Meet The Cinematographer Who is Willing To Do 'ANYTHING For The Shot'
Photo taken by: Cameron Morrow
In light of the hardships, you face as a creative, the skill you need to master to conquer it all is CONFIDENCE! For STL native Drew Brown, he affirms that there is no shot he can’t achieve. His ability to capture different environments and universes and love for The Weeknd inspired his stage name, The Film Lord. While some struggled to find inspiration during quarantine, Drew did what he knows best and picked up his camera. He featured some of our favorite brands such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, Playstation, Apple, and more in stellar self-made commercials, gaining notoriety from the brands and supporters.
We recently got the opportunity to chat with Brown about his love for cinematography, future goals and much more. Check out the full interview below:
What makes you/your craft RARE?
What makes me rare is that I feel I go above and beyond to get the shot and whatever it takes. For me, film-making and cinematography is like an itch I just have to scratch. I'm blessed that I get to wake up and do this every day of my life. I get to do it in so many different walks of life. I can be working on a commercial for a jewelry line and by the end of the day, I'll be coordinating a car commercial shoot through the middle of a busy city. It starts to take a toll on your body but for me, I know that there will be so many people who would love to be in my position so I gave it my all every day. Not saying that I don't want to be famous from this but I rather give back and to help bring exposure to the youth even wanting to do this. It took me to the age of 24 years old to find out that there were other African-American cinematographers in my field. I only knew of the famous directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton. So I feel that if more youth know about this career field and they would use this and that's what I want to give it to my art. What's rare about me is that I want to create an entire generation of filmmakers and cinematographers. What truly makes my job rare and my craft rare is that it takes a certain eye to be able to get into it and talent.
What have been your top 3 favorite collabs and why?
My top three collaborations are DomInglish, MyrionTwos and Anthony Russo. These were artists that gave me the freedom to do what I want pretty much for any and every project that they had me a part of. They gave me the free-range and I was able to put as much production into a story as possible for their works that I was creating. It was fine. I was able to experiment while creating with them and they were cool with it. Not many artists allow me to do the creative stuff that I want to do. But as of recently, I've only been accepting projects that I have a major creative hand in. Now, I get to do what I want and no one gets to question what I do because I'm through with the plan of action and everything else that takes part in productions.
You often speak about being a pillar in your community and utilizing your talents to help the younger generation, who was your inspiration growing up and how did they impact your life?
My mom and my dad were my biggest inspirations growing up. My mom has been a psychology professor for the past 25 years and my dad is a drill sergeant so they both have a level of teaching and education in their bloodline. For me, I just want to be able to reach back to the youth in the community because I see that there is a disconnect between education and the youth. I was flying drones for a utility company most of 2019 and as I was trying to start programs for the inner city, they told me that there was no money in it so I quit that job a month later I received a grant to teach you how to fly drones and get careers in technology-based fields. The coronavirus put it on hold for one year but I'm still working to get some stuff rolling for this school season. Kids would run up to me as I was working my job and asked me if I went to school, but I would just tell them simply I did. I just played video games and I use that to strengthen my drone skills. It's fun though, being able to give back and want to give back. Hopefully someday opening my own school but right now I'm focused on getting the program started which will be rolling out in September 2020.
You seem like a very confident person, but during moments of uncertainty how do you cope/practice self-care?
To be honest, because I really can't be honest at this point in my life but I don't cope or practice much self-care. When I do you have a chance to sit down and not work on something I might exfoliate which is one of the most soothing things anyone can ever do. I'm always on the go but a lot of my life is filled with uncertainty about what tomorrow may have. So I try to stay busy to keep the thoughts of uncertainty away. When I have my daughter with me I'm in complete bliss because I drop everything that I'm working on. She is truly the biggest blessing in my life because she keeps me young and thinking. She is a genius because she can pick up a cinema camera or a drone and it's like she's a natural at it.
Knowing that she is interested in something that her father does is very inspiring to me. I love her so much. She is the most perfect human being to me. For me being a father there is a lot of uncertainty especially since I'm in the field of arts. So my job for being a father to her is making sure that she can chase any dream or goal that she wants to in life because I am doing the exact same thing. It will be a disservice to my legacy no matter what she wants to do to stop her from doing that. My daughter is my peace of mind which is why she has been the subject of some of my recent work. And she loves to help out too.
What type of adversities have you experienced as a black cinematographer (if any)?
