Episode 30: Flow State with Olamide Shoyinka

The art and skill of recording moving images on film or digital media is known as cinematography. It refers to the artistic decisions and technical abilities used by a cinematographer or director of photography (DP) to visually improve the storyline in a film or video production. Framing, composition, lighting, camera movement, lens selection, and color grading are all aspects of cinematography. It is a multifaceted skill that combines artistic vision, technical expertise, and knowledge of visual storytelling principles. The goal of cinematography is to produce visually captivating and immersive experiences for the audience, generating emotions, setting moods, and improving the story.

Olamide Shoyinka, a freelance cinematographer whose work focuses on humanity, joins me in this episode. He believes in generating pictures that may elicit empathy and compassion from the audience, regardless of race, culture, or beliefs. Join us as we uncover Olamide's fascinating journey and learn how he experienced living in Ireland, how kickboxing shaped his fluidity in filmmaking, how he balances the technical aspects of filmmaking and cinematography, the roles that personal experiences play in cinematography, and how he overcomes cinematography challenges. Olamide also discusses the most important thing to remember on set while filming, his flow state of creation as an artist, appreciating the entire film in general, getting everyone on board with a common goal, and giving advice to young cinematographers. Tune in to find out more about this and other interesting topics!

Timestamps

[01:50] Olamide’s Experience of Living in Ireland

[03:49] How kickboxing shaped Olamide’s fluidity in filmmaking

[04:52] How Olamide balances the technical aspect of filmmaking and cinematography

[07:08] Roles that personal experiences play in cinematography

[08:09] How Olamide Overcomes the challenges of Cinematography

[11:47] The most important thing on set during filmmaking

[13:43] How Olamide deals with other crews as a head of a department

[15:46] How Olamide gets inspired to bring new ideas

[20:36] Olamide’s flow state of creation as an artist

[23:26] Appreciating the whole film in general

[25:55] Getting everyone on board with a common goal

[29:43] Advice to young cinematographers

Notable Quotes:

“Prepare as much as you can, and then when the shoot happens, let the creativity take over.”

“Cinematography is not like working in an office, it’s who you are and the work you do.”

“Being nice, kind, and understanding has nothing to do with your skill as a cinematographer, but it’s going to be the one thing that advances your career more than any image that you can chew.”

“Don’t strive to be perfect, you should strive to be right.”

“Always remember where you were and see how far you’ve come.”

Connect with Olamide Shoyinka:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/olamide-shoyinka-728875119

Website: https://www.olamideshoyinka.com/