Life & Work with Austin Tremblay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Tremblay.

Hi Austin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a 23-year-old from just north of Toronto, Canada and you are probably guessing that I grew up playing hockey. Yes, I did. I have three older brothers who have occupations completely opposite to mine and really nobody in my family had an interest in the arts like I do.

In high school, I became obsessed with the way movies looked and how you could portray different emotions with lighting and a camera. I would figure out a few years later that was called Cinematography. I didn’t think much about it at the time however, and I attended College in Toronto for Computer Science right out of high school. I quickly dropped out after a few semesters as I realized it was not for me. I was lost for a year or so bouncing around jobs even though my passion was sitting right in front of me this whole time. It then hit me and I decided to dive head-first into the filmmaking world and learn as much as possible.

I attended Toronto Film School in 2019 for film production and this is where I honed in the basics of the film industry and roles. I completely loved it and wanted to do as much as possible. I gravitated towards Cinematography naturally, as I loved creating the look of the image that we see on screen, as I stated before.

I loved it so much that I made the decision to drop everything, including my job in Canada, and move to Hollywood to pursue my passion. I then attended New York Film Academy in January 2023, and I majored in Cinematography.

Here I am now, thriving, loving it more than anything I’ve ever done, and I truly have found my passion and what I believe I am here on earth to do.

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?
Truthfully, there were obstacles. I was lost for a couple of years between 2017 and 2019, and I didn’t know what path I was really heading down. I always loved the industry but for some reason, I didn’t think it was a viable option. I thought I was most likely to late to begin a new venture. Obviously, I was wrong and I am so grateful that I changed everything I was doing and took this leap.

Dropping everything I had done in Canada to move to LA was also something I thought would be easy and wasn’t. It meant leaving all the progress with my old career behind and starting fresh which is scary. Leaving family, friends, and old relationships was also not as easy as I thought it would be. I spent my whole life since birth with some of my best friends back at home and saying goodbye to them was difficult to say the least.

However, I believe in life you have to make decisions for yourself and to better yourself. I just didn’t see myself living out the rest of my life in the small town I grew up in north of Toronto.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Cinematographer or DP, as most call it. The head of the camera and lighting departments on set. I specialize in lighting. It is my all-time favorite aspect of a motion picture. I also work as a Gaffer whenever possible. I love to study light and the way it bounces off surfaces and falls onto objects and people. It’s like painting a digital canvas. I find myself watching a lot of videos on YouTube of new lights that are coming out or how certain cinematographers light scenes. I tend to go to camera rental houses and play with different lenses whether new or re-housed classics. I think it just never ends. My head always seems to relate to all things cinematography.

I think what I’m most proud of is my recent projects and I think that will always be the case. I have found you learn more and more every time you on set. Then you take a look back at certain work and reflect on how you would do it differently now. So, ya I think that answer always changes for me.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Firstly, I had some the nicest and best professors during my time at the New York Film Academy and I can’t thank them enough. They let me in on so many great techniques and secrets of the industry that I will forever hold onto. New York Film Academy really helped crack the doors in terms of creativity for me.

Since then, I’ve been learning so much from the Team Deakins podcast. Hearing Roger Deakins talk about his time on sets and how he accomplished some scenes has completely blown the doors wide open for my creativity.

Both combined have completely opened my mind to what’s possible in motion pictures and the things you can achieve using it.

Another mentor of mine and who has helped me tremendously is a Canadian Cinematographer by the name of Yuri Yakubiw (DP of the Murdoch Mysteries TV show). I had the chance to meet and shadow him on a project in Canada in 2022. He is the person responsible for directing me down the path of cinematography. Since then, he has always reached out to me and asked me how my adventures in LA are going. He always offers a helping hand when it comes to any questions I have regarding Cinematography, and I am forever grateful for what he has done for me and in the industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.austintremblaycinema.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_tremblay_/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15277877/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_austin%2520tremblay

Image Credits
Sharath Yerra Emily Roberts