Conversations with Steven Wetrich

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Wetrich.

Hi Steven, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve wanted to work in film in some capacity most of my life. I wanted to sit through the credits of the first film I saw in theaters to look for other people in the credits named Steven. It was a showing of the live action of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. I don’t know if it’s because I knew Steven Spielberg was a director of movies, and I shared a first name with him, or what.

I went to a project-based high school and would make any project I could some kind of video, graphic, or photo project. I toyed around with some 3d software, shot on camcorders, DSLRs, Flip cams, etc. Towards the end of high school, I was on a streak of renting classic movies on Netflix and watching them with my parents after homework and dinner.

When I was 14, I took a class to become certified in Final Cut Pro, and started working for paid editing and assistant editing jobs. One of my first real gigs was an overnight session making selects on a Radiohead live taping, which was so fun. Through the end of high school (and into my first years in college) I was a PA on sets. Many of the shoots aren’t that impressive but I loved being on set with the Cold War Kids, and did some dishes at the end of the shoot to help clean up.

I studied Film Production at Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media arts. I realized pretty quickly that I wanted to pursue cinematography. I loved being on set, I liked being in control of the camera, I love learning technical things, so I found that being a DP perfectly centered my responsibilities and interests on set. It was great having ASC members like Johnny E. Jensen as mentors through Chapman, as well as having some really established professors to learn from.

When I got my first Blackmagic camera (the original pocket camera) I needed to learn how to color correct images, which got me into color. I took a class with legendary colorist Walter Volpatto over interterm in college. I appreciated his insight on his approach to larger productions. The next year, the same class was offered again with Tashi Trieu (another legendary colorist) and my editing professor highly recommended I take it again to meet him. His approach is so technical and detailed, something I strive for in my work to this day. Tashi has remained a friend and incredible mentor to me to this day.

I interned at the color house Light Iron in Hollywood my junior year, which was rad. I found them because I loved the look of The Social Network, and wanted to intern where Fincher finished his movies. As much as I could, between tasks I’d try and sit in with colorist Corinne Bogdanowicz and pick her brain. I also got to sit in with colorist Ian Vertovec, who colored The Social Network, on the last day of my internship which was a highlight. My worst day was when I dropped an Orangina on my birthday in front of their brilliant CEO Michael Cioni, the bottle shattered and juice went everywhere.

I graduated in 2016 and have been a freelance cinematographer since. I’m constantly trying to keep up with technology, and own a lot of gear to help make small projects happen when there isn’t budget to rent.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think a big challenge as a working creative is trying to pick your projects. Right out of school I was filming a lot of corporate events, weddings, and other similar projects to pay the bills and purchase gear. I don’t regret this, it was necessary to get by and I got to do some fun things like travel all around the US and to Bali and France. On the other hand, I had to chase down payments and new gigs daily. I’ve gotten to be close with a lot of the crew I pull on to these odd jobs, and we’ve grown our careers together, getting to do more legitimate film productions and be on larger sets together.

The crew and friends I’ve made this way are like me- working all the time and are generally flexible on rate, but can’t afford to work for free. It can be really hard not to compare to others who can seemingly pick and choose passion projects and unpaid work as a fun thing to do for a few months. The less you have to worry about bills, the easier it is to reserve your energy for the projects that further your resume. I’ve had peers question and look down on my gig choices when I was just trying to get by, so I’m grateful to be at a point in my career where I’m doing more creative and narrative work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a cinematographer/director of photography! I really love shooting narrative, and shooting movies is and always will be the goal. I’ve yet to shoot a feature but I’m hoping that will happen in the next year or so. I’ve gotten to shoot a few really inspired and fulfilling shorts recently, so I’ve got my fingers crossed and hope that I can take that momentum into a feature film very soon.

I love shooting music videos and am hoping to film more soon. I love the whole process whether it be something more documentary/vérité or commercial. I feel that I’ve sort of gone through phases of my career where I’m working doing one type of project more than another for a while, and then another avenue opens up and I’m working on another type. For example, during the pandemic I was shooting a lot of commercials- some for TV, some for web, etc. I like that commercials are typically stylized and produced to the point where you have some prep time before the project and there are unique challenges that come with any brand you’re working with. Typically commercial shoots are only a day or a few so the variety can be fun.

Many of the projects I’m most proud of have been relatively small scale shoots. There’s something quite satisfying about pulling off something with next to nothing and everyone involved is bringing a lot to the table. It’d be a dream to shoot an indie or even tv show for a big studio or network but with a small crew.

Oh, and I love filming comedy sketches as well- it’s a good excuse to hang out with your friends and make something. I was an avid watcher of early YouTube and I think that shaped some of my taste for short-form projects. I think these types of projects are great to cut your teeth on and for building your circle/community.

I’m a cinematographer first and foremost, but I do a fair bit of freelance colorist work as well. It helps me to not wear myself out on set exclusively, allowing me to spend more time with my dog and rest in between set jobs. Since I have a background in both editing and cinematography, color work allows me to utilize those skills as well as pick the brain of other cinematographers about their process. I also love that I can usually listen to music while I color which is hugely inspiring and keeps me going. I’ve gotten to color features, many short films, music docs, ads, podcasts, and more. I typically color my own work too. It’s not always something I have the luxury of doing, and as I shoot bigger projects with more frequency I’ll likely have to pass the torch. That said, as an owner/operator it’s definitely nice to have the skill set, and get to really dial in the intent.

What were you like growing up?
I always had a passion for photography. My family would do a lot of car trips, and I always enjoyed taking photos while on the road or in new places. My dad almost always had a camcorder and photo camera with him when we went somewhere.

I started with film point & shoot cameras and my dad’s SLR. When I got a little digital point & shoot it really allowed me to experiment with photography and some basic video. I started making YouTube videos with my friends as a way to connect.

I played violin for a number of years growing up and while I don’t really play anymore it’s been helpful to know some basics of music when watching films. In middle school and high school I would street skate a lot. Learning skateboarding tricks was definitely a great lesson in perseverance. I would just hang out alone in front of my house trying to learn a new trick and failing over and over and over until I finally got it. Practicing a tolerance for failure and tedium has gone a long way for being on productions.

I believe a lot of my experiences when I was younger help me out in the creative process. Knowing a little bit about different things like music, or people or places. It informs how I approach things in my work. Even if it’s just knowing enough to know who and when to ask for help.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stevenwetrich.com
• Instagram: stevenwetrich
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4741241/

Image Credits
BTS photography by Emily Cullum & Meriem Sakrouhi