Will:
Okay..let's kick things off with how you got into filming and what your first camera was.
Ryan:
Sounds like a good place to start. I got my first video camera for christmas when i was in grade 7..I think it was a Sony TRV-250.
Ryan:
haha yes! http://uaflibrary.us/media/equipment/images/SonyDCR-TRV250.jpg
Will:
Woah...next level stuff. Were you interested in filming or did your parents just decide it would be cool to give you a camera?
Ryan:
I watched some of the CKY videos at my friend Nic's house in grade 6 and 7 and around this time I started getting into skating and then I saw Girl Yeah Right. I think that was the point when I wanted to try filming.
Will:
Cool. Who did you start filming with?
Ryan:
Ethan Berrouard, Nic Scroggins, Craig Lea. This was way back, grade 7-grade 8 but then I met Steve Hunt and Alex Smith and it's funny now that I think about it but I hadn't met Colton Blight at this time and I used to just hear of the craziest tricks he could do. I would go to "Nowhere" Skatepark too and I met Colton their for the first time.
Will:
Funny you should say that, I would always hear about the crazy stuff he was doing too. Did you film mostly around the Cambridge area or were you guys venturing out into the unknown yet?
Ryan:
Not at this point. The furthest we ever went was downtown Galt. I must have been in about grade 8 or 9 when we first took the bus to Kitchener.
Okay..let's kick things off with how you got into filming and what your first camera was.
Ryan:
Sounds like a good place to start. I got my first video camera for christmas when i was in grade 7..I think it was a Sony TRV-250.
Ryan:
haha yes! http://uaflibrary.us/media/equipment/images/SonyDCR-TRV250.jpg
Will:
Woah...next level stuff. Were you interested in filming or did your parents just decide it would be cool to give you a camera?
Ryan:
I watched some of the CKY videos at my friend Nic's house in grade 6 and 7 and around this time I started getting into skating and then I saw Girl Yeah Right. I think that was the point when I wanted to try filming.
Will:
Cool. Who did you start filming with?
Ryan:
Ethan Berrouard, Nic Scroggins, Craig Lea. This was way back, grade 7-grade 8 but then I met Steve Hunt and Alex Smith and it's funny now that I think about it but I hadn't met Colton Blight at this time and I used to just hear of the craziest tricks he could do. I would go to "Nowhere" Skatepark too and I met Colton their for the first time.
Will:
Funny you should say that, I would always hear about the crazy stuff he was doing too. Did you film mostly around the Cambridge area or were you guys venturing out into the unknown yet?
Ryan:
Not at this point. The furthest we ever went was downtown Galt. I must have been in about grade 8 or 9 when we first took the bus to Kitchener.
Everyone's Gotta Eat! Chomp on This.
-Ryan pulled a “BRB” on me mid conversation at this point -
Ryan: Hey
Will:
Welcome back. By the time I met you, you had a Canon GL2 and some fisheye lens...when did you hook that up?
Ryan:
I bought that camera in April of grade 10.
Ryan:
April 22nd
Will:
How long did you have that for?
Ryan:
About a year.
Ryan:
It was a quick decision to get a DVX..it was March and I was just thinking of how much better it would be to have a DVX so I tried to sell the GL2 and I knew a guy in London with a DVX that he was selling so I picked it up at the of April..best decision I have ever made.
Will:
Ah, nice. It definitely seems that since getting the DVX you've been playing with the creative aspect of video. Would you say this is just you progressing or because of the abilities of your new camera?
Ryan:
I would say that getting the DVX has allowed me to progress. When I got it I contemplated getting a fisheye but I decided against it because I feel that there is no skill in filming skateboarding with a fisheye. A lot of people will disagree with me. Personally I love wide lenses but I wanted to progress more with composing shots and not just point the camera. Technology is always moving forward
and I think that allows for more freedom but in contrast I was shooting 16mm black and white last week with a camera that you had to crank to load the spring that rolls the film through.
Ryan:
In conclusion to the question I just want to say that new technology has opened a lot of creativity in filming for me but at the same time I feel there is a lot of creativity in shooting film to. I'm sure you can understand in reference to photography. I think I went really off topic there.
Will:
Welcome back. By the time I met you, you had a Canon GL2 and some fisheye lens...when did you hook that up?
Ryan:
I bought that camera in April of grade 10.
Ryan:
April 22nd
Will:
How long did you have that for?
Ryan:
About a year.
Ryan:
It was a quick decision to get a DVX..it was March and I was just thinking of how much better it would be to have a DVX so I tried to sell the GL2 and I knew a guy in London with a DVX that he was selling so I picked it up at the of April..best decision I have ever made.
