Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Smith.
Chris, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I ended up growing attached to the camera through skating. I have always been a bit of a perfectionist in whatever craft I chose. In the process of filming skating, I realized how much the camera plays a part in how something is perceived. I was fortunate to grow up with many friends who were either great photographers/videographers, so I started paying attention to the angles and lenses they chose. Although we mostly used a fisheye lens and a zoom, there’s an art to how much to move the camera with the fisheye and when to zoom or not. It taught me how to frame someone when they are moving through a space and how important it is to know the action taking place.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
So right now I mostly consider myself a camera op/steadicam operator as I moved into feature films I started paying more attention to lighting and how it controls the viewers perspective. Watching a scene come together one light at a time then looking at the image to see how it all plays on camera is pretty inspiring. Being a Director of Photography is a huge responsibility on set. Knowing what lights to use, how to hide them, when to use what color tones and keeping exposure consistent is a great task. While also knowing all about the technicalities of the camera, how it should move, the angle needed to force a certain emotion, how each frame cuts together, etc. The art of how the camera moves can also be a very specialized craft on its own. These one long take scenes became more mesmerizing after seeing how it was performed in person. The precision and strength of a steadicam operator has a familiar feel to skating. The correct speed, height, balance, and spacial recognition are all traits that are shared between the two very different art forms, but when performed properly they both leave the viewer wondering “how did they do that.”
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I’m a fairly quiet guy who doesn’t like to advertise myself until I feel comfortable showing people what I can do. I try to find as many ways to practice/experiment on my own. Finding someone who is in at a similar skill level that you can learn and grow with is pretty essential in any field. I haven’t had much luck reaching out to other professionals for work, but that’s probably because they are in a similar situation. It’s definitely most important to just keep creating, but you have to maintain a solid sense of professionalism in any work that is shown publicly.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My professional work is spread out across Youtube, Vimeo, cable tv, and other streaming platforms. While practicing new skills, I post personal work on vimeo.com/chrissmithvideo or chrissmithvideo.com
Contact Info:
- Website: chrissmithvideo.com
- Email: chrissmithvideo@gmail.com
- Instagram: @christopherdavidsmith
Image Credit:
@dswag5000 (skating) @d_whyte (camera)
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