how to move the camera with purpose.

Gain Total Lighting Control

Then, we get deep into lighting. You’ll learn how to walk into any room, at any time of day, and know exactly how to shape the light. We cover it all: wrestling with the midday sun on an exterior shoot, creating the feel of moonlight from scratch, lighting for a simple interview, or managing a complex night scene. This is the core of the job—painting with light to create a world.

Walk On Set with Confidence

“This career path is everything I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out.” -Shane Hurlbut, ASC

It’s more than 30+ years of on-set experience, successes, and failures, all organized into a roadmap. The Beginner Cinematography Career Path is designed to give you the technical knowledge and the confidence to walk onto a professional set, know your role inside and out, and start building the career you actually want. Your future is waiting, this is only just the beginning.

Validate Your Skills

Completing this career path earns you an official Certificate of Completion. Use this credential to formally validate your training and demonstrate your commitment to mastering the foundational knowledge of cinematography to future employers and collaborators.

What You’ll Learn In Beginner Cinematography Career Path 2.0

Module 1 — Career Path Introduction

• Beginner Cinematography Career Path Introduction

Module 2— Aspiration: This Is Who You Can Become

• Aspiration Demo Reel

Module 3 — Are You Ready For This?

• Resiliency in the Film Industry

Module 4 — What Is The Job Of A Cinematographer?

• Breaking Down Your Screenplay
• Selecting Your Aspect Ratio
• How To Prep Narrative Storytelling: Illumination Experience
• FA Podcast EP 32: Your First Steps In Pre-Production
• FA Podcast EP 10: What It Takes To Be A Cinematographer
• Educational Resource Books For Cinematography

Module 5 — Cinematographer Lighting Basics

• Key Light: Where, When, & Why: Illumination Experience
• Backlight: Where, When, & Why: Illumination Experience
• Fill Light: Where, When, & Why: Illumination Experience
• Top Light: Where, When, & Why

Module 6 — Cinematographer’s Tools

• How to Train Your Eye
• Understanding Your Light Meter: the Basics
• Understanding Your Color Meter: the Basics
• How to Use Smoke to Assist Your Story
• How to Use Glass Filtration to Assist Your Story
• Location Scouting: My Cinematography Scouting Toolkit
• FA Podcast EP 37: Understanding Your Cinematic Tools

Module 7 — Cinematographer’s Lenses

• How To Choose The Right Focal Lengths
• How Focal Lengths Make Your Audience Feel
• Cinema Style Lenses: How They Make An Audience Feel
• Lens Internal Characteristics
• Focal Length Choices
• Camera Lens Restraint
• FA Podcast EP 57: Camera Lenses
• FA Podcast EP 22: Understanding Your Tools

Module 8 — Blocking & Composition

• Storytelling Through Composition I
• Storytelling Through Composition II
• How To Compose The Master Wide Shot
• Block And Matching Coverage
• Blocking & Composition: Adventurers | Part 1
• Blocking & Composition: Adventurers | Part 2
• Blocking & Composition: Adventurers | Part 3
• FA Podcast EP 25: Planning Your Coverage

Module 9 — Cinematographer’s Motion Tools

• Why, How & When to Move the Camera
• Camera Motion: Dolly
• Camera Motion: MoVI
• How To Use a Crane to Captivate Your Audience

Module 10 — Cinematographer’s Lighting Tool Kit

• Bounce Light: Circle Bounce vs Square
• Bounce Light: DIY Solutions with Bounce Light
• Bounce Light: White Foamcore
• Bounce Light: Bead Board
• Bounce Light: Bleached Muslin
• Bounce Light: Ultra Bounce
• Bounce Light: Black & White Showcard
• Bounce Light: Soft Silver Rosco SS Flex
• Matching Practical Light with Colored Bounce Sources: Unbleached Muslin
• How to Build a Book Light
• How To Build A Softbox
• Rosco Diffusion Series: Hanover Frost Brushed Silk & Light Opal
• Rosco Diffusion Series: Tough Frost Diffusion
• Rosco Diffusion Series: Frost Diffusion
• Rosco Diffusion Series: Tough White Diffusion
• Rosco Diffusion Series: Grid Cloths
• Shaping & Controlling Light
• Shaping Light & Shadow: How to Control Large Light Sources
• Shaping Light & Shadow: Nailing The Close Up
• FA Podcast EP 7: Understanding Light Quality and Best Light for the Job

