The last few years have been quite a journey for me in the creative space. I quickly went from being categorized as a photographer to something I can’t really even define. Some might refer to it as a Director of Photography, or a Gaffer, Creative Director, Art Director, Co-Director, and even a Producer. The point is, I’ve taken on quite a few roles, and expanded my knowledge base, as well as my experience in the production wheelhouse.
Shooting my first Music Video
Don’t get me wrong, as a photographer I had been doing odd jobs here and there as a videographer - whether that was shooting instructional videos or business promo videos. The difference is, video had always been an afterthought to me creatively, and more than anything another means of generating income. The catalyst for the transition into something much more substantial was a one-of-a-kind human I happened to connect with named Ethan Ardalan.
We connected through a mutual friend and I actually used him as a model for one of my shoots.
From my shoot “The Modern Fool”
He told me he liked my vision and it was then I found out he had just come back from Vancouver Film School. This guy had not only just finished film school, but he was also an incredibly talented musician.
Ethan Ardalan Live: By Speakerboxx
We talked, and he told me he wanted to form a creative collective full of talented and eager artists looking to create and elevate each other. Ethan asked if I wanted to explore the creative side of video and be the director of photography for a music video he wanted to make. Of course, I was interested.
With the helping hands of some friends, the two of us built a tiny 8x8 set and began filming. Whoa, what an incredible experience that was. We filmed an entire music video within an 8x8 space and began editing it. Through the process, we formed an unbreakable friendship and realized how much we enjoyed working together - elevating each other’s ideas, and bringing the concepts behind our visual narratives to life.
We worked on several different projects together from start to finish - pre-production, creating treatments, shot lists, and pitch decks. Post-production - editing and color grading. He was my Director, and I was his Director of Photography. We sort of just naturally fell into the idea of starting a Production company together that would be different from everything else out there - it would follow our vision. We called it Unapollogetic Media - a collective believing wholeheartedly in our vision, with ambitions as vast as the universe.
My 2022 DOP reel is a culmination of this ideology. If it wasn’t for Ethan Ardalan I don’t know that I would have ever taken this path, grown this much, and frankly, ever believed in myself and my vision as much as I do now. He was a one-of-a-kind human, and I owe everything to him. I will never forget his art, his inclusiveness, our deep talks, and belly laughs.
Ethan Ardalan