Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Oaks.
Hi Tyler, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Growing up, I was always fascinated by movies and TV. Starting around 12 years old, I started going to a used bookstore that had a massive inventory of new and used movies and I started collecting. When I was about 16, I brought home a bunch of movies and my dad said to me, “If you like movies so much, why don’t you make them?”. After that, I started reaching out to industry professionals that either my dad knew or my friends knew. I got plugged in with the film program at Lipscomb, specifically Dave DeBorde. After that, I got a camera when I was 18 and just started shooting anything and everything I could. It didn’t take long for me to discover my passion for cinematography. I began an internship at GearSeven in production and camera and that is where I got my jumpstart into my professional career. Through GearSeven, I met countless incredible people, such as Chris Adams, Nyk Allen, Josh Boyd, Diego Cacho, and Josh McGowan, who helped me get me on my feet and teach me everything I know, continually introducing me to more and more people in the Nashville film community. Currently, I am a full-time freelance Cinematographer and a Board Member of the Nashville Filmmakers Guild. I have shot two feature films as 1st Unit B-Cam and 2nd Unit Cinematographer, countless music videos and commercials, and have traveled to 5 continents for commercial and documentary work, most recently the Ecuadorian Amazon. I am beyond excited to see what projects I will have the opportunity to be a part of this year and where they will take me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey to becoming a full-time freelancer has almost been a fever dream. Over the course of the last 5 or so years, I have met and worked with so many people who helped me get where I am. It is hard to define the massive or landmark moments that propelled me forward. So much of this industry is who you know. I had to sacrifice a huge part of my college social life for film. I was always on set or trying to get on set, missing classes (more like skipping classes), and chasing any opportunity that I could get. It really limited my social life and at 18-21, that can be really hard on someone and it was on me. You are constantly doubting yourself, worrying people have forgotten you and your work, wondering why it seems like everyone is working, sharing it on Instagram, while you are at home wondering what you did wrong. Not to mention the worry of paying bills and making enough money to sustain yourself. I met my wife studying abroad in college in the midst of all of this and I have been so blessed that she has stuck with me through it all. Especially now that I am a full-time freelancer, you are at the mercy of the jobs most of the time. Anniversaries, special occasions, weekend trips, everything is at the mercy of those big jobs and that’s hard, especially on my wife. I have the greatest job in the world, but it has come with so many sacrifices and continues to demand a lot of my life and my time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Living in Nashville, I primarily work on music videos and commercials. I thoroughly enjoy both, but constantly shooting music videos can get old, and it forces you to always keep inventing new looks, pushing the creative frontier, and making sure none of your work becomes stale or repetitive. Almost all DPs in Nashville do music video and commercial work, so what I would say I specialize in and what sets me apart is my feature film work and my international documentary/commercial work. Last February, I was the 1st Unit B-Cam and 2nd Unit Cinematographer on a film called “The Desperate Riders” starring Trace Adkins, Drew Waters, and Tom Berenger. It was my first feature I got to work on and was an incredible learning experience. Because of it, I had a lot more producers and directors reach out to me about the process and my work due to the fact that there just aren’t a lot of features being shot in TN, so having a few under my belt has really helped me get larger jobs here in town. I am proud of a lot 0f my work, but what I am most proud of is where I am at for my age. Being 23, a full-time Cinematographer, shooting films, and traveling the world for work is such a rare opportunity and I am so thankful and blessed to be where I am. I am also so thankful for everyone who has helped get me here and supported me through it all because I would never be where I am without them.
What do you think about luck?
This industry is who you are and when you know them. Coffees, sets, film festivals, it’s all so important because you have to continue to meet people in order to expand your reach. I have met directors at the perfect time who had scripts, needed a DP, and we met the day they needed one. Other times I have been weeks, days, or even hours too late and someone had just filled a need or relationship they were searching for. You get so lucky and unlucky with timing sometimes. My advice to ANYONE in film, whether they are just starting out or feel like they might be stalling, is to always reach out to meet new people and to always just at least show up because you never know what can happen when you show up to something. You might just meet the person who has a project that will change your life and career. It absolutely has for me.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: tyleroaks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyleroaks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.oaks.1
Photo by Peyton Dollar
