Meet Snore Doumbia

We were lucky to catch up with Snore Doumbia recently and have shared our conversation below.

Snore, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I currently work in the film/video industry as a full time freelance camera operator. Being one of the few people in physical control of what is captured on camera is an amazing experience that gives its own sense of confidence over time. Though, even now with some of the exciting projects I’ve been able to be a part of I wouldn’t say that I’m entirely confident. I think confidence comes from a perceived knowledge we develop about ourselves and I know with certainty that I don’t know a lot of things. I’d say my confidence comes from my comfort in accepting that. It takes strength to admit the things we don’t know and I’ve seen that most successful camera operators are just people who asked a lot of the right questions (and made the right friends) so they had all the pieces of the puzzle they needed to become the one who people think has all the answers. The more often I can put myself in the position to answer questions instead of asking them the better. I still got a lot of questions to ask but more and more often lately I’m a person with a lot more answers.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am currently focused on my freelance career as a camera operator. I’ve worked on a variety of projects within film, tv, and corporate media. I originally started my career wanting to be a film producer. Some short film projects I’ve produced and been the cinematographer of in recent years have gone on to do well at local film festivals. Also, I assist as a screener for the Midwest International Film Festival. Clearly I enjoy working in film/tv, and my driving force for that has been my interest in being a storyteller. I enjoy being a part of creating and sharing stories. I have hopes of getting other collaborative projects together in the future not limited to film. I do not have any hard details yet but plan to get some peers together to produce events such as comedy shows or variety shows.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Fixation may not be called a ‘skill’ in the traditional sense but it’s a way of describing intense, almost compulsive focus on one thing. Fixating on things is where my attention to detail comes from. My whole career as a camera operator began as a fixation. I doubt there’s many camera operators out there who didn’t start their journey as a result of being fixated on it. The energy we apply to things we’re fixated on is much greater than just things that we engage in out of necessity or general wanting. Often we’re fixated on things we enjoy, or that provide a sense of fulfillment, so I just try to recognize the joy in doing things that lead me to presently being the version of myself I strive for. That is to say ultimately, that the ability to direct my energy into enjoyable points of growth has gotten me far and I think it’s an important skill to develop for anyone.

I mentioned it briefly before but self awareness has made a major impact on my life. Without being hyper aware of myself I don’t know where I would be. It’s the easiest thing in the world if you just start asking yourself “why” about the choices you take, without excusing them. It makes us look at them more honestly and think more. It helps to evaluate points of growth for myself.

Another area of knowledge that has heavily impacted my journey is perception. The awareness of it, the importance of it, and my ability to control it. Perception is what my field of work is all about to be honest. I get paid to have the technical skills to control the composition of what is being shown on camera, ultimately on shots I camera operated, it’s my perspective on the shot that is version people will see from. Perception is how we live our lives, through our perceived interpretation of the passage of time and events. Understanding the reasoning behind why I or someone else view a thing a certain way has been my whole life. Storytelling, art as a whole is all about perceptions. Understanding our own perspective, learning to appreciate, interoperate, and share it is the main advice I can give to anyone.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’d love to find new collaborators who are looking to get projects made be it film or otherwise. It’s always the ideal to be getting paid but if there’s people with strong passion and drive wanting to get a film made or make an event happen. I would love to chat and do what I can to make it happen. For me I’ve always enjoyed being a part of making meaningful things happen for people. Be it making a pro bono commercial for someone’s dream small business, getting someone’s script made, or making people a space to perform. I enjoy being directly involved in helping make things happen for people. I’m not outwardly active on my socials but I am on them, it’s a great way to reach me!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @snore.doumbia

Image Credits

Photo 1: Yeva Dashevsky
Photo 2: Familiar Strangers Feature Film (BTS)
Photo 3: (Myself)
Photo 4: Sam Paakkonen
Photo 5: Stress Fracture Short Film (BTS)
Photo 6: Unknown
Photo 7: Yeva Dashevsky
Photo 8: Familiar Strangers Feature Film (BTS)
Photo 9: Myles Beeson | Machina Rentals
Photo 10: Matt Cooley
(In order of upload)