Episode 282
Behind the Lens: Crafting a New Narrative in the Film Industry
The focal point of our discussion centers on the transformative journey of an individual who transitioned from a career in professional sports to the realm of filmmaking. Following a significant injury that curtailed his athletic aspirations, he embarked on a new path in 2017, driven by a burgeoning interest in cinematography. We delve into the challenges he faced during this transition, including the necessity of acquiring skills through self-directed learning and mentorship, which ultimately facilitated his rapid ascent in the film industry. His narrative exemplifies the importance of resilience and adaptability, as he harnessed his work ethic from athletics to excel in a completely different field. Furthermore, we explore how personal relationships and strategic networking have played pivotal roles in shaping his evolving career in filmmaking, underscoring the interconnectedness of various professional spheres.
The dialogue unfolds as a narrative of personal transformation, tracing the journey of an individual who transitioned from a career in sports to the realm of film. The conversation encapsulates the essence of resilience and adaptability, emphasizing how a debilitating injury served as a catalyst for a new beginning. The speakers engage in an introspective discourse, exploring the challenges faced during this significant life change, including the emotional turmoil associated with the end of a sports career and the subsequent quest for identity in a vastly different field. They highlight the importance of self-education and perseverance, detailing the protagonist's proactive approach to learning photography through online resources and mentorship, which ultimately led to professional opportunities with prominent brands like L'Oreal and Pantene. This summary reflects the overarching theme of transformation while underscoring the significance of hard work and the pursuit of passion in the face of adversity.
Takeaways:
- The transition from a successful sports career to photography exemplifies adaptability in pursuing one's passions.
- Embracing the learning process through self-directed education, especially via online resources, is essential for growth.
- Networking and forming relationships within the industry can significantly accelerate professional opportunities.
- The importance of a strong work ethic, cultivated in sports, translates effectively into creative fields like film and photography.
- Speculative work allows emerging professionals to showcase their talents without initial financial backing from clients.
- The influence of mentors can critically shape one's career path and provide invaluable industry insights.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- l' Oreal
- Lincoln
- Pantene
- Hennessy
- Godaddy
- Skin and Bones
- Corn in Store
- Revolver
- Leo Burnett
Transcript
Or being embraced.
Speaker A:So, yeah, crazy.
Speaker B:So then after an already pretty much lifetime of cool stories, you decided, fuck this, I'm gonna pick something else.
Speaker B: ou started working in film in: Speaker C:You said, well, I start.
Speaker C:I picked up a camera for the first time.
Speaker B:So for those who don't know, that's not enough time.
Speaker B:Because when you came in here, just.
Speaker B:You can tell when someone knows what they're doing.
Speaker B:And I don't know if you remember how quickly I came up to you, and I was like, can you tell me some light things?
Speaker B:Because we own the place, but I do sound.
Speaker B:And you were just getting these amazing shots very quickly and also just being very understanding with the subject matter and everything else.
Speaker B:And how did you decide to do that?
Speaker B:How did you figure out what equipment you need?
Speaker B:How did you learn to work so quickly?
Speaker B:Clearly, you have a work ethic that's.
Speaker B:That comes from sports.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:How can.
Speaker B:Just tell us that story?
Speaker B:How did that happen?
Speaker B:And how did you end up here with all that?
Speaker C:So I was playing in the Middle east, and I went up for a dunk and got undercut and blew out my knee.
Speaker C:It was over.
Speaker A:That's a very.
Speaker C:I mean, there's.
Speaker C:It wasn't over like that, but it was a deeper thing.
Speaker C:Like, they.
Speaker C:They out there, they just want you to keep playing, keep winning.
Speaker C:And it was paying me a lot of money, so it was injecting me.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:And I didn't know how bad my knee was, so I played on it for, like, another two weeks and blew everything in my knee.
Speaker C:So like, for me to be able to walk and a run still is, like, a blessing.
Speaker B:Do you think it would have been better if you would have waited?
Speaker C:If I.
Speaker C:When I initially happened, if I stopped and got searched, my career would still be going on.
Speaker D:Really?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Dang.
Speaker C:So there was.
Speaker C:I'll tell you how that story really went down when we get off the air, because that got very ugly out there.
Speaker C:Very, very ugly.
