Meet Alex Weisman | Director of Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Weisman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
It’s tough to narrow it down to just one. The values that are most important to me today—personally and professionally–are
the ones I mostly absorbed growing up. My dad was a third-
generation business owner and my mother always worked full-
time—they instilled the importance and joy of working hard.
Growing up with a close-in-age brother taught me how to both
compete and compromise. Our family always encouraged
being independent as well as making the best of who you are
and what you’re good at. I learned a lot by example….. you
don’t have to be perfect to succeed in life, just tenacious and
motivated (this mindset has really stuck with me). Honesty,
integrity, and empathy are key: be a good person ….be friendly
and respectful…don’t judge a book by its cover are all thing I
learned growing up__Those kind of “golden rule” lessons.
I like to think the most important factors in the success of C4
PIctures are 1. my ability to consistently practice these values
and principles and 2. the quality of the brand—in that order.
Collaborative relationships come first: you have to be a good
person and be able to work together with a client. Always being
open to and able to change when it’s necessary. Adapting to a
changing environment is huge. Being able to adapt to clients’
needs is important. It’s not my way or the highway. I think I
have gotten this far because I am able to work with most
people through patience and tolerance—which is not always
easy and which I don’t do perfectly all the time.
Then there is the quality of the product, which, by the way, you
really can’t separate from the intangibles. I take pride in the
quality of my work, my skills and the skills of my crew. We
strive for premium content. I want my clients to watch
something I have shot and say wow that looks really good.

I really believe that staying true to your values and principles is
the number one requirement–not only for creating and
operating a successful business, but for living a good healthy
life. Of course I need to provide great results for clients; that’s
the bare minimum. If you don’t have integrity, empathy, respect,
and accountability, what you know means little. Owning up to
mistakes is important. That’s the only way you learn. You have
the provide the whole package and I try to do that on every job,
with every client and every crew. It doesn’t matter where you
came from, and it doesn’t even matter if you know a lot. I like
hiring people who are willing to work hard with a good attitude.
If you can’t hang on set and be likeable, your specific job skills
mean nothing. (Incidentally—and this may sound old-school–I
always try to have women on my set. There aren’t enough sets
with women.)
Be ethical. Be honest. Be loyal…loyalty is what makes a strong
unit effective. If you want a well-oiled machine, all the players
need to be loyal to each other. Also be fair–always give people
a chance. Lastly, wipe the ego. More often than not, it’s better
to surround yourself with people who might be able to get
something done faster or better than you. The people on your
team will make YOU look better if you surround yourself with
the best.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My first job ever I was a PA on show for MTV called I’m from Rolling Stone. It was a great show but didn’t get a second season. On that show I met some great people that I still work with today. That was in 2005. I quickly realized I wanted to do camera. On every PA job I got I always followed around the camera department and asked as many questions as I possibly could. I was a human sponge. That kind of mentality got me my first camera assistant jobs. I worked as an AC for a while on some of the biggest shows on tv one of which was The Celebrity Apprentice. I learned a ton as an AC. Hard work and a good attitude and knowing a lot about the camera got me a lot of jobs. When I started to operate camera is when I really started to love it. This was when I could actually create art. I started to DP a few years later and that is where I stand to this day.

This was not an easy journey though. I want to talk about Risk. It’s all about taking risks. Risk is how you grow in this business or any business really. It’s a learned evidence-based concept and through my own experience, I’ve found thoughtful risk taking pays off. Moving to New York City after graduating college was my first big risk. I had just enough money to pay rent every month and that was it when I first started. A lot of people ask me how I got started in this business and they say they dont have enough money to move to the big city. I say you just have to do it. That is what I did. And it has worked. The only way to make it is to put yourself out there with whatever resources you do have. Odds are it will come if you stick with it, stay connected, and love what you’re doing. Moving to LA was another risk that I took on my journey to where I am now. Taking lower paid jobs to build relationships, then charging more once I proved I could do it. This business is hard but I have found that most times, the results are amazing. Just do it. Suit up and show up.
After a while of freelancing I started my own company C4 Pictures. C4 Pictures was started because I wanted to provide full service production to my quickly expanding client base.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am an avid hiker, climber and outdoor enthusiast so the best times ever for me mostly revolve around that. If I were to show my friend the best week ever in LA i would go straight to Malibu and hang out and Point Dune Beach. Point Dune is one of my favorite beaches in LA. There is a rock there that you can top rope climb so I would offer up some extra climbing gear and get a good fun climb in. After the beach we’ll stop at Uncle AF’s and get one of the best paninis I’ve ever had. The Getty Museum has to be in our itinerary as well. The Getty is an amazing place with beautiful artwork and a magical garden. The Hollywood is by far my favorite venue of all time. It’s tucked away in the foothills of Hollywood Bowl. I would absolutely take my friend to a show there. I would take a day to explore the hiking near my house in Chatsworth. One of my favorite places to hike is Stony Point. The rocks at Stony Point are like non other. They look like Dr. Suess land.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been lucky enough to have had some really great mentors throughout my career. One that sticks out the most is Michael Slovis DP of Breaking Bad. I worked as his camera pa on show called Rubicon for AMC. Michael taught me patience and kindness. Those are two very important traits you need to carry if you’re going to manage a crew on set. Everything else comes after and Michael was a great example of that. I also want to shoutout my beautiful wife Shelly. She has been there with me and for me along this journey. A lot of the time in this business you have to sacrifice family in order to get the jobs done and my wife had been so understanding throughout the way. Lastly, I would like to shoutout my best friend Adam Siegel. We grew up together making movies on VHS and we work together to this day.

Website: www.c4pictures.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c4_pictures_llc/

Image Credits
Spencer Schwab Brian Kniffel Adam Siegel