Will:
Ah, nice. It definitely seems that since getting the DVX you've been playing with the creative aspect of video. Would you say this is just you progressing or because of the abilities of your new camera?
Ryan:
I would say that getting the DVX has allowed me to progress. When I got it I contemplated getting a fisheye but I decided against it because I feel that there is no skill in filming skateboarding with a fisheye. A lot of people will disagree with me. Personally I love wide lenses but I wanted to progress more with composing shots and not just point the camera. Technology is always moving forward
and I think that allows for more freedom but in contrast I was shooting 16mm black and white last week with a camera that you had to crank to load the spring that rolls the film through.
Ryan:
In conclusion to the question I just want to say that new technology has opened a lot of creativity in filming for me but at the same time I feel there is a lot of creativity in shooting film to. I'm sure you can understand in reference to photography. I think I went really off topic there.
Look Close, Ryan is on
some next level shit.
Will:
No dude, go on if you want, everyone wants to see into the mind of Ryan Alexander. I like your idea of quality over quantity though in regard to the fisheye topic. I'm sort of the same where I try to avoid the fisheye if possible...sometimes it's not but mostly it is. I'm going to go back in time a bit before the whole technology question, where did you pick up your knowledge and technique(s) filming?
Ryan:
I will have to give my thanks and appreciation to Skate Perception for teaching me. I would just lurk the forms and eventually start posting. From what I learned there I was able to start teaching myself a lot so I would have to say it's mostly self taught. Now that I go to school for film making. I have to say I have learnt a retarded amount already but Skate Perception was a big influence and just learning from doing it myself, you know what I mean?
Will:
Yeah, definitely. With the internet a fingertip away you can pretty much learn the basics to anything...it's sort of scary in a way. Who do you look to in terms of influences in the filming area?
Ryan:
Well my first influence for filming was Ty Evans, best skate filmer ever. But now that I am becoming more aware of cinema and stuff I would have to say I like the work of Roger Deakins and Robert Yeoman.
No dude, go on if you want, everyone wants to see into the mind of Ryan Alexander. I like your idea of quality over quantity though in regard to the fisheye topic. I'm sort of the same where I try to avoid the fisheye if possible...sometimes it's not but mostly it is. I'm going to go back in time a bit before the whole technology question, where did you pick up your knowledge and technique(s) filming?
Ryan:
I will have to give my thanks and appreciation to Skate Perception for teaching me. I would just lurk the forms and eventually start posting. From what I learned there I was able to start teaching myself a lot so I would have to say it's mostly self taught. Now that I go to school for film making. I have to say I have learnt a retarded amount already but Skate Perception was a big influence and just learning from doing it myself, you know what I mean?
Will:
Yeah, definitely. With the internet a fingertip away you can pretty much learn the basics to anything...it's sort of scary in a way. Who do you look to in terms of influences in the filming area?
Ryan:
Well my first influence for filming was Ty Evans, best skate filmer ever. But now that I am becoming more aware of cinema and stuff I would have to say I like the work of Roger Deakins and Robert Yeoman.
The Goods.
Will:
Does Ty come to you with filming questions now or are you guys on a pretty level playing field?
Ryan:
haha, I would be so happy if I could just shake that dudes hand.
Will:
What did you think of Fully Flared? Personally, I thought it was the first real cross over of turning a skate video into a real cinematic production - almost. Thoughts on that?
Ryan:
I haven't seen the entire video yet but I agree, it's definitely a big step towards cinematic skate videos..but you know how Ty is with dollys and jibs and all that fancy equipment us regular filmers can only dream of.
Will:
I guess the fact that he has access to all that stuff really does make a difference. Since you're in film school can you rent any of that equipment out?
Ryan:
Sort of. The first year students are pretty limited in equipment but if you show a lot of interest and become friends with the teachers they can sometimes pull some strings for you which is cool. We have a jib in the TV Studio which is pretty awesome to use and dollies are available to use.
Will:
Interesting...one weekend we should do some high production skate session a la Ryan Alexander. Next question though, what's your thoughts on the RED cameras?
Does Ty come to you with filming questions now or are you guys on a pretty level playing field?
Ryan:
haha, I would be so happy if I could just shake that dudes hand.
Will:
What did you think of Fully Flared? Personally, I thought it was the first real cross over of turning a skate video into a real cinematic production - almost. Thoughts on that?
