Alum
Ed Wu
Cinematographer
Ed Wu, BA'11, cinematographer
“I took my first cinematography class here at IU, which then led me to become a cinematographer. I got my fundamentals here. Without it, I don't think I would have been able to get to where I am now.
IU gave me a lot of opportunities, in terms of connections to people. I got my first gig work here because of the professors. The professors recommended me to an independent producer in Indianapolis, and then they got me on set. And then by being on set, I got a bunch of hands-on experience to do tasks in the camera and the lighting department, which is basically where I work now.
Put yourself in a situation where you are taking as many opportunities as you can. Reach out to as many people in LA, New York, Chicago, or wherever you’re moving, and just ask for a general meeting. Make that connection so that person likes you for you. They'll try to help you. Everyone there is trying to help; no one's out there to hurt you by any means. If they say no, that's okay too.
Sometimes you're going to take a job because it's super creatively fulfilling. Sometimes you get to take a job because you like the people working on it, or the opportunity to work on future projects with these people is greater than the script. So my agent tells me there's like five things to basically look into when looking into a project to help you decide if you want to do it: Are the people who you want to work with again? Who are the people attached? Director, writers, producers, etc. What’s it called? What’s the budget? How’s the script creatively?
You want to be creatively fulfilled. It's a bunch of factors on whether it will help you move and progress along on your career.”
Written By Kayla Pallotto
Photos By Giselle Marsteller