Today we’d like to introduce you to Lars Lindstrom
Hi Lars, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started in sound actually. I built a recording studio in my parents house and recorded the local high school metal bands. I’d track drums on Saturdays and have my parents and 4 other siblings get a long lunch while we made all the noise in the world. That led to doing post sound for film and eventually a love for visuals.
I came into film at a unique time when DSLR stills cameras and video capabilities were merging. My first camera was a canon rebel T2i that had a 1080p 24 frame option in addition to shooting stills.
Getting started in film I really shot anything I could. Weddings, corporate, shorts, anything. I lied a bunch and told people I could do things I couldn’t. Sometimes it worked and I made a great friend and connection, other times it didn’t and I never saw them again.
I build a wedding videography business on a total lie that turned into a lucrative venture. Eventually I sold that business and with the money bought a cinema camera that helped get me into bigger budget sets.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My mentality from the beginning was fake it till you make it. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in the first 5 or 6 years taking on producing and directing commercials, shooting feature films and a tv series for Amazon called Dark/Web which I won a Daytime Emmy for.
For me it was a smooth road for about a decade until the strikes last year. A few things are happening in the film industry at the moment. Firstly, the golden age of advertising is dead. Commercials aren’t shelling $250k out for a 30 second McDonalds ad. Instead they’re paying 25 TikTok influencers $10k a piece to get a much larger audience with much more curated content. Secondly, interest rates going up make money harder to get which causes marketing budgets to decrease, and thirdly, streaming platforms are realizing that quality is actually more important than quantity so they’re pulling back on what they’re producing.
It’s not gone gone but it has scaled back a lot since the pandemic. I do consider myself incredibly lucky to still be working in LA though, and unfortunately I can’t say the same for some of my friends.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a cinematographer that specializes in feature film. I’ve shot a lot of thrillers and Christmas movies. I’m still hoping I can merge the two formats soon and get a thrilling Christmas movie made. Anyone have a script?? I just wrapped a Christmas movie for Netflix that comes out this November that I’m super proud of starring Chad Michael Murray and Britt Robertson.
The film I’m probably most proud of though was another Christmas film for paramount called Dashing In December with Andie MacDowell. Visually we pulled off a lot with pretty few recourses.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Kindness is an attribute that goes overlooked too often. The film industry has a reputation for being cutthroat, and sometimes it is. But my goal with every project I do is to leave an impression of kindness and meaning with the people I work with. Relationships are very important to me. Life is stressful, films are stressful, the least we can do is be nice and kind to those around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.larslindstrommedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlarsl?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Myra Merrill
Phillip Faraone
