Occulus Films

I never got around to sharing the results of an amazing collaboration in 2025. I had the privilege of producing, directing, and shooting this super fun music video last year - "Able Archer" with Birmingham Electric, all the way from the Netherlands. We were the first EVER music video to film in the Titan Missile Museum in Tucson, Arizona! The artists specifically wanted to shoot their video in this location and we were happy to oblige. This shoot consisted of shooting multiple overnight scenes in the museum with actors in 3 locations, and performances in multiple locations, all within 8 hours - including load in, and load out up and down 5 flights of stairs with all our heavy equipment. The cast and crew just did such a phenominol job bringing this video to life. It was such an unusual and fun concept that I dreamt up with the artists. We had band members coming to life in photos and the TV, while an alternate reality missile crew received order to launch their nuclear payload. Thank you so much to all who made this a reality, especially Bert and Trina Boutin, who were extremely generous and gracious to me for this project. This video would not have happened without you. Artists - Birmingham Electric Cinematographer / Director - 🙋 Produced by - Occulus Films Gaffer - Andrew Tougas Key Grip - Remi Lucero Assistant Cam / Focus - Joseph Mbah Art Department - Lemonade Acre, Bert Boutin and Trina Boutin Photography - Tony Silva Missile Crew - Kevin Taylor, William Kenny, Corey Busboom Equipment provided by Eclipse Rentals in Phoenix Thank you to the Titan Missile Museum for your excellent cooperation! You can see the full video by visiting the link in my bio. @joseph_mbah @andrew.tougas @zona_bitch @lemonadeacre @tonycsilvadirector @kevinptaylor @sir_williamtheactor @coreyleebusboom @occulusfilms @eclipsefilmsupply @titanmissilemuseum @birminghamelectric

There’s an efficient order of operations that you can follow that will save you a TON of time and prevent frustration for you and your crew. 1. Block your scene. Where are the actors moving in the scene? Map out the steps of their movement. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but get as close an idea you can. 2. Set your frame. Figure out (or set, if you’ve planned out your shots previously) your frame. Set the camera down, and rehearse your movement, if any. 3. Setup your lighting. First, set your key, or primary light source, followed up supplemental light such as your backlight, then background and accent lighting. Dial things in with some fill light or bounce and other small details. 4. Rehearse your scene with your established blocking, framing and camera movement, and lighting, then make tweaks as necessary. If you follow this order of operations, you’ll be glad you did. The reason is that if you put some of these steps before others, they will undermine other steps. For example, if you begin lighting before you know what your blocking is, then you may light an area or in a way that won’t light your actors properly as they move within the scene. Or, if you light before you know what your frame will generally be, you may find that you placed lighting in a way that will light your scene in a flat manner, losing three-dimensionality, or that you have placed stands where camera will see them.

The Occulus team hit the road recently to showcase some horsepower and some natural Arizona beauty. We're constantly sharpening our skillset to be the most effective visual storytellers possible. More to follow soon in the coming weeks.

Grateful for an incredible year of creating, collaborating, and bringing stories to life. Thank you to everyone who trusted me, worked alongside me, and supported the journey. Wishing you a season filled with rest, good company, and inspiration for what’s ahead.

On July 5th, we got together to collaborate with some friends on a fun shoot, try some new things, and keep pushing ourselves! We've been busy doing work for our business clients, so we haven't been able to finish it yet, so it's a work in progress. I couldn't help but share a few screenshots from this project though! Working title "Intercept". These screenshots are pretty much untouched other than a quick LUT treatment. Featuring a couple of awesome dudes - Sean Berube and Joseph Mbah in the lead roles, with an awesome crew! Crew: Nick LaRovere - director, cinematographer David Navarrete - gaffer Alexander Nunn - 1st AC Jacob Higley - 2nd AC Elizabeth LaRovere - sound Alexis Gorman - makeup Omar Ahmad - scripty Andrea Arnold - production coordinator produced by Occulus Films and gear from Eclipse Rentals My wife Elizabeth and I did the special effects - thank you to Lemonade Acre for renting us some helpful items like the hazer and props! @joseph_mbah @seanberube_ @monkeyacts @lemonadeacre @bromarthegreat @occulusfilms @eclipsefilmsupply

