Courtesey of Brandon Steele
Brandon Steele is passionate about life – to say the least. He thrives on communicating with everyone around him, wondering what makes them tick. But what profession could compliment such amazing observational and creative skills?
After switching several times from photography, to graphic design, to typography, he finally found what it was he’d been looking for: film. During his fourth year at the Ontario College of Art and Design, he rented out school equipment to help build his portfolio; spending hours writing scripts and setting up shots, and even trekking out to British Columbia for tree planting in order to fund his projects. All this hard work paid off in the end, because he’d successfully entered into the highly competitive film industry, and has loved every second.
The Cowgirls decided to sit with this determined director and talk about his ride, (both his career and his actual ride, a skateboard) and find out what he’s learned since starting out:
Pony: What made you interested in switching into film?
Brandon: I love graphic design. The work process taught me that there’s always a problem and a solution to every job and for a while I was really turned on about solving those problems. 2nd and 3rd year at graphic design school is great, but things start to change when you throw a client into the mix and you realize you can’t do whatever the hell you want. I hated revising a third and fourth concept, which I thought was ground breaking, and finding the client didn’t get it! Really – it was my own inability to find the right solution and that frustrated me. Now I make films because I’ve always loved them. But the same goes: problem and solution, only I’m the client most of the time.
Pony: What are some challenges you wish you knew going into the business?
Brandon: You plan as much as possible – but I don’t think it’s good to know what challenges lie ahead – because you’re likely dealing with one right in front of you. In a field like film, you get people telling you everyday how difficult your life is going to be. But when you bump two cuts together and it flows, it’s awesome and doesn’t matter what it took to get there.
Pony: Tell us about your most recent project.
Brandon: I’m shooting a short film down at Cherry Beach called Outtie, about a boy that is taken on an adventure by a wild-child 9 year-old girl. This time around I’m working with a very young cast, which is scary and fun. The approach changes because attention spans are much shorter. The crew is entirely new from my previous film, so I’m excited at the result we’ll all pull together.
Pony: Your first short film, Spinning, was a big step for you. What did you learn from making it that you might change for your next project?
Brandon: The circumstances for the production of Spinning were bizarre. I knew nothing, so I was easily excitable and pushed into a lot of production options that were unnecessary. Robert Rodriguez calls it “pulling out the money hose” in order to fix a situation. Bottom line is that you don’t need a dolly track and the finest lenses money can rent to make a good film.
Pony: Who are some of your favourite directors in the industry?
Brandon: I like Mike Mills. Actually I was just turned on to his work. It spans graphic design and video and film. Paperboys is one of my favourite shorts. He has an incredible restraint with his pacing. I like a story that isn’t so high-stakes, and Mills takes ubiquitous images and subjects and really shows you something you probably already know, but didn’t realize how exciting it was.
Pony: You’ve studied at both O.C.A.D. in Toronto, and Otis in L.A. How did these schools compare in regards to your studies?
Brandon: There was hype around an American education that I had built in my head and brought down to L.A. and it dissolved quickly. Otis College, which was whispered on their campus as being the cousin to Parsons, took more pride in their affiliation with brand names than the quality of work that was being produced. It shouldn’t be surprising though, it’s a fashion school. And for this reason I thought OCAD was a better fit for my thinking. OCAD teaches you a process for solving problems and OTIS was lacking this approach. That said, there are a lot of OCAD’ers that are likely still trying to figure out how to make money, while OTIS’ers are fed into their industry of choice with greater ease.
Pony: Your other passion is designing skateboards. Tell about the shop in Toronto where we can design our own board with you.
Brandon: The shop is called Roarockit Skateboard Company and was started by Ted Hunter, a former design professor of mine at OCAD. We make skateboards in our small shop from the individual veneer up and with a great ability to manipulate its structure. Any shape, concave, thickness, etc. is controlled. Lot’s of fun and anyone can do it. I feel like I’m making a sales pitch, but seriously, it’s only a hobby.
Pony: So what’s your advice for someone starting out in the film industry?
Brandon: I don’t have any advice to give – I am usually receiving it.
Pony: Lastly, where do you like to go in Toronto on a Saturday night?
Brandon: I try to mix it up, Andy’s Pool Hall is good – I don’t think that’s as cool anymore, but I don’t care.
Keep your eyes peeled for Brandon whizzing by on one of his homemade skateboards around town – he’ll most likely be filming as he goes. Although not a man who likes to sit still, you can shoot him an email at Brandon_steele@hotmail.com, or check out his work at www.vimeo.com.
XoXo
-The Cowgirls.
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