Shooting a low/no-budget film (Cinematography)

Back when I first got into camerawork and cinematography, I made one of the greatest mistakes that many beginners make; I went overboard in overthinking and over emphasizing areas that I had no idea what I was talking about. I went out and searched for the person with the most expensive camera with the most expensive lenses and thought to myself, “this person has a good camera, he should know what he is doing. right?” I overcomplicated lighting and camerawork, rather than trying to understand the fundamental language of cinematography.

Most beginning filmmakers tend to make the mistake that their first film will be a masterpiece, something that will shock the world. The reality is that, like any other form of art, it takes a lot of practice and constant exposure to good art. Also, unlike most forms of art, film can be one of the most expensive forms of…