Los Angeles, CA Cinematographer

Like so many in the film industry, Oliver Fitzgerald worked his way up from below-the-line crew member to the cinematographer for several TV shows, documentaries, and short films. He started piling up the credits as a second assistant camera, assistant camera, gaffer, electrician, best boy, lighting technician, and camera operator.

He also produced shorts, feature-length films, and directed documentary shorts on his way to becoming a cinematographer. In that role, his work can be seen (literally!) on several TV shows, including Showtime’s Inside Comedy, USA’s 13 Reasons Why, Year of the Quarterback: Elite 11 for ESPN, and Sweet Home Alabama for CMT.

As the Owner of Schema Media since 2002, Fitzgerald has worked with “legacy brands, athletes, celebrities, and institutional clients” for over 15 years. Nike, Levi’s, Microsoft, Intel, and The North Face are just a few of the recognizable names Schema Media has worked with.

As such, Fitzgerald has learned to capture different moods, different places, and different moments in time – from the silver screen to the mobile screen, working the talent in front of the camera and behind the brands whose vision he brings to life.

He brings a wealth of experience to Film Connection, both in how to get jobs as well as running a business in a hyper-competitive market. It’s the kind of connection just not available in most traditional educational settings which makes him a perfect mentor for us.

Oliver Fitzgerald Film Connection Mentor

For Fitzgerald, the teacher-student relationship at most 4-year universities is not a two-way street. The teacher is in charge, and the student is meant to absorb the information – there is no real interaction. With Film Connection programs, the curriculum is based on the give and take between the mentor and the extern. Film Connection offers an elevated cinematography and film production school experience that is different from those 4-year universities.

That’s why Oliver Fitzgerald was happy to join us at the Film Connection. He believes the collaboration is more in tune with how the filmmaking business actually operates. The cinematographer works with the director, the lighting crew, the grip department, and so on, in order to create the perfect scene and get the perfect shot. Whether you’re interested in getting into production on a TV show, working on documentaries, short films, or feature films, you can get a real-world education via hands-on training and actual conversation, not lectures, with our mentor-guided approach to film education.