John Vogt

In the Summer of 2025 I had an amazing opportunity to work with an amazing team capturing the behind the scenes of the making of Beast Games Season 2! S/O to @richyfilms for bringing me along on this incredible journey! I remember I was working with a DP friend of mine on a commercial and he talked about the new season starting production soon. I told him that if anything happened to someone on set to let me know and bring me onboard, I never got a call back. A few weeks passed and I got a call from my friend @richyfilms who asked if I was free for a month, I responded with- Beast Games? And he responded to me as if I was a mind reader. Next thing I knew I was on a plane to North Carolina and experienced one of the craziest months of my life, from having 5pm-8am days, thunderstorms delaying production for hours or at its most severe an entire day, getting our production van stuck in a pool of water at 4am, waiting to get towed out. This project gave me so much momentum that I carted with me through the second half of 2025. I thought I was doing a lot with my time until I saw how hard Jimmy works first hand and realized that I’m only putting in a fraction of what’s possible. Being that close to the Sun wakes you up from the BS we can tell ourselves to become comfortable. Not all of us can be Mr.Beast, and there’s a definite need to find balance between grind and stillness. I’m so grateful to have worked with @youshaei and @drewthedirector to bring this vision to life. If you have dreams, go chase them. 2026 here we come!

If you told 14 year old John that he would be acting in a commercial as himself then he would be pretty stoked to have the opportunity. At 30 years of age I’m still a little star struck from the experience. In one of my documentary communities I found @chapter_verse_films looking for fellow filmmakers in the Southern California area. I reached out to him and after a few phone calls and a couple of days we met up to shoot a documentary piece on me using a few products from @avengergrip and @manfrottoimaginemore I’ve struggled with defining myself under a single profession because I’ve always felt like I’ve needed multiple plates spinning so that when one or two fall, I can rely on the others I still have up in the air. This experience forced me to define myself as a Independent Documentary Filmmaker and I’ve been leaning into it more and more to push past the imposter syndrome and build confidence in myself. Now I have the experience and memories that this video captures to remind myself how far I’ve come, the path I’ve forged and what lies ahead. I’m grateful to have been a part of the @avengergrip and @manfrottoimaginemore story and share a bit about my experience and journey of my career. Thank you @chapter_verse_films for capturing me doing exactly what I want to be doing 🎥🙏

I’m catching up on posting work from earlier this year and this one hits home for me. I had the opportunity to work with @mrbradybaby during the 2025 Super Bowl. The project advertised @perduechicken while Wayne and the crew performed improv, viewers tuned in and gave suggestions on social media while the in-house audience and crew(me) shouted out ideas for the team to work with. My inner child was glowing as I watched the most entertaining on set experience I’ve had so far in my career. It reminded me of my days in high school performing with the drama club our monthly Lunchbox Theater improv and skit routines that were our version of Who’s Line is it Anyway? The drama department charged students fifty cents to eat their lunch in the theater and enjoy the entertainment we had rehearsed and planned for that month’s show. Here I am 12 years later working alongside one of the cast members of the show as an Assistant Camera(AC). Life aligns us in funny ways to connections from our past and I can’t help but think about what I did in my childhood that connects me to where I’m at in life currently. It’s exciting to imagine what else is in alignment with my journey ahead. RIP to Lars Thorson, one of the, if not the best teacher/mentor I’ve had in my life. I know he’s smiling on his theater nerds and throwing folding chairs at us from heaven 🙏

I didn’t forget my camera, thank goodness. This was my favorite shot on this roll. #pentaxk1000 #kodakgold200🎞️

A stop in DTLA turned into a fantasy of filming Grease in the LA River. #pentaxk1000 #kodakgold200🎞️

A bird sh*t on me, I chased after butterflies, talked to my mom, took my time and came out of the garden holding myself. #ｐｅｎｔａｘ #pentaxk1000 #kodakgold200🎞️

Thursday Nights are for Jazz music @thenightowlfullerton #pentaxk1000 #kodakgold200🎞️