Ryan:
I haven't seen the entire video yet but I agree, it's definitely a big step towards cinematic skate videos..but you know how Ty is with dollys and jibs and all that fancy equipment us regular filmers can only dream of.
Will:
I guess the fact that he has access to all that stuff really does make a difference. Since you're in film school can you rent any of that equipment out?
Ryan:
Sort of. The first year students are pretty limited in equipment but if you show a lot of interest and become friends with the teachers they can sometimes pull some strings for you which is cool. We have a jib in the TV Studio which is pretty awesome to use and dollies are available to use.
Will:
Interesting...one weekend we should do some high production skate session a la Ryan Alexander. Next question though, what's your thoughts on the RED cameras?
Scopin'
-Long Pause-
Will:
Did that question just scare you or something?
Ryan:
It's funny you ask. Yesterday a third year, media arts student had this big presentation on the Red camera and pretty well explained the entire camera and workflow and just everything you need to know pretty well.
I think it's a big step for digital cinema and the camera is insane, it's essentially a computer, it's really complicated but it's expensive. Lenses, hard drives, etc..plus you need a whole new addition to the camera department.
The whole workflow is intense, it would be awesome to shot with one though
Will:
Do you foresee yourself getting your hands on one anytime soon?
Ryan:
Personally? No not at all, the lenses alone cost more than the camera. I would like to PA on a set of a Red shoot and maybe get in the camera crew for a Red shoot which would be a dream come true.
Will:
Alright, I've finished my bag of crunchy Cheetohs so I'm going to start winding this down. When you're done school what do you see yourself doing? Be specific.
Ryan:
I will always film skating, mainly because of the freedom and I always have a good time when I'm out filming skating, lots of good people and it's always fun. I have no idea what direction my career will take, obviously something in film. I want to work in post-production as an editor, my dream job is to be a colourist. Itt would be awesome to work in the camera and lighting department in film production or dramatic television. Whatever opportunities I'm offered I will take.
Will:
Any last words before we cut this MSN transmission off?
Ryan:
I just want people to know it doesn't matter if you have to most awesome HD camera or a little handy-cam. What matters is how well you compose your shots and thinking about how you want to film some thing. And one last thing..buy a tripod.
Ryan:
Oh, and that you should never stop learning . I learn new tricks and techniques everyday and I don't even think the stuff I shot is good, I'm always trying to improve, it's just a matter of learning as much as you can.
Will:
That it?
Ryan:
I have so much to say haha, but I will stop there, any other questions you can think of?
Will:
Not at the moment. Wise words my friend and thanks a bunch for your time, the blog world is ruthless when it comes to hunger for content!
Did that question just scare you or something?
Ryan:
It's funny you ask. Yesterday a third year, media arts student had this big presentation on the Red camera and pretty well explained the entire camera and workflow and just everything you need to know pretty well.
I think it's a big step for digital cinema and the camera is insane, it's essentially a computer, it's really complicated but it's expensive. Lenses, hard drives, etc..plus you need a whole new addition to the camera department.
The whole workflow is intense, it would be awesome to shot with one though
Will:
Do you foresee yourself getting your hands on one anytime soon?
Ryan:
Personally? No not at all, the lenses alone cost more than the camera. I would like to PA on a set of a Red shoot and maybe get in the camera crew for a Red shoot which would be a dream come true.
Will:
Alright, I've finished my bag of crunchy Cheetohs so I'm going to start winding this down. When you're done school what do you see yourself doing? Be specific.
Ryan:
I will always film skating, mainly because of the freedom and I always have a good time when I'm out filming skating, lots of good people and it's always fun. I have no idea what direction my career will take, obviously something in film. I want to work in post-production as an editor, my dream job is to be a colourist. Itt would be awesome to work in the camera and lighting department in film production or dramatic television. Whatever opportunities I'm offered I will take.
Will:
Any last words before we cut this MSN transmission off?
Ryan:
I just want people to know it doesn't matter if you have to most awesome HD camera or a little handy-cam. What matters is how well you compose your shots and thinking about how you want to film some thing. And one last thing..buy a tripod.
Ryan:
Oh, and that you should never stop learning . I learn new tricks and techniques everyday and I don't even think the stuff I shot is good, I'm always trying to improve, it's just a matter of learning as much as you can.
Will:
That it?
Ryan:
I have so much to say haha, but I will stop there, any other questions you can think of?
Will:
Not at the moment. Wise words my friend and thanks a bunch for your time, the blog world is ruthless when it comes to hunger for content!
Ryan has always been a DIY type of guy.
Here he displays his home-made dolly nicely.
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