Speaker C:But so came back home, got my surgery.
Speaker C:I was on this machine for, like, eight months.
Speaker C:It's like your legs, like, up here and laying down 12 hours a day.
Speaker D:And it's rotating and stuff like that.
Speaker C:So after I got out, that did my rehabilitation, tried to come back, I just wasn't the same player no more, so decided to retire.
Speaker C:And then for, like, that whole summer, I tried so many different things.
Speaker C:You know, I mean, I was gonna go to oil and gas, and I jumped on this app, Wave, and we created this app, and I was just doing everything to try to Find what's next.
Speaker C:So my wife is my own personal superhero because she wears so many hats.
Speaker C:So she's in the oil and gas field, but she's an influencer on the side.
Speaker C:So what she would do was she'll go out to eat with her friends.
Speaker C:Like, oh, after dinner, can you take a picture of me?
Speaker C:So I'm home now and I'm just like, I mean, I'll take your pictures for you.
Speaker C:She's like, okay, cool.
Speaker C:So my wife's a full foot shorter than me.
Speaker B:Everybody.
Speaker B:Was it or two or three shorter than you?
Speaker C:So she's a beautiful Asian woman.
Speaker C:And I was never really took pictures before.
Speaker C:So I'm taking a picture in the middle of the streets in Calgary.
Speaker C:And if you can imagine, this woman's like, yelling at me.
Speaker C:She's like, no, you're doing a bad job.
Speaker C:This is horrible.
Speaker C:You make me look small.
Speaker C:You gotta get better angles.
Speaker C:Ain't nobody's a frequency tall person like you, you can't take pictures from that height.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And I'm just like, embarrassed.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:No, it was all valid, all valid points.
Speaker C:Like, knowing I know now, I was horrible, but you know what I mean?
Speaker C:I was, like, very embarrassed.
Speaker C:And I was like, okay, so you know what I mean?
Speaker C:Went to University of YouTube and started like that night, watching a bunch of tutorials.
Speaker C:Started calling photographers around the area, asking them, taking the coffee and asking for their experience.
Speaker C:Like, well, I'm trying to get shots like this.
Speaker C:How can I do it?
Speaker C:What can I do with that?
Speaker C:And I slowly started learning and it got better and better.
Speaker C:Well, I guess in a quick amount of time, it got better and better.
Speaker C:Cause the brands we were shooting for started contacting us to shoot.
Speaker C:For instance, like, l' Oreal, Lincoln, Pantene.
Speaker B:Hold on, pause.
Speaker B:How l' Oreal's calling you after you've been doing photography for how long at this point?
Speaker C:Hmm.
Speaker A:Or at least one of the first bigger brands, I guess.
Speaker C:I guess it's been at that point, five or six months.
Speaker C:What?
Speaker D:It's insane.
Speaker B:Some people are talented.
Speaker B:Sorry, please continue.
Speaker C:So and then we were.
Speaker C:The influencer thing, like, started really, really blowing up for us.
Speaker C:We was making really good money and I was loving it.
Speaker C:And then my wife's job was like, yo, you want this promotion?
Speaker C:You could be the head of BD of all Ontario.
Speaker C:And then she's originally from here, from Toronto.
Speaker C:I'm originally from New York.
Speaker C:So, like, we'll be closer to family.
Speaker C:So we talked about it and she was like, Well, I know things.
Speaker C:You're starting to meet people out here.
Speaker C:And I was like, man, it.
Speaker C:Like, I can start over, so.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:I just got started, so start over.
Speaker C:So came to Toronto and this was three years ago now.
Speaker C:See?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Came to Toronto.
Speaker B:So you got to see Toronto before COVID Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah, well, I used to come to.
Speaker B:Toronto to play, too.
Speaker C:Well, to have fun.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Before I was married.
Speaker B:This is a funny.
Speaker D:I knew what he wanted to say.
Speaker B:You should read your eyes more because they can't see them.
Speaker B:But I'm like, no, no.
Speaker B:Audio only.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Quick, quick, quick backstory.
Speaker C:When I drafted the Canadian League, they did the whole thing at the Rogers Stadium in the presidential suite.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:And this.
Speaker C:This actually was my first time in Toronto.
Speaker C:So they had these beautiful, beautiful women escort you when you get drafted to the podium, right?
