Subject first.
Then form.

A point of view
of my own.

My approach grew out of skate culture: doing things yourself, working with a crew, keeping the camera close to the action. Before I start shooting, I get to know the subject and the community.

I also look for subjects outside the mainstream. I am interested in the perspective of the people I film.

Get to know
the people.

Documentary takes time and contact with the people in the film. I talk, I observe and I come back with the camera to understand the situation before the edit.

Working with a brand does not change the facts about the people in the film. The brand’s role in the film has to follow from the subject.

Keep
the material.

I build my own titles and my own archive. Footage from a shoot can become the basis of another film, an exhibition or a publication.

I think about what stays after a project: material, rights and knowledge.

The author is
on set.

I take part in making the idea real. I make the decisions on set and I am responsible for how the project is shown.

I work with a team, but I do not hand authorship over to an anonymous process. Decisions come from experience, craft and knowing the subject.

Experiment
with form.

The form can be documentary, staged or experimental. I work with colour, rhythm and texture. Beauty is part of the story.

I also create generative imagery. I combine photography, film and AI, choosing the technique to fit the project. I label generated images as AI.

Creative freedom does not change the facts about people and the world. As the author, I am responsible for the choices and the final result.

Ask why
you are doing it.

Commercial work funds the art. Before I take on a project, I ask three questions:

1. Will it leave material, rights or knowledge that help with future projects?
2. Will it build a relationship with the people in it, the brand or the community?
3. Will it lead to lasting, repeat collaboration?

Three “no” answers and I turn it down. Whatever the budget.