We recently connected with E. A. Dodson and have shared our conversation below.

E. A. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Every month I get around two or three messages from other creatives, like insanely talented creatives, asking if they can shadow my team and I on projects because they’re interested in learning more about what truly makes someone a “Director of Photography” or “Cinematographer.”

First, I always do all I can to get others on set with me if the project allows for me to do so. I love meeting and working with new people because believe it or not, I usually learn something from these individuals. Yes, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but a lesson is always undoubtedly present.

Frankly, my response 95% of the time to their questions is: “No Excuses, Just Results.”

Like most in this profession, I’m a self-taught Business Owner, Director, and Cinematographer. The truth is, I learned from turning off the switch in my head that enabled excuses to impact my results. From lighting a simple interview in a blank space to blasting HMI’s in the forest at night for a crime scene, I stopped allowing myself to find reasons on why I couldn’t achieve the goal. If I didn’t have diffusion rags to soften the light, I researched the material and made the frame myself. If I didn’t have that $100K cinema camera, I saved up and rented it in order to get hands on and practice. If I didn’t have talent for my short films, spec commercials, and music videos, I got out in the community and found them.

Outside of the importance in learning how to shape and control light as a DP, one of the main skills to learn is how to lead. Crazy enough, knowing how to lead as the head of the camera department also means knowing how to listen, adapting to adverse situations, and having an answer to all of production’s problems without straying too far away from the original concept. Listening to your crew will allow you to lead them more effectively; ultimately, they will work that much harder for you and the project. There are allows going to be problems on set and it’s your job to solve them. Don’t ever let anyone see or feel that the problem can’t be solved or the situation isn’t under control. Stay calm, watch your body language, and let your abilities do the work. Remember, you’re there for a reason, show them why!

E. A. , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

From southwest Georgia, Thomasville to be exact, I’m a 29-year-old father, husband, business owner, and filmmaker based in the Savannah, Georgia area. I own Ollie & Panda Films, a production company specializing in narrative, commercial, docu-film, music videos, and wedding videography. To date, my team and I have worked with major networks (Netflix, ESPN, CMT, BET, etc.), exceptional artists and talent, and we’ve traveled all over the country while doing so.

At a young age, my dad, a working medical doctor, began teaching me about his long-time hobby: Photography. Not only did I enjoy the time spent with him learning every detail about a camera and how it works, but I fell in love with creating images and just how amazing it was to document a special moment seemingly paused in real time. But over time, those same paused moments intrigued me even more. More so to the fact that I began finding interest in the movement within a frame rather than the stillness. My love for photography and the roots of my first experiences with cameras never faded away, but I chose to pursue what I would later find out to be called, “Filmmaking.”

I believe having the ability to uniquely tell stories, whether it’s a long-formed film, a brief 30-second commercial, or a couple minutes on a music video, is what sets us apart. We are here to solve problems in the most creative way; from the writing, location scouting, set designing, and casting during pre-production, to the lighting, compositional framing, directing, and producing of production, to lastly, the editing, coloring, sound designing, and mastering of post-production, we’re here to make things easy. We are professional, we’re well-equipped with gear and crew, and we genuinely want to work with you.

To date, I’m most proud of the growth that OPFilms has sustained over the last 5 years. We started with little to no equipment and now we have multiples of most items. We have worked with major networks and producers, but most importantly, we have hired a team of creatives that we can trust to be the most professional, loyal, and hard-working for the clients and projects that we take on every year. In fact, we are shooting our first feature-length film called, “In This Moment” written by Horace Priester and Aleks Kapett. Principal photography begins September 2022!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the fact that I get to wake up and do what I love every single day. This is my full-time job and for some, at this moment, that is not the case. I do not take for granted the blessing it is to get up every morning and attack life 110% and share my abilities with the world in a full-time capacity. Truthfully, it hasn’t been easy, but that’s what has made it the most fun also.

I’m truly blessed with the most amazing wife in Allyson Dodson; she holds everything together while I’m away for long periods of time filming, supports me holistically, and that selflessness doesn’t go unnoticed. I also have to recognize our families and their willingness to aide and guide during all of life’s challenges. There’s no better time than right now to humbly say from myself, Allyson, Kollins, and our dogs, Ollie, Panda, and Cash…Thank You.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Throughout life things come and go. You meet new people and some become friends of yours for a lifetime or you only run into them occasionally. For me, on November 16, 2021, I met someone that changed my life. Kollins Delaney Dodson will always be that extra driving force to what was already deep inside of my heart. From the moment I met my daughter, the first time I held her in my arms, all of my goals in the filmmaking journey didn’t disappear, but they simply meant so much more. I now literally have one of the biggest fans helping me push through the long days, finding that extra motivation even when I can’t seem to find the energy. Daddy loves you, Kollins. One day, I hope I make you as proud as you make me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.olliepandafilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olliepandafilms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlliePandaFilms
• Other: https://vimeo.com/olliepandafilms