Industry Spotlight: Cinematographer and Thought Leader Across Film, Tech, & Education

"Industry Spotlight" is our newsletter series where we interview professionals from across the entertainment industry about their current jobs and career trajectories. Our hope is that you will learn more about the positions you're already interested in, discover new roles you may not have considered, and utilize the wisdom of those who've paved the way before you to forge your own path for success. 

We sat down with Tal Lazar, the founder of Cinematic Impact. Tal is a cinematographer, film professor, and thought leader -- or as he's dubbed it, a "Vision Director." He's an expert in how to tap into your skills as a storyteller and filmmaker to grow and evolve your career. Many of our clients are exploring how to leverage their creativity in new ways as the industry changes, and we're thrilled to share Tal's insight into how he built a flexible, sustainable, and diverse career. Plus, because of his experience as a film professor, he shared some great tips for entry-level candidates looking to break in and futureproof their careers. Without further ado, Tal.

HOLLYWOOD RESUMES: Tell us about your background and all the various work you do.

TAL LAZAR: My journey started in Israel, where at a young age I taught myself how to program software and connected to the internet before it was widely used. I built some of the earliest websites and, following my military service, continued what would have been a promising career in tech, if I hadn't gotten the film bug. I abandoned tech and studied for my BFA in film at Tel Aviv University. After several years working as a videographer for TV networks in Israel, I moved to Los Angeles to study cinematography at the American Film Institute. I continued working as a cinematographer until the pandemic, making movies in the USA, Israel, and Vietnam. At the same time, a parallel teaching career developed, initially for AFI where I've taught for 7 years, and then later for Columbia University where I taught for about 8 years, as well as other institutions such as the City College of New York, Berklee College of Music, and Sundance Institute Collab. Over the years, I went back to tech by founding an EdTech startup in Israel and two media companies in the USA. Nowadays, I bring all this experience—the tech, storytelling, and education—together under one roof. I work with founders and executives the same way I worked with movie directors, and help them the same way I did as an educator. Like directors, they have a vision, and I help them tap into that and express it over any medium they desire.

HR: Tell us about your career as a cinematographer. How did you get your start, and what were some of the most impactful projects you've worked on?

TL: I didn't want to become a filmmaker at all. In Israel, film students tend to be very artsy, and when I attended open days at the university I just didn't get them. But somehow I still found myself studying film, and quickly gravitated to the technical side of cinematography. I became the go to person as an assistant who is in charge of the film cameras, even for students in years above me, and ended up filming many of the student films in my year. That's how I started with cinematography, and every project I worked on made its mark on me. I think it's because it was always important to me to connect with the movies I work on, on an emotional level. It's hard to pick one, even though when I look at the earlier films, I want to disappear, but I do love all of the films I worked on and the filmmakers I had the privilege of collaborating with.

HR: How have you navigated multiple career transitions over the course of your career trajectory?

TL: I think that the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was the notion that my career and my identity are almost the same. I think that this is common for creative professionals. Even though getting work early on was difficult, it was easy to answer the question "What do you do?" and I never had a doubt as to what I need professionally. This clarity was comfortable, but also caused any deviation from it to feel like a failure, as if I am failing if I can't materialize the thing I've worked towards for most of my adult life. When I started teaching, however, I suddenly realized that I get so much satisfaction from helping people materialize their visions and aspirations. That's what cinematographers do too, but teaching is not cinematography. That's when I started realizing that "what I do" may be in between professions that are so easily defined, and I started looking more closely at what I actually enjoy doing and what I'm good at. That journey got me to open a production company, direct a feature, sell movies as a sales agent at AFM...it was a winding journey. But I did manage to identify what I enjoy doing and what I'm really good at, and turned it into something entirely new. I call it "Vision Director" since it's all about applying a vision and turning it into a reality. It doesn't matter if it's a movie vision, a startup vision, or a forgotten vision in a corporation looking for an identity. 

HR: What are the key skills someone needs to succeed as a cinematographer?

