Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia

A few visuals from the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Documentary Production at the Towne Theatre

Documentary production briefly moved centre stage this week with some exploration of the abandoned spaces within the former Towne Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Those who remember seeing movies here would now be hard pressed to recognize this interior as the cinema it once was, but there are still a few clues hiding within these walls.

It's a strange feeling to return to a place you so actively remember from your own childhood, not least of which because you find yourself tapping into memories you didn't know you still had. Each step just gets me a little more excited about how this documentary is coming together.

This stage of production has become about rounding out a lot of the specific visuals inspired by the stories collected during numerous interviews at the nearby Monarch Theatre. Creating a record of a lot of these forgotten spaces has been a real bonus.

How Would You Describe Your Shooting Style?

I was recently asked about "how I would describe my shooting style or filmmaking aesthetic" and I thought it was worth sharing some of my thoughts on that here too.

My brain seems hardwired to like organizing chaos - and by that I mean busy frames, bold colours, aggressive patterns - often showcased through symmetry, clean lines, deliberate angles, etc. If it sounds a little obsessive, it is lol. In some ways I think I'm trying to simplify the reality I'm capturing into its most notable parts.

For instance, a shot of the New York skyline that's filled with information - but still a deliberate rule of thirds on the Empire State Building to draw your eye up through the image. It feels balanced even though the focal point is really in the background.

I think discovery plays a lot into my aesthetic as well.

Lots of my shots feature hidden parts of the subject I'm focused on or abstract angles of something people may already be very familiar with. This creates a lead in, particularly in filmmaking or photo essays, to encourage curiosity to see what's next.

This style, while still a choice, is also a deliberate reflection of what it's like to explore a lot of these places in person - it invites the viewer to be a part of that experience and recognize that the story and/or scene is really developed in the details.