The Call of Spring

I created this as the final project for my “Film Sound II: Experimental” course taught by Calum Walter. While this was a sound course primarily, I used this project as an opportunity to fuse film, music, and sound together into one piece. I wanted to explore nostalgia through the lens of sound and image, so let me know if this makes you feel a type of way! Particularly if you live - or have lived - in Chicago for a while…

Carly and Martina - Your Song

I was hired to be the Director of Photography for this Ed Sullivan inspired shoot with Carly and Martina. We rented out a studio in Chicago and set up the space to look like a television performance. Zury Cutler directed and handled the VFX, which really brought the concept to life. Thank you to Carly and Martina, as well as their team, for letting me be a part of this! Go check out their other songs!

Find Carly and Martina on Instagram here.

Alex Banin - Hollywood (No This Isn’t)

Alongside a fantastic crew of film students from Northwestern and DePaul, I had the pleasure of producing this music video for Alex Banin. This project set a high standard for mixing fun and professionalism, and I commend the crew’s dedication every step of the way. For the viewers, stay tuned. Alex is definitely an artist to keep your eye on.

Read Lyrical Lemonade’s review here.

Find Alex on Instagram here.

Niteskool Sessions: Modern Vices

As the Director of Photography for this shoot, I worked closely with the director to coordinate the intricate positioning and movement of our five cameras. We filmed inside of the Mark II Lounge, a common venue for parties and events, but not quite for concerts. With a solid group of grips, we emptied out everything from the main room in order to fit the lights, dolly track, cameras, recording equipment, and all of the band’s gear. I operated a Canon C300 on a wide lens, while four other operators focused on close-ups. Modern Vices were a pleasure to work with, and gave one hell of a performance.

Find Modern Vices on Instagram here.

Niteskool Sessions: Unpopular Opinion

I really enjoy working with Niteskool. As Northwestern’s “student-run music video production house,” their projects are always exciting. After working as a general crew member for a couple of sets, I started working as a Director of Photography. Here is the video we shot of the Northwestern band “Unpopular Opinion.” Working in the sound stage of Northwestern’s Louis Hall, we were able to create a pleasant cinematic atmosphere and also have fun breaking the fourth-wall.

Clay Pigeons (Studio Session)

A performance of Blaze Foley's "Clay Pigeons" that I did to test out the SSL console located in the soundstage and also experiment with video coverage of studio spaces. I chose this song as a tribute to John Prine, who popularized this song for many people including myself, and unfortunately passed away this year.

I recorded the song and shot everything on my own, which was not easy! I wanted the video to be quite dreamy and nostalgic, so there is quite a lot of fades, overlays, and haziness.

We miss you John.

Brave Bash 2020

Here is a promotional video I made for Brave Initiatives, a non-profit organization on a mission to bridge the tech-world gender gap. I was fortunate enough to work as the videographer for their annual “Brave Bash” fundraising event, where I witnessed first-hand the power and potential of their work. With just a camera and a tripod, I covered the entire duration of the event and every inch of the space. After filming the event, I edited this together for their promotional usage.

Clockwork

I was the Director of Photography for this film, and it was a very unique experience. Due to the simplicity of the production, I am proud to say that we pulled off the whole thing in one jam-packed day. However, I mean simplicity only in terms of technical logistics, like the number of locations and scenes. Marina Seyffert’s script is an anxiety-evoking relationship-based slow burn, brought to life through her excellent direction. In this one-scene short, watch as what appears to be a simple, every-day dinner turns toxic, and even bloody, through the pure divisiveness of jealousy. [Password: adam]

Ode to Debie

After seeing Gaspar Noé’s film “Climax,” I became a big fan of his invasive and often nihilistic approach to storytelling. I also fell in love with his penchant for disorienting cinematography, made possible only by the fantastic work of Benoît Debie, his go-to Director of Photography. My professor kindly cautioned me against picking him for an homage assignment, but I persisted, constructing a crane out of a junior roller stand, sandbags, a selfie-stick, and tape. Using that rig and my song “The Initial Ascent,” I shot this in my apartment. I designed the audio at the end entirely from scratch to cover our voices.

Little One

In my class on “The Embodied Camera,” we explored films that use cinematography as an extension or reflection of the human body, whether it be that of the film subject or the camera operator themself. For this project, I set out to explore the physical relation between my character and the world around her, from lake-side vegetation to her friends at home. Living against a backdrop of socially enforced life-spans, this character is on her designated final day, one that was delayed significantly by the ultimate sacrifice of her late mother. Without much in her life, she spends her final day alive reveling in the tactility of her surroundings. To explore physicality, I aimed high with a big story, but maintained a simple plot.

Becoming a Media-Enabled Performer

In the Spring of 2019, I took a class called “Topics in Interactive-Media: Media-Enabled Performance.” My professor, Chaz Evans, was an absolute delight from the first day, and taught me not only how to write code, but how to think of technology as an art-form. Here is a short and sweet collage-like documentary on my experiences in the course, made entirely with leftover footage, clips, and images. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Chaz’s instruction and passion for his work was at the heart of the course’s success, and I walked away feeling like more of an artist than ever before. My songs “Humming and “Autumn Snow” book-end the film, respectively.

Making a Musical (in 7 Days)

As my first and only fully-formed foray into the field of funniness, this “documentary” focuses on a group of students attempting to write and perform an entire musical in a single week. As this is just part of their school symposium, the stakes are quite low. However, these are thespians, and as anyone who knows anyone knows: the show must go on! Will they rise up to the challenge and pull off the show? Or will they let their differences get the best of them? Find out in: Making a Musical (in 7 Days).

LOST_FOOTAGE

Also acting as a music video for my song “Middle Names,” this video is a compilation of leftover footage from independent films that I shot for friends, some class assignments, and lazy days at home with my friends. Initially, I wanted to combine these bits into a nostalgic time-capsule for those same close friends. However, as I began to piece clips together, I saw an opportunity to challenge myself. Limiting myself to just this archived footage, I set out to create a free-form mood piece with enough open interpretation to evoke an emotional reaction from any viewer.

Additional film work:

• Director of Photography for NSTV.

• Director of Photography for Niteskool.

• 1st AC on Freehand by Adam Turkel.

• 1st AC on Feet by Lauren Loesberg.

• 1st AC on Zenobia in Chains by Erin Gregory.

• 2nd AC on Earth to Isaac by Jackson Birdsall (password: isaac)

• 2nd AC on A Return by Nastasya Popov (password: belochka)

• 2nd AC on This One’s For You by Isaac Sims.

• 2nd AC on Mississippi River Princess by Camille Casmier.

• PA on Madame Macabre Tells a Terrible Tale About Tongues by Tracy Rosenblum.