Meet Isaac Mead-Long: Cinematographer and Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isaac Mead-Long and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Probably the most important lesson that working as a freelance cinematographer and director has taught me is to always take chances. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called for jobs that I thought I was considerably under-qualified for and I’ve almost passed up those jobs. I’ve learned that by always taking these jobs and pushing myself out of my comfort zone I’ve only progressed in my career and earned even bigger job opportunities. The toughest part in the beginning was just the anxiety of feeling like I didn’t know everything I needed to perform on set to the level I needed to. But right in the beginning I decided that I would say yes to as many jobs as I could, as long as they were right for me, and I can’t tell you how well that has worked for my career and my overall confidence as a DP and director.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The best thing that I could share about myself and my career is how I’ve really tried to stay a multifaceted filmmaker. Early on in my career I always found directing, cinematography and editing incredibly interesting. I knew I could easily focus on one or the other and just do that for the rest of my life. But instead I really wanted to focus on being a great, well-rounded filmmaker that comes to every project with editing, directing and cinematography knowledge. This has been incredibly valuable, especially during covid, since productions are shrinking the amount of people on set and they are looking for people who can wear more than one hat on set.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a buddy was coming to visit me in Miami the first spot I would take them would be Wynwood. Wynwood is one of my favorite spots in Miami even with the growing development and changes throughout the last few years. Besides Wynwood, I would take them to Coconut Grove to eat by the water and definitely to parts of Miami Beach that are outside of Ocean Drive. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The biggest person that deserves a shoutout in my story is Cesare Salerno. He is a Peruvian cinematographer and business owner in Miami and has been one of the best people that have supported my career and helped me learn the things I needed to be able to survive as a freelancer. Now after 7 years of knowing each other we have teamed up in a production company that produces commercials, documentaries and narrative projects in the South Florida area and around the world. His guidance and support through the years has been invaluable to my career and I wouldn’t be where I was if it wasn’t for him.

Website: isaacmeadlong.com
Instagram: @isaacmeadfilm