We were lucky to catch up with John Vogt recently and have shared our conversation below.
John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One deeply underappreciated facet of being an entrepreneur or creative is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?
Let’s start in 2022, I was working as a 2nd Assistant Camera for various projects ranging from short films, music videos to commercials and feature length films. I remember feeling grateful for the work that was coming my way but my creative needs were not met. The fact of the matter is that the 2nd AC is tasked with organization of the camera department, from labeling to making sure the proper gear is within arms reach, not sexy but essential. I was watching the Director of Photography closely, picking up the workflow from the leader of the Camera Department. Watching them light and communicate with various department heads to connect the creative complexities captured in four corner frames. There was so much to learn from the various DP’s I worked under and the other Assistant Camera’s but sometimes the best teacher is trial by fire.
In 2023 a friend had written a feature length film, with a limited budget and asked that I participate as the Director of Photography. I saw this as a great opportunity to learn while shooting, applying what I had been observing through my 2nd AC experience. I had a 1st AC with me and a Gaffer half of the time while working on my feature film putting the pressure on me to one man band often as DP and Gaffer. We would come back to locations frequently and I tried to light as consistently as possible while still finding ways to spice things up for a new day or character. Having to light a film with the pressure of production waiting on Camera and Lighting to move forward in a day created a new level of confidence within me. The result of the film was a consistent look in the lighting and vibe, which was a relief considering how little we had to work with. After completing that film, Summer was just around the corner and with the experience I had just acquired I set my sights on feature number two!
Within two months of completing my first feature I was on my second, but this time I was a solo shooter in the Colorado Mountains surviving each day with new challenges. From base camp at 12,500 feet elevation, hiking two to five miles everyday and pumping my own water out of the river with a filter for ten days. I was pushing my body to the limit while sleeping in a tent with rain shows often occurring. On the night of day ten I felt an agonizing pain in my gut and after an hour and a half of trying to fight it off I told the Director I needed to go to the hospital.
It was a three mile hike down the mountain to the car and an hour drive to the nearest hospital in Aspen, CO at 5AM 4th of July 2023. I remember thinking to myself, I can’t die on this mountain, no matter how much pain I’m in I need to keep moving. I walked the whole way down, crossing rivers with my pants and shoes water logged. When I made it to the hospital I had vomit on myself and there was no way my chicken scratch hand writing was legible as I filled out the form for an ER check in.
I made it to my bed and am connected to an IV, after six attempts of being stuck with a needle from both arms and finally finding a vein in my hand to connect to I felt relief. I give a urine sample and am taken in for my first CT scan and they conclude I have a 6mm kidney stone passing and it lodged itself in my ureter with no way to exit my body. I spent that day in a hotel room while the cast and crew packed up camp and bargained with production to stay in an Airbnb the rest of the shoot.
The next day we landed our Airbnb and I finished out the remaining week of production as the DP, but something inside of me had come to a realization. I am willing to subject myself to extreme lengths to reach my dreams and at the expense of my physical body. After saying this out loud and internalizing it, I felt like I had some self development to complete, and I needed a greater level of respect for myself. We only have our one body, that’s it, there are no restarts or do overs and to have an experience like this never happen again, I can’t let my excitement for something outweigh my rational thinking. I’m sure many of you reading, regardless of industry you’re in can relate to this.
Historically I have found that great levels of trauma often have the best learning experiences. I’m glad to have had that experience occur because it shows that I have so much to learn moving forward and armed with the knowledge that I gained from that one experience, I can apply it to future projects and continue the compound interest in my behaviors.
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John, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In 2017 I moved to Fullerton, Ca to pursue my Undergraduate Degree from California State University, Fullerton. I learned the basics of production but what made my experience attending school so valuable were the connections I made. In 2019 I graduated with a BA and shortly after the Pandemic hit, I started my professional career in filmmaking during the peak of the Pandemic. It’s June of 2020 and I received a text message that had passed through a few people before reaching me. The text was sent from a connection I made through a friend of a friend who went to USC. The message asked, “are you interested in working with Disney in a Covid related position?” And I said sign me up!
Next thing I knew I was on the Disney lot in Burbank with a swab stuffed up my nose testing for Covid. I passed and spoke with my soon to be boss about my future working with Disney. Instead of working on the show, “Blackish” I opted to transfer to “Grey’s Anatomy” and worked as a Health and Safety Monitor during season 17. This was my first experience in the industry and I was working on a Prime time television show. The lessons I learned on this show are with me today in my professional/personal journey.
It’s so easy to tell someone our name but if you’re in an industry where your constantly meeting new people, it can be easily overlooked. I remember writing in a note pad I carried with me and made a point to write down everyone’s name the first time I met them. I remember reading somewhere that one of best things a human can hear is the sound of their name and that was my truth. I was in a new position and one that had authority, I needed to tell people how to behave on set in a way that would keep them and those in their proximity safe and with that came a lot of confrontation to enforce those behaviors.
Enforcing new rules on crew that were use to doing things the way they had always done them, proved to be difficult. The constant, “can you please wear your face mask?” and “no eating on set” and “keep six feet apart” were constant mantras in the day to day. Using someone’s name to start one of those mantras created an atmosphere of mutual respect. My style of conversation is not there to enforce but there to be the helping hand. I want to create an environment of respect to allow progress to occur, there can be big ego’s in this industry and if you’re not easy to work with or disrespectful this industry can spit you out quickly.
