Kevin
I worked with Kevin every day for three years and got to see him transform from a pretty competent filmmaker with huge aspirations to a formidable, well-rounded creative who has a knack for making sort of bonkers ideas work.
A man as jank as he is effective, as fresh as he is seasoned; with no further ado, meet Kevin:
someone comes up to you and asks what you do. what do you say?
The long version: I’m a filmmaker who wants to make cool stuff that matters with my friends. It sounds simplistic (maybe juvenile?), but that’s my high-level career goal: to do work that checks those three boxes. I want my work to be “cool” - creatively challenging, interesting, pushing boundaries (even if those boundaries are just my own). More than that, I want it to matter - to have a worthwhile impact, to be a net positive, and ideally, to build the Kingdom. And most importantly, I want to do it with friends - people I respect and enjoy being around, who are talented and kind and fun. That’s the whole spiel.
Most of the time though, I’ll just say, “I run a film and video production company.”
what are some of your favorite parts of the filmmaking process?
I really do love most parts of the process. That’s why I’ve decided to keep my career in the “indie” space. I like mixing up what my day-to-day looks like.
That said, a few of the things I like the most:
Interviewing talent, leading them into telling their story well in order to get the best and most powerful soundbites
DP’ing abstract visual sequences. Bonus points if I get to make the lights flash at some point.
Coloring: Usually one of the final steps in the editing process, where you can see your vision (almost) fully realized. I usually make the transition around this time from, “Dang, this video is terrible and I’ll never work again” to “Oh, this is turning out great and I can’t wait to send it to the client!”
how did you get started filmmaking? what keeps you at it?
I started making backyard wrestling videos with my brother in middle school. Since then, lots of things have kept me motivated to keep pushing: the mix of white collar vs. blue collar work, a deep sense that this is my vocational calling, the opportunity to be creative, and plenty more. Above everything though, it’s just that I have a really great time doing this work. We all spend so much of our lives working. I want to keep enjoying my work (and thus, my life) so at least for now, I’ll keep making videos.
how do you stay inspired in the face of burnout?
It seems obvious, but I think that the antidote to burnout isn’t inspiration, it’s rest. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of trying to stay inspired by consuming other people’s work. And there’s certainly a place for that - “stocking the pond” or “filling the well.” But I’ve found that what I often need is just stop and rest - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Cultivate healthy rhythms of life, invest time into family, friends, other hobbies, all that. If I focus on taking care of myself, the desire to create will naturally bubble back up within me.
in a perfect world, what kinds of projects would intrigue you the most?
I’m still not totally sure. I like abstract/surreal visuals. I like emotionally compelling personal narratives. I like travel shoots. I like unique and creative integration of motion design. Maybe something that combines all of those? For me, the “what” of a project is much less important than the “why” (What’s the point of making this? What are we trying to achieve?) and the “who” (Who am I working with and spending my time around?).
what goes into creating compelling frames?
I’m definitely still trying to figure that out, and like everybody who pursues this work, I doubt I will ever have it absolutely nailed. That said, the way I think I approach it changes with every project. A few key ingredients come to mind:
Lighting that’s both beautiful and intentional, drawing the eye to the most important part of the frame
Visual symbolism, even if it’s subtle (even subconscious)
Marriage between that visual symbolism and the emotional arc of the story
you’re an awesome refiner of ideas. how can the rest of us get better at taking what may be a decent idea and turning it into something really cool?
One thing I like to play with is pushing ideas both ways in the simplicity/complexity spectrum. You can ask questions like, “How could we make this idea more complex, ambitious, expensive? How can we do a similar thing, but crazier? How would we execute this concept if we were forced to spend a million dollars on it and had had 100 crew members at our disposal?” Then on the flip side, ask “How can we make this simpler, cheaper, more straightforward? What if we had $100 and two people on set? How could we pull this off?” Often, the best version of an idea is found somewhere on that simplicity/complexity spectrum.
Other than that, I think it’s important to constantly ground yourself in those basic questions: ‘How will the audience (who has no context/familiarity with our creative brief) understand/interpret this idea? What are the primary emotions that we’re trying to elicit, and can we tweak this concept to do that more effectively? Is this allocation of our resources (budget/crew/time) the most effective and efficient?”
what advice would you give to someone wanting to get into filmmaking?
A few rapid fire: First, just start. Like almost everything, the best way to get better is to practice. So look around at the resources that you have access to (gear, locations, friends, etc.) and figure out what you could make using what you already have.
Second, be audacious. Don’t be afraid to ask for favors, reach out to people you admire, negotiate budgets, or do whatever thing you’re afraid of.
Third, the way that you treat people will have a massive impact on your career success. You want to be a person that other crew members like hanging out with, that clients have a smooth experience with, that prioritizes relationships in the long-term over results in the short-term.
what are some tips you have for expanding your creative circles?
First: start by caring more about people than about what people can do for you. There’s a selfish disposition that’s implicit in all “networking” interactions, by default/necessity. But I’ve found that the more I can replace that motive with genuine kindness and care for other people, the better those interactions go. Secondly, do everything you can to conquer your fear of rejection. Be bold; introduce yourself; make the ask. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” you know?