TL: People often mistake cinematography for a technical skill. But there's some great technicians who are not such great visual storytellers. There's a technical aspect to cinematography, but it's not the aspect that makes a cinematographer great or even successful. That other part is half collaboration skills and half creative thinking. You can be the most creative person in the world, but if people hate working with you, it will be difficult to succeed. On the flip side, there are some cinematographers who are maybe not the most creative, but they make the movies better and support everyone around them. They never stop working. So first I'd work on collaboration, listening, being present, understanding the fields of the people you work with and what they need, and so on. Creative thinking is all about being open and tapping into the opportunities that are either in front of you in a location, or that are in the script, or presented by a director. It's impossible to teach, but it is possible to learn. The route there begins, ironically, with letting go of the technical side altogether since it brings with it all sorts of restrictions. Move in a space, sit on the floor, or climb a ladder, ask to go across the street and see the location from the window of the next door neighbour... just look. With time, you'll also find your taste and preferences.

HR: How has the job of cinematographer changed since you got your start?

TL: I think it's very common for people to feel that the profession they worked so hard to get into changed beyond recognition by the time they started working professionally. I looked in awe at cinematographers shooting film, and as a loader handled hundreds of thousands of feet of film, dreaming about the day I'd get to shoot on it myself. By the time I was on set, it was all digital video. I still got to shoot a movie on film, but now it's reserved for higher-end productions or specific circumstances. In theory, the format of the camera should not make a difference on the job. If anything, it should be better -- instead of worrying about the cost of film negative, we use reusable cards and drives that can contain many hours instead of minutes. But in reality, the mentality of on-set work changed entirely. High resolution monitors are mistaken for the end result, when in fact it's an intermediate presentation of the footage. Filmmakers find it harder to commit on set and leave more room for post production, even in indie films where resources are tight. When I shot that one movie on film, I had people come up to me at the end of the day to talk about why it feels different on set, more deliberate. I wish we could bring that back, there's really no reason we shouldn't be able to do it.

HR: What are some of the ways cinematographers and other visual artists can develop their skillsets to futureproof their careers?

TL: Cinematography is not a technical skill at its core. You see cinematographers in animated films, too, for example. In my Sundance course I show students an image by impressionist painter Berthe Morrisot titled, "The Reading." Two women are sitting on a couch, in a "wide shot." A mother is reading, her daughter gazing ahead. I ask the class who the main character is, and 9 out of 10 people point to the daughter. Not a trivial thing to get almost the entire audience to agree on one effect in such a decisive way, especially in a wide shot with two people side by side. After we talk about how that is achieved, I show another image which shows a very similar setting, but this one I created with AI. Same effect, almost everyone points to the same main character. Would AI know how to create this effect without special instructions? Of course not. Those instructions, the language I used, that's cinematography. Learn that, and as long as images are displayed on two dimensional frames, you'll have a place.

HR: Tell us about your experience as an educator. What surprised you about teaching?

TL: As an Israeli, I was terrified to stand in front of people and lecture. The language barrier and the fear of not understanding what people asked inhibited me from fully opening up and being present as an educator initially. But later, I realized that I want to be very different from most of the educators I've always had, who come in to explain to you how something is done or tell you about something. I started seeing myself more like a guide on a journey, making discoveries together with my students. And I kept making discoveries, even in material I'd covered endless times. For example, exposure is considered a basic technique in photography and cinematography, how to get the image brightness right on film or digital. But then you have photographers like Ansel Adams, or cinematographers like Gordon Willis, ASC (who shot The Godfather, among many other great films), who used exposure in such creative ways that it's obvious there's so much more to learn. That's what surprised me, but it was an important lesson: as long as I kept learning, I was able to teach well too.

HR: What advice do you have for entertainment professionals who want to break into teaching?

TL: Universities and colleges are having a little moment now, much like the entertainment industry is, so it's important to understand it takes time to get into teaching. The way to begin is to arrive as a guest lecturer to someone else's class, meet students, and see a college from the other side. Once you've done that and they know you, the path is clearer for some part-time gigs in higher education. It takes persistence and hopefully doing it while you are working on many other things. When the time comes, every film educator gets to a point of decision: Do I commit to a semester class that may restrict my ability to take jobs? If you want to teach, the answer has to be yes, but you can replace yourself within reason. You just can't take a job and then disappear for half of the semester. So I suggest starting slowly to develop some experience in the classroom, as well as connections, and to think about that moment when it comes - what would you do?