Module 11 — How To Light Your Blocking & Composition

• Finding Locations That Light Themselves
• Light for Specific Block: Master to Close-Up
• How To Rehearse, Block, Light and Shoot a Scene: Illumination Experience
• On Set: How to Block and Light Small Locations: Part 1
• On Set: How to Block and Light Small Locations: Part 2
• How To Use Available Light For Interviews
• Lighting Day Interiors with No Lights: Part 1
• How HDRX Can Help with Available Light Part 2
• How To Light an Interview with 4 Lekolites

Module 12 — How To Light Day Exteriors

• Day Exteriors: The Basics
• How To Location Scout Using the Path of the Sun
• How To Light Walk and Talks
• How To Shape Natural Light with Negative Fill
• Commercial Cinematography: How to Shoot a Commercial in 8 Hours | Part 1
• Commercial Cinematography: How to Shoot a Commercial in 8 Hours | Part 2

Module 13 — How To Light Day Interiors

• How to Light Day Interiors: Location Scouting
• How to Light Day Interiors: Part 1
• How to Light Day Interiors: Part 2
• How to Light Day Interiors: Part 3
• How to Light Day Interiors: Part 4

Module 14 — How To Night Exteriors

• How to Light Night Exteriors with Blue Tones: Part 1 – Location Scout
• How to Light Night Exteriors with Blue Tones: The Build
• How to Light Night Exteriors with Blue Tones: Pt 3 – The Execution Pt 2
• How to Light Night Exteriors with Gray Tones: Part 1

Module 15 — How To Light Night Interiors

• How to Light Night Exteriors with Gray Tones: Part 2
• How to Light Night Exteriors with Gray Tones: Part 3
• How to Recreate Moonlight with Hard Shadows
• Moonlight Exposure and Light Principles: Less Is More
• A Single Shot with 20 Finesse Moves
• How to Light Night Interiors: Part 2
• How to Light Night Interiors: Part 3

Module 16 — Motivating Practical Light

• How to Create a FIRE EFFECT Light: DIY
• How to Replicate TV Light: Dedo Lights
• How to Replicate TV Light: Kino Flo Lights
• How To Use Fire Effect Light with Real Fire
• How To Use A Headlight Gag
• FA Podcast EP 17: Using Lights to Replicate Fire and Lighting for Product Shots

Module 17 — Green Screen Basics

• Green Screen Series: Lighting with Just Two Lights

Module 18 — Color Grading

• Color Correction: The Blacks
• Color Correcting: The Mids & Highlights
• Color Correcting: Power Windows
• Color Correcting: Luminance Keys & Skin Fusion
• Color Correcting: Post Filtering Effects
• Color Correcting: Camera Shake & Post Light Shaping
• Color Correcting: Post Lens De-Tuning & Vintage Glass Effects

Module 19 — Director Communications

• Director and DP Communication
• FA Podcast EP 5: Collaborating with Directors When Shooting
• FA Podcast EP 31: Communication is Key

Module 20 — On Set Communications

• Walkie-Talkie Etiquette for Filmmakers
• Walkie-Talkie Lingo: On Set Communication
• Walkie-Talkie Film Production Channels

Module 21 — Different DP’s Perspectives

• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Oren Soffer
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Justin Jones
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer & Camera Op Sherri Kauk
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC 10/09/22
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Fiona Occhipinti
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Gabrielle Blackwood
• Spotlight Group Coaching Call | Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC

Module 22 — Health, Wellness, Leadership

• Lifestyle & Wellness: Habit Stack Your Morning Routine
• Wheel of Life: Find Balance In Your Filmmaking Career’
• Solutions to Overcome Stress and Fear-Based Thinking in the Film Industry
• FA Podcast EP 19: Maintaning Work and Life Balance
• Empowering Your Film Crew: A Guide to brain-Based Leadership
• FA Podcast EP 15: Leadership and Attitudes in the Film Industry
• How To Be a Leader In The Industry
• FA Podcast EP 24: Work Ethics and Leadership
• Motivating Your Filmmaking Team
• FA Podcast EP 27: Composure On Set
• Collect Your Certificate of Completion
• Beginner Cinematography Career Path Outro

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