Part 8 of film posters I’ve designed! Collaborated with filmmaker @nick_larovere of @occulusfilms in producing a film poster for his post-apocalyptic, sci-fi film “Artificial Intelligence.” Still will always be a highlight in my career to not only be apart of this awesome production, but the fact that it premiered at @chandlerfilmfestival last year. 🎥 . FOLLOW @designersaylor for my designs! ✨ . #arizonagraphicdesign #arizonagraphicdesigner #azgraphicdesign #arizonafilmmaker #arizonafilm #posterdesigner #posterdesigners #graphicdesignart #posterartist #posterart #arizonaposter #actionposter #scifiposters #scififilm #scififilmmakers #madmaxmovie #filmposterart #filmposterartwork #filmposterdesign #occulusfilms #azfilmproduction

It's official. I'm sharing my Arizona locations map with my friends in the filmmaking world. If you'd like access, let me know, and I'll DM the link and password to you. I'd love for this to be a great resource for locals and people visiting alike! I have a few dozen locations on there now with tons of photos and videos from my location scouts. If anyone wants to add something to it, that'd be great, send me the info! Location (address or coordinates), notes about sound, power access, management name and contact info, photos and videos - whatever you've got. #arizonafilmmakers #filminaz #azfilm #filmmaking #locationscouting

Collaborated with Arizona film director and cinematographer @nick_larovere in producing this awesome film poster for his film “Indent Pursuit.” Wanted to show off the design process of how the poster came to be, considering how drastic the visuals and style changed during the course of the project. FOLLOW @nick_larovere if you want to see more awesome projects he’s working on or if you want to HIRE him for your next film project! 🎥 . Check out @designersaylor if you want to FOLLOW my work or HIRE me for your next project! ✨ . #cinematographers #arizonacinematographer #azfilm #azfilmmaker #arizonagraphicdesign #azgraphicdesign #filmposterdesign #filmposters #filmposterart #filmposterdesigner #posterdesigns #posterdesigners #indentpursuit #occulusfilms

I do a fair amount of location scouting so one thing I enjoy doing is whenever I find an interesting place, I'll stop for a few minutes, explore, and take a bunch of photos and a sun chart image (showing the path of sun on location) and take some notes about the place. Not only does it make road trips interesting, it tends to be useful later on when people ask for locations because I have a database I've built up. This particular place is at Two Guns, AZ, and across the street is the so-called "Apache Death Cave". #locationscout #locationscouting #arizonafilmmakers #filmmaking #indiefilm #cinematographer #directorofphotography

3 tips for better testimonial videos! Testimonial videos are a powerful tool to connect with potential customers. They go to your website. They see someone just like them, with similiar problems, and their problems solved by your product or service. Many times, that's the difference between them making a purchase - or not. Reviews do the same. But having the person say it on camera is much more impactful. #videomarketing #videoproduction #phoenixaz #phoenixvideoproduction #arizonavideoproduction #arizonavideographer #digitalmarketing @nick_larovere

An average Friday night in Poznan, Poland. These photos were from one of my first nights out on the town, exploring and experiencing what this place had to offer and seeing its unique character. Sony A7rii with Sony 24-70 f 2.8 G Master and Cinebloom 10% filter. @sonyalpha @moment #cinematicphotography #cinematographer #streetphotography #polandphotos

I couldn't fit enough photos in my last post and wanted to share some photos of what I've worked on lately! So many diverse and interesting shoots. A zombie film in the woods with David Estrada and his cast. A puppet show using virtual backdrops such as woods and beach with Bert of Lemonade Acre adjusting the set. Eating watermelon at a Florida farm with Patrick Myers. A fight scene in the rain for my film Indent Pursuit (in post) featuring Angel Ruiz and David Rice. A virtual set demo for Arizona Filmmakers at Flow Productions. The 100+ episode for a client's podcast "Redeeming Truth". Landing on a glacier via helicopter for Tony Silva as DP. Movie night with catering for the Occulus team. Lastly, a music video for Gabriel Barcenilla featuring an endless sunset on the beach and flying through the clouds! @david_estrada_suarez @lemonadeacre @patrickmyersaz @angelruizdirector @davidwrice_films @arizonafilmmakers @flowproductions @redeemerbibleaz @gbarcenilla