My Biggest Lesson: Tom Revington

Tom Revington is a director of photography with a true passion for capturing story through a lens, striving to create emotive imagery to captivate the viewer's imagination. With over six years of experience and more than 200 projects, his DoP portfolio spans across commercials, music videos, features and TV, including brands and institutions such as Meta, NOWNESS, Adidas and the United Nations.

This advice came to me through in the form of an anecdote from a director. We were working on a commercial some years ago, I was young and this was a fairly big shoot for me at the time. I felt a lot of pressure and was nervous about how we were going to pull off this particular shot. He had years of experience and was a real character. He told me this story I’d never forget. When he was younger he had landed some huge American commercial job. The producer, being apprehensive, turned to him and said 'just don’t F*uck this up'. The director turned around coolly and said “don’t worry, I’ve fucked up bigger jobs than this” He then carried on, nailed the job and went from strength to strength. Yes we all make mistakes, and we care about what we make and do everything we can to not make mistakes. But we learn from them. What I really got from this is to take risks*. If we are not taking risks we play it safe and I think that stifles creativity. I think we need to take risks to go beyond what we think we can do and what's possible. New ideas, new looks and new ways of doing things. Not all risks work out but knowing there is life after a mistake makes taking that jump easier. Doing the same thing over and over without change or risk can be worse than trying and failing. 

(* to be clear we’re talking about creative risks. I’ll never risk anyone's well being on set. Safety is paramount) 

The one piece of wisdom that has always stayed with me is, Don’t be a d*ck. It's important to me to earn people's respect and respect everyone in the process. Some of my favourite directors to work with are the ones that lead from the front and collaborate. I try to do the same with my team too. I think everyone is willing to go the extra mile when they feel involved and part of the process and not just a cog in the machine being told what to do. I value the input and experience from the teams I work with. We’re all filmmakers and so lucky to do what we love. I always aim for a collaborative energy on set, as long as it's right for the story and inline with the director's vision. 

I must have been 25. It was probably the first bigger budget TV commercial I was shooting. I remember being intimidated by the much older and more experienced crew and felt a ton of pressure. I guess I still had some remnants of my youthful arrogance, which got me through! haha

I think when we are younger we get wrapped up in the how and not the why. I've delved further into the ‘why’ because it makes for more engaging narrative story telling. 

I'd been in a band for years. Music was my first love. We went on a tour of Japan and Europe, and I had a great time. I always carried a camera with me and documented everything we did. I've always been fascinated with cameras and the creation of images. That evolved into making music videos on the cheap, and people kept asking me to shoot them. I absolutely adored it. I'd load up my car with gear and beg, borrow, and steal whatever we could to make whatever we were able to with no money! It was loads of fun. Then, as those videos grew in size and budget, friends who were directing them began to direct TV commercials, which led to commercials and a few TV episodes. 

I think I’ve always held onto that work hard and make things happen attitude. There's always a way to tell a story. 

I’ve always had a live and let live attitude. I was brought up to respect people and be aware and conscious of others. Like being kind costs nothing so why would that be different on set? I feel good when people appreciate the work I put in so I want the people I work with to feel appreciated too. 

All in all I think it's one of those ‘what goes around comes’ around philosophies. Put good out into the universe and it will come around in some shape or form. 

I think it didn’t change me so much as solidify who I am and have confidence in sticking to my values and listening to my gut. If something doesn’t feel right there’s a reason for that. Staying true to yourself pays off. 

I’ve always stuck with this piece of advice. It's not a hard philosophy to stick to. Just don’t be a d*ck. Like treat others how you would like to be treated. That's respect, appreciation and acknowledgment. It goes such a long way especially in our industry where things can get stressful and frantic. No matter how intense things get there’s always room for respect, kindness and gratitude. 

Yes, it is a very common piece of advice I hear bouncing around. I guess everyone has their own take on it. It’s something that goes beyond just work. Being conscious of people and empathetic to what makes them tick and feel heard. The best jobs I’ve done always have a good energy about them that creates a super creative and collaborative effort. Less egos and more collaboration always results in something very special.