When I was ready to leave “Grey’s Anatomy” I asked crew members if they knew of any way I could advance my career. I narrowed down to Camera Department and those in the crew were happy to share what they thought I should do next. At the time I was eager to take the options presented and take them for what they were, advice given to me by professionals doing what I wanted to do, why wouldn’t I follow through? What I realize now is that the path that someone else took to get to where they are does not mean the same path can work for you.
I made my way to the Camera rental house, “Otto Nemenz” where I would begin my journey learning all the various pieces of equipment found within the Camera Department. At first I was eager and spent a lot of time trying my best and doing anything extra I could to stand out. My priority was to make my way into a prep tech position where I would have face to face interaction with Camera crew members in the Union world of production. I began to realize that the dream of prep tech would only come to fruition once someone in that position decided that they were ready to move on from the company or move up and the thought of being stuck on a freeway behind a car with its hazards on filled my mind. So I left the company to take my first step into the world of Freelancing and never looked back.
Working the connections I made in school I landed my first couple of jobs in the world of freelance that propelled me to where I am today. I landed a job as a PA where I worked for three days on a commercial and during that time I payed close attention the camera department, specifically the 2nd Assistant Camera. After that job I bought a camera kit, online I found websites and videos that described the pieces of kit I needed. I even reached out to friends and asked what they had in their kit and how to slate properly. I reached out to a friend that was crushing it on social media as an Assistant Camera and asked him if he could forward me any work. Two weeks after purchasing my AC kit I was working on my first feature film for the first time as a 2nd AC for a Lifetime Network movie. I remember being so scared to mess up the phrasing for a slate that I dropped the ball the first time, but everything that followed made me look like a seasoned vet.
There are a few things that can make a 2nd Assistant Camera stand out as someone that knows what they’re doing. First of all, organization is the top priority for any successful 2nd. Knowing where everything is and labeling where it is and consolidating equipment. Another successful skill for a second is the ability to communicate with various crew members in other departments. The 2nd keeps Camera Organized and makes sure that Sound, Script Supervisor and the 1st AD are in sync for slating. Knowing the flow of production is essential in any position but as a 2nd AC, knowing when a shot is finished and ready to move on is when the hustle really begins. One of the best compliments I’ve received from a fellow AC is that I have the experience of an Operator and the technical understanding of a 1st AC, while being in a 2nd AC role.
The year is now 2024 and I’m casting multiple nets to try and capture as many opportunities as possible. What started off as AC work has slowly evolved into Director of Photography roles and in some cases working as a Videographer. Now that word may be taboo in the film/television world but for some of my clients they know what I am when I say Videographer and not Director of Photography. What sets me apart in the world of Videography is that I’m more than just a Camera operator with a title of Videographer. I’m interested in getting to know that people that I’m working with and what makes them unique. Using that information to make them shine on camera authentically.
What I’ve gained from my experience as a videographer this far has uncovered my desire to pursue Documentary filmmaking. The actors and writers strike made jobs scarce for a while and in order to survive I needed to pivot to find income. What I love about Documentary filmmaking is that I get to jump into the world of someone who can teach me more about myself. They do this by exposing me to an unfamiliar world and teach me, while I stay curious and dive deep through conversations and exploration of the expertise and experience they’ve acquired during their life. My experience working as a one man band on various projects has helped shape the filmmaker I’m becoming through every project.
Filmmaking is a long term pursuit, while there are some people who are naturally gifted in the art form and have access to the latest and greatest technology, there’s something about human experience that reigns supreme in storytelling. For me, as I’ve gotten older I’ve broken out of beliefs that use to serve me and found meaning in knowledge that didn’t serve me earlier in my career. It’s really exciting to see how my future work will influence my work in the future through thoughts and ideas I explore through life.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
One of the most influential books that helped me on my film journey was the book, “Rebel Without a Crew” written by Robert Rodriguez. This book contains journal entries from Robert Rodriguez as he navigates funding for his first feature film to the writing of the script, production and distribution. This book demonstrates the power of passion and how doing something on a small budget can garner huge success. What I found so inspiring in this book was how Robert went through the production process with little to no help in the days of film. He had his actors perform the scene twice, once to capture the footage and another time to capture the audio, which requires execution at an exceptionally high level from the actors. It’s a moment that captures filmmaking during a time that makes me appreciate how accessible the format has become.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
This is the most recent lesson I learned on set of a TV pilot. I was working as a 2nd AC and feeling a rusty from not working the position for a while. We’re about to roll our first take when I slate the scene, I’m kind of quite as I call “mark” and walk away. Talent was unscripted and fed off the energy of others to perform at their peak. As I walked away I heard them say to the whole crew, but what really felt like was directed towards me, “can I get a little more energy everyone?”
In that moment without talent saying anything to me, I knew exactly what they were communicating. As a 2nd AC you set the tone of the scene because the “mark” might be the last thing everyone hears before “action.” Moving forward the rest of the day I made a point to keep my energy high while I slated the scene. This lesson is worth exploring further when determining what kind of environment the slate happens. Maybe the next time I slate, talent won’t improvise and instead have lines from a script. Maybe we’re in a scene that requires total concentration from the talent because it’s a heavy emotional moment and I need to get in and out as quick as possible without messing with their focus. Regardless, this all stems from the indirect communication I experienced and I will keep this lesson in my back pocket moving forward.
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