A few landscape shots on my first roll of film and some BTS to accompany it. My Uncle Ed reached out to me several weeks ago while going through the garage and found my late Aunt’s Pentax K 1000 camera and his Canon AE-1 camera. He asked if I would be interested in them, he said, “you get first refusal.” I’d always wanted to shoot film but couldn’t justify spending the money on a camera that may have light leaks. Not to mention I would never know if my photos turned out okay until I pay to have them processed…but I’m glad that my reservations came to an end the first day I shot with my Aunt’s K1000. The time spent to load the camera, the satisfaction of using a device that doesn’t require a battery to operate, pulling the lever that moves the film and snapping the shutter button, it’s ASMR at its finest. Using my light meter to measure my aputure setting, adjusting focus, testing the light again to be sure. It’s a process that I romanticize because it’s the build up before the photo is ever taken, the joy is in the steps leading to the photo and seeing what you get once it’s all been processed. Capturing on 35mm reignited a spark in my creativity where smoldering embers and thick ash reside in recent memory. I’m glad I can share my passion with the spirit of my Aunt who was one of my biggest supporters of chasing my dreams. Now whenever I use her camera, I feel like we get to create together and that is worth every penny creating, exploring, capturing and developing. BTS: @joe_post #pentaxk1000 #kodakgold200expired

Filming on the planet of Tatooine.

A look behind the scenes of "Frat Earthers". This film was supposed to be my third feature as Director of Photography, but our producer's sudden passing changed everything. It's a sobering reminder to make the most of every moment and cherish those around us. On the bright side, this project brought me closer to @ty_lor , whose dedication and expertise were invaluable. The film may not have become a feature, but it still had a successful festival run and even won some awards. Kudos to @rillah for crafting a compelling narrative from the footage we had. I'm also grateful for @vonpoevii 's thought-provoking conversations during our road trips. And thanks to my uncle for hosting us at Ward 44 in West Newton. Circa 2024.

Spent the day filming at the happiest place on earth with @youshaei and @markrober . Even caught a glimpse of Mr.Beast. Better late than never on posting about it. I feel lucky to film in unique locations with amazing people. This project was with Make a Wish foundation where kids got to hang out with celebrities throughout the park. I had an amazing time capturing their experiences and trying out the activities. From designing egg-proof containers to testing water rides in the name of science. Love the life you live. If you can dream it, you can make it so!

This is not AI Throwback to September 2022 when I played a motorcycle cop on set…so the story goes like this… I was working on a feature length film as a 2nd AC, it was the last day of production. I overheard the Director yelling about an actor that was suppose to play the motorcycle cop not knowing how to ride a motorcycle. I had good rapport with the Director so I went up to him and said, “i have my M1 license, I think I can ride that bike if you want it moving for your shot.” He said, “there is no think! You either can or you can’t!” With an audible gulp I said, “I can ride that bike.” Next thing I knew I was in wardrobe getting fitted, my boots were too big so I packed the toes with extra socks. I was so nervous I was pacing back and forth, giving myself pep talks in the bathroom…then it was time. I made my way to the scene where the bike was and I was given a crash course on how to operate the lights and other functions on the handle bars. I could hardly touch the ground because the bike was so big, I even started to practice mounting and dismounting so I could look natural in the take. In the middle of practicing the 1st AD came up to me to give some information, but I had forgotten to put the kickstand down and started to dismount. In a moment of panick I was dismounting and falling at the same time, the 1st AD quickly grabbed and threw me off to the side while he grabbed the bike and was able to catch it from crashing down. I thought, this is it, I blew it. They still gave me a shot, literally one shot. We went for a take and I stalled the bike so the picture car reset and now was the moment. I had to drive about 30’ before reaching a steep inclined driveway and ride all the way up that. I remember from a stop to go releasing the clutch, finding momentum, I didn’t have control of the bike until the final moment when I started climbing up the steep driveway. The rest is what the cameras caught. And that’s my Hollywood story about 2nd AC becoming a motorcycle cop. The take didn’t make the final edit and my name wasn’t in the credits but hey, it’s a good story! The last photo is of me a few hours before this crazy story happened.