Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Birch.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I actually got into filmmaking by making movies, not watching them (one of the reasons I constantly feel impostor syndrome). One of my friends in middle school was really into the YouTube channel Indy Mogul. He was really into prop building and special effects, so he convinced the rest of our friend group to try making things from the show and use them in little short films. We used our parent’s video cameras at the time, then eventually got our own Canon T3i and began uploading them to YouTube.
In high school, we started doing some small commercial work for local businesses and got some better equipment out of that. This is where my filmmaking story actually stops for a bit. Towards the end of high school and early in college, I actually shifted my career goals to engineering/computer science. I ended up hating that, and in 2018 I switched to my school’s film program and started my cinematography journey. I shot my first proper short film (Thank you Max for giving me my first opportunity) that year and had literally no idea what I was doing.
I moved to LA in 2021 after finishing school and have been cutting my teeth on small music videos and commercials. I’m really drawn to short-form, highly visual work and can’t wait to continue on my path!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a super smooth road for me by any means. I’m fortunate enough to have family who supports me which not everyone has, but choosing a career in the arts isn’t really something that people do where I’m from, and it is often written off as not a ‘real’ career. I had been on this path of engineering for a while, which is a pretty safe and lucrative job, so when I decided to ditch it to become a cinematographer, I got a lot of push back and people tried to tell me not to do it. Self-doubt has been one of the biggest struggles for me, but it’s also common in this field so I try not to let it get to me. Not going to a proper film school or having a ton of big set experience does give me a sense of insecurity at times, but where my traditional education lacked I try to make up for in my own independent learning. Podcasts, forums, and other online resources are super helpful!
Moving to LA during the peak of COVID wasn’t ideal, either. It’s been tough living alone and trying to make friends and connections, but thankfully that’s starting to change.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a cinematographer. Currently, I’m focused on short-form content like music videos, commercials, and fashion films. I don’t really know what I’m known for but a lot of people say my work is very intimate, I guess I like to get the camera close to people. I’m really proud of a Mercedes Benz social media spot I did recently, we had very little money but were able to make it look high budget which was cool!
I like to think that what sets me apart from others is the variety in styles I shoot. A lot of DPs become known for shooting in a particular style, whether it’s dark or colorful or with a certain technique, but my approach is different. I really like to focus on exactly what each director I work with is trying to convey and help them come up with a visual style that works best for their specific project. The downside to this, I guess is that I don’t really have a consistent “look” project to project, but I think the individual films I do stand better on their own that way.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m a big believer in taking risks. Sometimes it bites me, but in general I look at situations or opportunities without a real regard for what could go wrong or concern for failing. That has allowed me to get to where I am today, and I really don’t think it’s possible to build the life you want to live for yourself without risk taking. There’s a saying about how the comfort zone is the happiest place where nothing grows, something like that. If I played it safe, I’d probably be an engineer or something else right now living in Ohio where I grew up instead of a cinematographer in LA. So definitely take risks.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: adambirch.tv
- Instagram: instagram.com/adam_birch
- Other: vimeo.com/adambirch
