🎥 A College Cinematographer's Untraditional Path

Miles Somerville took what he learned shooting music videos and short films in school and used it on TikTok. 6-months later, Miles landed his dream job.

November 28, 2022

Miles Somerville is not a typical film school student.

His dream, for as long as he can remember, has been to make the best-looking technology and car videos on the internet.

Through his four years at DePaul, Miles focused on mastering every facet of solo filmmaking:

  • ✍🏾 Writing

  • 🖥️ Editing

  • 🗣️ On-Camera Presence

  • 🤖 The YouTube Algorithm

His main focus has always been cinematography, though.

Miles recently got his dream job as a cinematographer for Marques Brownlee, the world’s biggest video technology outlet.

Here’s how he did it, and the sample movie he made that catalyzed his success in automotive filmmaking.

The Class Project That Started It All

RT: 2:21

✅ Solitude is being screened in film classrooms across the United States.

“Solitude” was a cinematography demo reel showcasing the thrill and joy of riding a nice car.

  • Miles made this demo reel for a documentary cinematography class at DePaul

  • His professor recommended he send it to car websites and auto body shops to get a job shooting their social media video

  • Thanks to “Solitude”, Miles was able to land a job at a high-end auto body shop, where he shot content and drove high-end cars to grow his expertise of both cameras and cars

After over a year of cutting his teeth at another business, Miles started a TikTok to talk about cars, which caught the attention of Marques.

Why Not Hollywood?

While most of his classmates wanted to go to Los Angeles, Miles was focusing on the internet. When asked why, he gave some great insights.

I think the “video journalism” world, where I make mini-docs and reviews about the stuff I’m passionate about, was always more for me than traditional filmmaking.

I always wanted 3 things:

1. A stable paycheck

2. Creative autonomy

3. Flexibility over where and when I work

It was easier for me to get those on YouTube than in my experiences with traditional.

When asked if he thought film school was valuable for his career, he said

Absolutely. I learned how to work in big teams, which will be super useful when I start with Marques.

I shot short films, music videos, traditional commercials, and way more. You can tell I went to film school when you watch my videos. They're not soulless reviews. I discovered my style.

👋🏼 Editor's Note

As of writing this, there are about 200 of you consistently reading. Thank you for your love and support. We've heard terrific stories about Deniz having his work screened at conservatories or Veronica's talents empowering high schoolers.

If you like what we're doing, forward this email to a teacher or student who may like it.

We'll see you next week.