Tyler Johnson is an inspiration to many. The champion of custom-built camera rigs and hero to up-and-coming filmmakers. He is a maverick cinematographer and creative craftsman, adventurer and storyteller. He is always looking to expand the horizon of what’s possible.
For six years, Tyler traveled the world directing, filming, and editing content for GoPro. Tyler has produced 84 films for the Official GoPro YouTube Channel with over 74 million total views. Including GoPro’s most viral video and the third most-watched official GoPro video with over 40 million views: Fireman Saves a Kitten.
We had the opportunity to spend some time with Tyler – to explore what motivates and drives him, what matters to him, and what comes next in his extraordinary life.
1. You found photography at a very early age. It quickly became your passion. Is it true that you turned that passion into a business while still in middle school?
Well, yes––kind of. It’s actually a cool story.
I grew up in Pagosa Springs. It’s a small town in Colorado. Beautiful scenery, breathtaking scenery, and a fantastic place to visit for a week or two, but a bit sleepy for local kids with adventurous spirits. So, you have to be creative to fight boredom. My friends and I were always trying to figure out the next cool thing to do. And it was just really fun to see what we could come up with. I think that’s where a lot of my creativity came from.
At some point, when I was still in middle school, I stumbled on a little point-and-shoot camera and started snapping around. I really liked taking photos, and I got a lot of support from my friends and family.
I kept upgrading my camera as time went on and soon realized that I could potentially start selling my prints.
So I printed a bunch of my photographs, marched to local stores and coffee shops, and asked if they would sell them for me. So that little venture turned out to be profitable and kickstarted my career. Both by allowing me to upgrade my camera and by fueling my confidence.
2. By today, your focus has shifted from photography to cinematography. Why did you stop taking photos?
I really loved photography, but something was missing. Photos lack authenticity. They can easily be manipulated. You can fake a sunset, add or remove people, and insert or eliminate objects. You can pretty much rearrange the whole frame. There are practically no limits. So, over time, photography lost its value to me, and I transitioned from this photo printing to making videos.
Shooting videos is much more satisfying. It’s just so much more powerful. I can take people on a journey and transform them emotionally. I can make them feel all these different feelings.
3. Let’s talk about your Instagram. Your posts showing what goes on behind the scenes of your shoots are captivating, to say the least.
The main series on my Instagram is called Tinkering With TJP, where I take people through my projects from start to finish. You see the entire journey of what happens, including epic fails. Maybe that’s what makes it so amusing and entertaining to people. Every video is basically a process of me trying to figure out how to make something work, whether my attempt to build a cool rig or some other gadget. I document the entire process. So, people get to see what I’m experiencing and learn with me about what works and what doesn’t.
So it’s a really fun series, and I highly recommend checking this out. Some of my most prideful rigs are in there.
4. What was the craziest idea that ended up working?
Definitely, the zip line camera that flew through a moving car. That was crazy.
A couple of years ago, I had this wild idea to build a camera that flies through a car. But I didn’t want the shot to be static. I wanted the car to be moving. So, in my head, I designed a one-of-a-kind zip line rig and ended up building this using suction cups and a giant 24-foot-long steel beam. The shot ended up working brilliantly.
When people from Wiral Camera saw the clip, they were super excited, and about a year and a half later, they called me up. They wanted me to redo the car shot for them in a more beautiful location. So I got to travel to Italy and shoot it on a much bigger scale. That’s also one of the Tinkering With TJP episodes. The entire process of building this crazy rig, getting the zipline camera to go through the car while we’re driving it, and the beautiful final shot are all there.
5. What qualities do you look for when it comes to gear?
When I first started shooting, I was buying low-end gear. What’s the real difference, I thought. I quickly learned my lesson. You get what you pay for. Proper gear and equipment make a huge difference. It just pays off so much. You often won’t realize how vital gear is until you’re out shooting. When the camera suddenly stops recording in a mid-shot, and you miss the moment, it’s frustrating. You don’t want that.
That is why I love using ProGrade Digital memory cards. They have never let me down. I’ve used cards that were supposed to be high-quality, in particular video performance class, but then you get out in the field and, unexpectedly, it starts dropping frames or stops recording altogether. ProGrade has never done that to me.
When I put the ProGrade card in my camera, I can put my mind at ease because I know it will do its job correctly. I’m actually super excited to use ProGrade Digital memory cards and have them as a part of my kit. I take them everywhere, all around the world.
6. What advice would you give to cinematography newcomers?
There’s a great quote, “hard work puts you where good luck can find you.” And that’s what I’ve believed in going off for a long time.
I wake up at 5 am every day and start grinding. No one’s telling me to do it. There are no deadlines that I need to meet. So I wake up and start grinding, always trying to do my absolute best. I love self-improvement and want to make the most out of this life.
So I do as much as possible and grind as hard as possible. People notice when you’re constantly putting out as much as you can and doing your absolute best. And it all comes back to you.
7. What’s next?
So I love standing out with my content. I love doing things a little bit differently than everyone else. I don’t want to waste people’s time. So I try to innovate on my ideas and make them something that hasn’t been done before. I love producing Tinkering With JTP episodes. I’m always working on some crazy idea. I can’t wait to show you guys.
