Today we’d like to introduce you to Schuyler Yäger.
Hi Schuyler, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, cameras had always grabbed my attention and even to this day, I still can’t pinpoint what it is that attracts me to them. One of the first memories I can remember that involves cameras was stealing my dad’s VHS camcorder. I can’t quite remember what it is I filmed but I DO remember getting chewed out by my dad for taping over some important family videos. Sorry, Dad! Even though tears were shed and wedding footage was erased all in all I ended up getting a small rinky-dink digital camcorder from that whole ordeal to prevent any future mishaps so, that’s a win in my book. This is where my passion for cameras and filmmaking began.
Fast forward to high school I’m starting a film club with one of my best friends Luke; spending all of our time making short films and trying to keep up with what’s new in this nonstop industry. Besides the film club, there were media classes and student broadcasting classes, and by the end of my Junior year, Luke and I were teaching classes.
The next thing I knew, it was time to go to college and I already knew I wanted to study film so I could solidify my camera skills. I attended San Francisco State University and while I learned a lot, what I gained from going to SFSU was all of the connections I made with the other students. I met so many wonderful and talented creatives at that school, many of which I get to call close friends.
After school, I did what every young creative does and moved to LA.
And that brings us to today. Now I get the pleasure to work with so many talented people, creating amazing things for a living!
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?
I don’t think there is a person on earth who has a smooth road while pursuing their passions.
Even though I’m extremely blessed to have such a supportive circle around me, I still struggle every day to push myself to pursue my goals and dreams. Out of all the roadblocks I’ve faced, my mental fortitude is something I’ve struggled with and still struggle with the most. There’s always gonna be a voice that says “no you can’t,” that you’ll have to fight and there are times when that voice wins but at the end of the day, I would be kicking myself if I didn’t try.
I’m glad as a society, we are opening up to the conversation about mental health but I still think there are lots of conversations to be had about the mental health of creatives and the impact this environment has on the mind, especially with self-worth and self-image.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a cinematographer! I specialize in short-form narrative content but my interest knows no bounds and I’m excited to bring ideas to the screen no matter what form of content it may be.
In my sophomore year of college, I shot a short film called “White Castles” which I would have to say is one of my proudest works. While it did well in its festival run and earned me a couple of awards, what makes me proud of this piece was how much I learned as a Cinematographer from shooting it. It shaped how I view and shoot films today.
I think what sets me apart from others is my versatility and collaborative ability. Towards the end of last year, I shot a micro-budget feature film during the midst of a pandemic. With such a limited time, budget, and crew creating a feature should have been impossible but because of the crew’s ability to collaborate fluidly, we were able to get it done.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe that taking risks is what propels us to a better future.
That being said one must take calculated risks to ensure that failure if it happens, won’t be catastrophic.
Pursuing cinematography was a big risk for me and I believe any career in this industry is a risk. There is no stability in the film industry so you really have to be proactive about finding work in order to survive. I transitioned from a full-time job to freelance at the beginning of this year so any source of stable income was no longer a thing but as I mentioned before it’s all about taking calculated risks. I had saved up enough from my full-time job to fall back on in case I wasn’t able to produce enough with my freelance cinematography.
Currently, I’m taking another major risk by starting a VFX house, SNEDFX, with my best friend. While starting a business isn’t my specialty I saw this opportunity and ran with it because like I said before, I believe taking risks is what propels us to a better future.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s_yager/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/717708413
