Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Warren.
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 was introduced to movies at a very young age. My parents had an extensive VHS collection, and I watched almost all of them growing up. My favorites were definitely the Back to the Future trilogy and Star Wars, as a family, we’d often go to the theaters during the week and weekends. The decade was the 90’s, and it was a great decade for cinema. Seeing T2, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, The Rock, and many others on the silver screen really resonated with me. I used to grab my parents’ video camera and make action-figure action films with my friends. When I found out that could be a career, I wanted to do nothing else. I went to college with the mindset of being a Cinematographer. I partnered with a lot of other students and shot their projects. After graduating, I started my freelance career while still holding a part-time job. I was finally able to go full-time freelance on August 12th, 2012, a date I told myself I’ll never forget. From that point on, I just kept with the grind. Each projects opening doors to the next, which has led me to the point I’m at today.
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?
My career has definitely been a rollercoaster, with its ups and downs. There were moments I thought of leaving the freelance life and applied to several companies during those times. Ultimately, I’m glad those didn’t work out and that I did struggle. It taught me to re-evaluate my career. I learned how to be more bold with my artistic choices, how to manage my finances better, and to find inspiration in those down times. I still have slow periods, especially last year with the strikes, but now it’s more of survival rather than giving up.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Director of Photography here in Los Angeles. I primarily shoot narrative projects, from independent features to short films. I also do a lot of doc/branded content work sprinkled with commercials here and there. I’m proud of all of my work, whether good or bad, as it all helped me learn and grow as an artist and individual.
We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
I think a career in this industry is the definition of risk-taking. Being a freelancer, I rely on others to hire me and provide me with income. Sometimes, you might not have a job for a couple months, and that can get to you mentally. You start asking yourself questions like “Are you good enough to keep at this?” or “What’s wrong with the quality of my work?”. To avoid that, I like to push myself. I try to takes risks when crafting an image, trying to do something different than the project before. Also, I like to reach out people and schedule meetups. I have a few phrases to keep myself in the game, one being “Be Bold.” With that mindset, I find myself accepting challenges that have made me who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chriswarrendp.com
- Instagram: @cwdp112
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chriswarren112