Speaker C:And I remember.
Speaker C:I remember asking.
Speaker C:I was like, yo, do all of y' all look like this?
Speaker C:I asked him, the girl to go, look at this.
Speaker C:Do all y' all just gorgeous like that.
Speaker C:She was like, well, me and my friends are.
Speaker C:What are you doing after this?
Speaker C:And I was like, well, whatever you want to do.
Speaker C:And Toronto just opened his arms to me, and I became one of his sons.
Speaker D:They embraced you.
Speaker C:My wife hates me so much for these stories, but it's like, you know what I mean?
Speaker C:Anyway, back to the.
Speaker C:So, yeah, so they were calling, asking us to do stuff.
Speaker C:We ended up moving here, and we tried to keep that going, but it took time.
Speaker C:And then I ended up getting my residency.
Speaker C:So I met this director out here that shoots music videos, and he's a very, very talented, smart man.
Speaker C:And he started putting me on to game about how to do spec work and stuff like that.
Speaker C:What are you trying to do?
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:So I shot in the.
Speaker C:Meanwhile, this happened.
Speaker C:I ended up.
Speaker C:Loriel, ended up doing a commercial with my wife in it.
Speaker C:So they let me shoot the behind the scenes for them.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:This is my first time on a commercial set, right?
Speaker C:And to me, remind me of basketball because, like, everybody had to set position.
Speaker C:Everybody doing.
Speaker C:It's all coming together for the common goal.
Speaker C:So I was like, I want to be a part of this world.
Speaker C:How can I be a part of it, right?
Speaker C:So the director I was talking to, he got invited down to the POV event.
Speaker C:It's like a mentor event where they, like, try to get the youth out into, like, the film world.
Speaker D:Okay?
Speaker C:So you come into this room, and I'm thinking, it's gonna be like a networking event where it's just people like us Talking.
Speaker C:And this is like a club.
Speaker C:Like, you know, I mean, they got the money, they got the music, bumping lights down low, and they go into the back room and they have all this art up from, like, some of the biggest photographers around Canada.
Speaker C:And they auction it off.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:And then, like, another room, they have, like, the Raptors playing.
Speaker C:There was this playing Philly in the back.
Speaker C:It's like, playoff time.
Speaker D:Gotcha.
Speaker C:So I'm looking around.
Speaker C:It's hard to talk to people.
Speaker C:I don't know nobody there.
Speaker C:And I look at.
Speaker C:This is like a silent auction.
Speaker C:And it's going for, like, starting bids for these paintings are, like, $500.
Speaker C:So I'm like, if anybody could just come to a party and randomly bid $500, they have to be somebody.
Speaker C:So I stayed by the table the whole night.
Speaker C:And whoever came to sign over, I introduced myself to them.
Speaker C:Senator, me and Franca from Leo Burnett, which is one of the biggest agencies in Canada.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And got a meeting with her.
Speaker C:And she looked at my work and she's like, oh, my God, your work is so good.
Speaker C:Where'd you go to school at?
Speaker C:And I was like, I never went to school for this.
Speaker C:It's just been the University of YouTube.
Speaker C:And then her eyes just went so big, right?
Speaker C:And was like, yo, I'm gonna connect you to everybody.
Speaker C:So she.
Speaker C:And like, I had no idea anything about film.
Speaker C:About, like.
Speaker C:I ain't know the difference between.
Speaker C:I didn't know what a DP was.
Speaker C:Didn't know difference between a director.
Speaker B:Double penetration.
Speaker A:I think he meant director of photography.
Speaker A:And I was gonna ask you what that is.
Speaker A:Thanks for throwing that in.
Speaker C:Oh, if you want your stories about that, man, I got.
Speaker C:Oh, God.
Speaker B:Also Toronto or.
Speaker C:No, this is South America.
Speaker B:Croatia.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:Totally different beast.
Speaker C:Totally different.
Speaker C:Oh, my God, Franka.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So back to Franka.
Speaker C:So she got me meetings with, like, all the big production companies around Canada.
Speaker C:Like, Skin and Bones, Corn in Store, Revolver, all of them.
Speaker C:But I had no idea who any of these companies were.
Speaker C:I didn't know what they would do.
