Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kai Dickson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kai, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Sometimes I compare living as a freelance creative to being a hunter-gatherer; you never know what you’re going to bring home, or if you’ll bring anything home at all. At times this can be frightening, but I’ve reached the understanding you will need to withstand a certain amount of financial instability in this industry, especially when you’re starting out.

There are some months that I earn much more than expected, and other months that are completely dry. My advice for fellow young creatives is to simply keep a low overhead in terms of monthly bills and other expenditures, that way you have more freedom in your finances. Have multiple sources of revenue if you can. For example, when I’m not shooting my own work as a DP, I use that time to assist on larger sets in town. Not only is this extra revenue, but I see it as a way to educate myself. I like being able to take what I learn from older professionals and apply it to the work I do.

It’s all about perspective. If you find yourself not working as much as you expected, take it as a blessing and USE the time. Absorb material, work on passion projects, travel if you can. American society has created a really busy work culture, and often people see having too much free time as a negative aspect. I’ve learned to flip this mentality. What’s a life worth living if you don’t allow yourself to live, to take chances, to explore.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I made my first film when I was five years old, before I could even read or write properly. Somehow, using the camera in an expressive way has always been part of my language. I was born into a family of artists who exposed me to things like music and dance early on, so I definitely think that influenced me. Once my parents saw that I enjoyed storytelling, they really encouraged me to continue strengthening those muscles. I thank them endlessly for supporting me when I was making all my projects early on.

I think one thing that separated me from other filmmakers throughout middle school – high school was my ability to reverse engineer projects to work with my resources. I didn’t come from money, so I was really thoughtful about using what I had around me. I casted friends, used locations I could get ahold of, and borrowed cameras from my video program. I also put a lot of energy into pre-production. I wasn’t making sports videos or anything, I was writing narrative stories that required planning. Each year I was making a new short film, and each year they got more complex and challenging until I completed my first full-length feature film before graduating high school. That film took me two years, and I did everything. I directed it, I shot it, I scored the soundtrack, I did all my own editing and sound design. I poured every ounce of my energy into this project and that’s what eventually got me a full-tuition scholarship to SCAD Savannah.

While in college I continued focusing on narrative work. Although I thought I wanted to write/direct, I discovered I had a bigger passion for shooting and decided to pursue a track in Cinematography. Ultimately, I still see myself directing one day, but I’m really sensitive to things like lighting, camera movement, and lens choices so I feel comfortable being able to control those elements. I also thoroughly enjoy collaborating with directors, especially when they have a different perspective because it broadens my own worldview. Exploring other languages, other cultures, and other perspectives is valuable to me. I do believe all my experience directing/creating my own work has really benefited the way I help directors make their films because I can put myself in their shoes. I can think like them.

Something I enjoy about narrative work (that can often be applied to music videos and commercials) is the idea of creating sequences, not just pretty shots. When shot-designing or blocking a sequence/scene, I’m constantly considering what’s coming before and after any given moment and carefully design all the elements to improve the feng-shui. These can be visual concepts like starting wide and eventually ending close, or mirroring compositions when two people are feeling opposition, but I’m also considering rhythm and pace. This is where music and dance experience has really helped me out.

I think some people on a film set can get too zoomed into what their job is and don’t extend their view enough to incorporate and consider other collaborators or departments. This is especially important for a cinematographer because they end up funneling all the elements together in front of the camera. I think it’s important to involve people like your production designer and costumer designer because they contribute to the palette and texture of your footage (that doesn’t simply happen in the color grade). A good shot cannot be achieved by a camera alone. What makes it interesting is what’s in front of the camera, whether it be a talented actor, or really excellent set design and fabric choices. It’s all about creating harmony among all these elements. You share this responsibility with a director, to create this cohesion, but I think a good cinematographer thinks ahead of a director and has their back to make sure the costumes aren’t reading badly on camera, or making sure the set doesn’t need an extension or something. The director is already handling a lot, so the last thing they want to worry about is whether or not the the camera is going see the ceiling of a set or not.

I find it really important to be able to shape-shift depending on each collaboration as well. In my eyes, the role of a cinematographer always changes slightly for each project. There are times I have a lot of influence on the shot design and storytelling, and other times when you’re fulfilling more of a technical role. Although I prefer being creatively involved, I understand that I can’t think of my job in one way, and that I’m there to help the director ultimately. I stay kind and respectful, and that earns trust from the filmmakers. The more they trust you, the farther you can push yourself.

The role of a cinematographer carries a lot more responsibility than just creating shots. And this is something I feel wasn’t emphasized enough in school. For example, you have an enormous impact on the schedule of the shoot. The way you light a scene could mean it’s a one-day shoot with natural light, or a two day shoot that requires pre-rigging if you require a big lighting rig. If you make the decision to use one or two cameras, that has effects on the way the day runs and how much is completed. You are in fact in control of three different departments: camera, grip, and electric and you need to consider the labor and work load for all of those individuals. There have been moments when productions have asked something impossible from my crew, or treated them irresponsibly and you have to stick up for them. At the end of the day, what we do isn’t curing cancer, and it can get dangerous really quickly. Be mindful of all these things – trust and respect your crew because they do the heavy lifting for you.

I believe there’s a misconception that good cinematography is created by having the nicest/newest gear, lights, lenses, etc. I’m not a super technical person when it comes to gear. I don’t obsess over equipment. What I obsess over is conceptual aspects of filmmaking, the theory or storytelling, and the exciting work collaborators can produce when they put their heads together. That to me is so much more exciting than the newest camera on the market, and that’s what I consider to be my greatest strength whenever stepping onto a project.

Treat it all with love and care at the end of the day. It’s a super simple mentality. It doesn’t matter what job it is – whether it’s a bank commercial or a Sundance-worthy film, when it’s in your hands, treat it like its the greatest piece of content ever created. Don’t be afraid to go above and beyond, to challenge conventional choices. Make these opportunities count. The level of energy you pour into your work WILL be felt even if it’s not entirely visible or apparent at first.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being able to collaborate with other artists is the most rewarding part about being a creative. You learn so much about other people and yourself through the process, especially when you spend time and work with those who come from a different background because you expand each other’s view of the world.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

“Deep Work” by Cal Newport is an excellent read about achieving deep concentration and focus in a world that’s so polluted with distraction and rushed workflows.

“Leonardo Da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson is fantastic read for any creative since it’s a deep dive into one of the world greatest and most prolific artists. It illustrates ways he used both art and science to benefit each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kai-dickson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaj_dickson/?hl=en
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user13181644

Image Credits
Javier Gonzales Jordan Marie Vescio Fenn David