HR: As an educator, what tips do you have for film students to grow/plan their careers while they are in school?

TL: I have a book coming out titled Cinematography Beyond Technique, and for the book I conducted research about film schools in the USA. There are over 500 film programs in the USA. If each program has, say 15 students on average, that's 7,500 students annually graduating. Where is everyone? Clearly not everyone becomes a filmmaker. So for film students I'd say: If you want to do this professionally, treat yourself like a startup company and have a 5 year plan for after you graduate. The biggest factor is money, and it will take time to earn enough for a living just from making films. I suggest looking at one of the support positions initially, if it is work as an assistant or even a technician at a rental house, positions that are close enough to your goal where you can find opportunities to move forward. But strategic thinking is the most important factor, and differentiating yourself from the many other aspiring filmmakers is key. Not in an artificial way, making noise to be different, but in an authentic way, since there is only one "you." Tap into that and get your own unique way of looking at the world out as fast as you can. It's an introspective journey more than it is an external one, and hopefully you have educators who can help you do that.

HR: Much of the work you do now focuses on sharing the tools of visual storytelling with tech leaders and entrepreneurs. What are some of the ways you think creatives can leverage their skills outside the traditional film and TV industries?

TL: Storytelling is a foundational skill in business, and it is taught at business school, but not at the level that even beginner filmmakers are able to do. This is more than just video or visual storytelling, it connects with any way that a message needs to be delivered: pitching, interviews, customer testimonials, sales, and more. If you're able to look at any of these tasks from the perspective of a movie director (who also needs to pitch and sell), then you have an advantage. Now it's all about selling yourself. I suggest reaching out to your friends who are business leaders and asking them about their difficulties in expressing themselves in different areas (internally and externally to the company). See if you can help. Try to apply the storytelling techniques you know to turn a dry, data-driven message into something people remember and feel. At the end of the day, it's the same challenge as turning a plot driven scene which might be interesting for a bit but doesn't have heart, to a story driven moment where people are captivated because they can feel it. 

HR: Given your work with startups, do you have any advice for how entertainment professionals and creatives can position themselves to break into the tech space?

TL: Film creatives can absolutely tap into their storytelling skills and work with marketing professionals or executives in any type of business. Start by looking at the most successful ads, social media posts, podcasts...can you explain the appeal, and use words from movies as if you're comparing a successful movie to one that flopped? Start making the case, online or directly to the people you want to pitch if you have that connection. Explain it the way only you can, and at some point you may get the opportunity to participate in the process. But the important thing is to start by giving value. Like this interview you're reading now -- hopefully it gives you value without asking for anything in return. Give people value, don't hold back, and they will come for more.

HR: Tell us about the workshops you have available. What can attendees expect, and where can they find more information?

TL: My workshops are not typical storytelling workshops. I say that business leaders shouldn't be storytellers, they should be vision-tellers. I try to make terms like "vision" very concrete, like I do with story for filmmakers. So you exit the workshop with actual methods to apply and a new way to look at anything that you put out into the world. This is relevant for filmmakers too, who ultimately need to sell themselves as the product and run a company of one (and on set, a company of many). I bring all the advanced filmmaking techniques into business, like narrative perspective and the separation between story and plot. It's enjoyable and hopefully eye opening. My website is cinematicimpact.com where there's an event page, and you can always just register on the website, or follow me on instagram (@talazar) or LinkedIn and be informed when a new workshop is announced. But most of my workshops are within closed networks, so if you have a group of people or any type of community, just reach out through my website or on LinkedIn. I also love to hop on calls with people to learn about what they do and whether I can help in any way, so I always invite people to reach out directly.

Thanks, Tal! If you want to see him in action, check out this short talk where he outlines Cinematic Impact.