Speaker C:So I get these meetings, I'll come in there, and I'm like, well, what do you want to do?
Speaker C:And I'm like, well, what do you need?
Speaker C:I can edit, shoot, color, grade.
Speaker C:Like, I do whatever you need me.
Speaker C:So I had no idea that production houses rep directors, and it's like a totem pole situation, right?
Speaker C:So they looked at me like, this kid doesn't know anything.
Speaker C:So there's, you know, the whole Canadian politeness of like, oh, okay, well, now you're amazing, and we'll be in contact with you.
Speaker C:And I'm leaving here pumped up, like, oh, man, this went really good.
Speaker C:Silence.
Speaker C:So from there, I ended up having a meeting with Luke from Revolver.
Speaker C:And Luke was honest with me.
Speaker C:He was like, you don't know nothing, so you should pa, which is production assistant.
Speaker C:Production assistant.
Speaker C:They're the lowest person on the totem pole on a film set.
Speaker C:So they are pretty much the gophers.
Speaker C:They're the first people in, last people out.
Speaker A:Gotcha.
Speaker C:And lowest paid.
Speaker C:But as a pain, usually start off there because you could see every position.
Speaker A:The whole picture, right?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because you help out everybody, and then you could gravitate to what you're interested in.
Speaker A:So that's the university of real life experience.
Speaker C:Yes, exactly.
Speaker C:So I was on.
Speaker C:I was on a godaddy commercial with Muggsy Bogues, and.
Speaker A:Oh, man, he must have been.
Speaker C:He was hilarious, man.
Speaker C:They raised his seat too high from his feet, couldn't touch the ground.
Speaker C:He joked about.
Speaker C:He was.
Speaker C:He was super cool, man.
Speaker B:Super cool dude.
Speaker C:Big high five.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Super cool dude, though.
Speaker C:But the.
Speaker A:No, this mo.
Speaker C:The first.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The director of photography and the first ad, I ended up talking to them, and we.
Speaker C:We end up connecting.
Speaker C:And the DP ended up becoming my mentor because, like, me and him just connected.
Speaker C:And he was just like, yo, I'm doing a music video next week.
Speaker C:You.
Speaker C:You could come out on second AC for me.
Speaker C:So that's assistant camera.
Speaker C:And pretty much we can't pay you.
Speaker C:Budget's tapped, but your payment is.
Speaker C:You can ask me any question that you want and I'll answer it for you.
Speaker C:Best of my ability.
Speaker C:And he's a super.
Speaker C:His name's Peter Haderfield.
Speaker C:Super, super talented guy.
Speaker C: So this is in September: Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:And what?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, I was on my first.
Speaker B:That just happened.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And I learned so much from him, Enrico, who was his first ac.
Speaker C:And from there, I was still paing.
Speaker C:And I think it got to, like, November.
Speaker C:I was talking to this first AD and I was like, yo, I really want to get up the climb up the ladder as quick as I can.
Speaker C:How can I become a dp?
Speaker C:And he's like, you want to be a director of photography?
Speaker C:Just start shooting and call yourself a director of photography.
Speaker C:He was like, don't call yourself a pa Call yourself a director of photography.
Speaker C:So I just started shooting as much spec work as I can.
Speaker D:When you say spec work, can you explain to people what spec works?
Speaker C:So spec work is a fake Commercial.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:So nobody's paying you for this.
Speaker C:You're putting your own money into it.
Speaker C:So I pretty much could take, like, a Tim Hortons cup and do a commercial for it, and I put it out there and send it to productions to try to get notice of it.
Speaker D:So they can see what your style's like.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Well, in this day and age, you can also tag the company in it.
Speaker C:If they find it interesting, they'll try to either buy it off of you or try to get you to work for them.
Speaker C:Because that's how I end up working for Hennessy, because I love Hennessy and I drink it.
Speaker C:Not every day, but, you know, I mean, there's seven days a week.
Speaker C:I could afford them.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Have Hennessy in it to some shape, form, or degree.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So by them paying you, they're paying you back.
Speaker C:Well, I used to just.
Speaker C:I started tagging them and everything.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like, I'll be on photo shoots.
Speaker C:So I'll be on set.
Speaker C:And if we had, like, a leftover bottle in Hennessy for the night before, I just take a little picture of it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And they just reached out to me and was like, yo, you want to shoot some.
