Through projects like this, I’ve started discovering something new: extending storytelling beyond the screen and into the physical world.
From filming within a cello to compositing performances inside the instrument… to designing and building an interactive kiosk for audiences to experience in person, this project became something far bigger than a single film.
A look behind the scenes of “Meet You at the Phil.”
I tell stories for the screen and beyond.
This interactive kiosk was created to extend the commercial’s opening sequence into a physical experience, inviting people to peek inside the music itself.
Built from the same cello used in the commercial, the kiosk carries the story beyond the screen. Once part of the orchestra’s education programs, the instrument now takes on a new life, continuing to inspire curiosity, imagination, and discovery.
A few final adjustments… and it will be ready for public viewing
A handcrafted vampire confession.
I’ve always been drawn to storytelling that feels tangible, where you can sense the materials, the imperfections, the human touch behind every frame.
I find myself continually pulled toward work that embraces physical artistry, performance, and intentional design.
This one means a lot to me.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring it to life.
For the Awakening Scene in Before the Sun, the camera needed to drift through a very small space and eventually travel inside a vampire’s coffin. The @venuslaowa Probe Zoom Periscope let the camera creep around corners, explore textures, and shift perspective as the character wakes from his dream. I’m not sure I could have told this moment as effectively without it. Sometimes the best place to put the audience is somewhere unexpected… even inside a vampire’s coffin.
Dawn doesn't arrive all at once.
It builds, light, heat, steam, fire.
Layer by layer.
Shot in-camera.
Burn shaped in post.
It may look like a vampire story.
It isn't.
The devil is in the details.
In Before the Sun, that means carved wood, stitched fabric, printed forms, painted textures, each element quietly shaping the world.
Light, lens, focus, motion.
Tools in service of story.
Production is wrapped.
Post begins
Testing a night-to-dawn transition and a head swap using a programmed camera move.
I shoot the scene once lit for night, then reset and repeat the exact same move lit for dawn. In post, both passes are synced perfectly, the night slowly fades out as dawn creeps in and takes over.
Oh… and for the daytime pass, the puppet’s head gets swapped for the screaming, on-fire vampire version 😈
Controlled motion.
Matched timing.
Practical effects + a little movie magic.
More to come.
This scene blends stop-motion animation, live action, and green screen, making it one of the trickier to capture. This phase is all about rehearsal and problem-solving before we step into production. That said… some of these “tests” may actually find their way into the final film. Still building set elements and dialing in the production design, but it’s all coming together. More to come.
Big shout-out to @monkeyshineairbrushing for their stellar work on the wooden hand!
Jumping between director and cinematographer is equal parts challenge and thrill.
This type of shot lives or dies in rehearsal, testing, resetting, and refining a slow-moving oner that tells the story, leading us to our hero… or should I say villain?
Next stage: set dressing — placing every prop, every detail.