Speaker C:Some photos for us for some free product?
Speaker C:Like, we'll send you bottles.
Speaker C:Can't pay you, but we'll send you bottles.
Speaker C:And I was like, you don't need to pay me.
Speaker C:Just give me the liquor.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Just give me as many bottles as you can, and we'll be good.
Speaker C:And then I made.
Speaker C:I did this.
Speaker C:I did a spec commercial for them.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:Like, just something I just created with one of their bottles.
Speaker C:And somehow I got to the president of Hennessy, and they invited us to a meal, and I got to meet him.
Speaker C:And then the next thing I know, they flew us out to Mr.
Speaker C:Hennessy.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Is this name Hennessy?
Speaker C:No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker C:His name is Bernard.
Speaker C:Bernard.
Speaker C:Well, the Hennessy family, they still have shares in it, but they don't run Hennessy.
Speaker C:They just live life.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Check the checks.
Speaker C:But his name's Bernard and cool dude.
Speaker C:And we shared a lot of experiences because I lived in Argentina.
Speaker C:He lived in Argentina.
Speaker C:I'm from New York.
Speaker C:He lived in Brooklyn.
Speaker C:We've both been robbed in Brooklyn before.
Speaker C:So we had a lot of.
Speaker C:So they invited us out to Cognac France, and we got to, like, stay in the Hennessy mansion, which was super uncomfortable because it's like they.
Speaker C: feel like you're back in the: Speaker C: like the books back from the: Speaker C:You could like touch them and everything.
Speaker C:They have four butlers waiting on your hand foot when you come wake up in the morning.
Speaker C:Food is just there.
Speaker C:Like.
Speaker C:You ever seen like.
Speaker A:Sounds very.
Speaker C:You ever seen coming to America where he's like, we're gonna watch the royal penis.
Speaker C:It kind of felt like in that realm.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And I'm not from that.
Speaker C:So it was very uncomfortable.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So I had to get very drunk and then I got very comfortable.
Speaker C:I kept my feet up, you know what I mean?
Speaker D:It was like jeeves, more alcohol for me.
Speaker B:But what did you drink?
Speaker C:Oh, I drunk.
Speaker C:I drunk Hennessy Imperial, which is like a $3,500 bottle of Hennessy.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:And yeah, they like, they don't even pour that out.
Speaker C:They have like this big imagine, you know, like the turkey basters.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:But it's like not.
Speaker C:It looks like that, but it's like made of glass and it's like really fancy.
Speaker C:That's how they take it out the bottle and pour it in your glass.
Speaker C:Yeah, they have the whole white gloves on and all that stuff like that.
Speaker C:It's like very opulence, very bougie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:But I was like, I could get used to this.
Speaker A:Took some time.
Speaker C:Took some time.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Took about, about five, six, six drinks.
Speaker C:And I was like, oh yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker C:Cuban cigars for you.
Speaker C:Like, it was just the works.
Speaker B:So what's interesting about your self realized strategy to get into this game is that in colleges in music business and in film business, they basically teach students that.
Speaker B:And it's interesting to see that, you know, with some common sense you can arrive at all that yourself.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:It's not going to school.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm not.
Speaker B:I personally, I would be a bumbling idiot if it wasn't for, for school.
Speaker B:But clearly some people, like, once you get the work ethic and you figure out how to be professional at something, everything kind of works the same way.
Speaker B:It's all relationships and people and like the thing like, okay, if somebody can put down $500 for a ticket, obviously I need to chill here.
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:Yeah, that was Right.
Speaker B:Like it's, it's just great.
Speaker B:And that's really what anybody that wants to get ahead, especially in the entertainment industry should be doing is like, don't bug people.
Speaker B:But think everything that you're doing can be used to your advantage.
Speaker B:Every photo that you take can be used to your advantage without it taking over your life.
Speaker A:Is that true?
Speaker C:And a hell of a work ethic is what got me to where I am.
Speaker C:So, like, I just took definitely everything I did from basketball, like being in the gym four, five times a day to get myself to the pro level.
Speaker C:Yeah, I just took that same work ethic and putting it here.
Speaker C:So I'm constantly, like, looking at YouTube videos, constantly reading articles about.