Ha! I live in adversities. My life is 100% adversity. Over the past seven years that I've been doing cinematography as a black cinematographer, it has been tough. People expect you to have the best equipment, the best editing software, and the best production behind you. For me, it's been an even tougher road. Being underpaid and being miss treated based on me being the most passionate person when it comes to composition and cinematography. I've been left for dead on some jobs in the middle of the desert while my boss was in Puerto Rico exchanging video packages for trips out of the country. Being mistreated comes with a price that could either get you further ahead or he could leave you penniless. There is not a lot of money in this at the start. But the passion and love for it get you past all the bullshit. I don't like to sugarcoat anything when it comes to telling people about my craft and the fact that this game is all about who you know and some of the talents that you have. You have to make sure that everything you do is going towards the bigger picture of who you want to be and what you want to do in life. It took me 3 to 4 years of consistent work and being broke to the point of I couldn't save any money for me to get somewhere to the point where I could start saving money. Demanding your worth at my age is a very critical thing because it will set you up for the long road ahead. Me being so young people always judge me based on my age which is why I never told my age to a lot of people. They only assumed later on but I never lied about it. Film-making and cinematography is an old man's game. People don't become successful until around their mid-30s. I'm 24 now but I'm just building my resume and portfolio for things that I want to pursue. I'm finding out about every industry so that I can teach it to the kids that may not even know this industry exists. Battling adversity as a black cinematographer is an everyday thing. I respect people that do this craft highly because I know that there are a lot of ups and downs to it. I don't step on anyone's toes. I just try to stay in my lane and that's the best thing that I can do for me and my daughter. Discovering what stories to tell and what visuals to put out is completely on me as of right now. People respect you more for doing your own thing but it's not easy to get to that level. It took me to the age of 24 to find out that there are famous cinematographers that are black. And now that I know I want to give that back to the youth because I didn't know my job was a job until about three or four years ago. It's a niche in a very big market.
Do you like working with artists or brands more? Why?
Honestly, I'm not sure if I like working with artists or brands more. Roll it like working with whoever gives me more creative control. Having cradle control as an artist you know that certain ends need to be met for something to be impactful. The owner of the product or the artist may not always see that picture in the beginning. This is where I use dialogue to help guide the way of reasoning. My background in marketing helps me articulate how certain shots or certain decisions based on how a visual should look worked out in the long run. My day consists of either shooting music videos or maybe even shooting a food commercial so anything that I enjoy having a creative hand in is always my favorite thing to do. I don't like to do anything regular or basic or something that doesn't have an impact. I work completely based on passion so if I feel that something isn't right then I won't sign on to do it.
You once said that “STL is one of the most beautiful cities in the world”, as someone who has traveled a lot, what do you feel like we have that the world is missing out on?
I say that STL is one of the most beautiful places in the world because there are so many walks of life all around us. It's bad due to the levels of segregation and poverty lines. You can tell where the disconnect is between many cultures. You're able to see this firsthand in many areas. Driving from one area of the city to the opposite end of the city is like an entirely different universe. You never know what you might see but you know that you will see something. The architecture lines the city so well. Most of the city streets lead up to a cathedral or some type of government building. They blend over the horizon knowing that your destination will lead you to a landmark. I'm not sure if this is by design but a lot of the money goes into entertainment and landmarks here so the street could take you very far but it will take you to something that would be a public interest. That's why I believe St. Louis is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have something to see for anyone and everyone.
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What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue cinematography?
The only advice I will give to someone wanting to pursue cinematography is to film absolutely everything. Film your hand, glasses, table, remote, shoes, headphones, windows, watches, food, cars, and anything that would be seen in a film. Once you get that down then you can experiment with different camera shots. Then you can move on to investing in perspectives, that could be using a drone or some different type of camera that would help further storytelling. Investing in yourself is also key. You don't need the biggest and the best camera but you do need something that works perfectly just for you. Work with something that you're comfortable with. I've worked with iPhones to $60,000 cameras they are using heavy film productions. Practice with everything. If you get good at the little stuff in the big stuff is a learning curve. Always be open to suggestions but it's up to you whether or not you take them with a grain of salt. It will never be easy if you are an African-American but telling stories the way you want to tell them to matter the most.
What’s your ultimate goal/dream project?
My ultimate goal is to open a school by the time I'm 30 years old which I'm on track to do right now as I'm starting programs beginning in September 2020. Truthfully I want to travel the world with a camera job on my truck getting rolling shots of cars around the country and the world. So anything that entails me traveling 24/7 on the road would be great as long as I have a headquarters in my hometown and I'm able to teach and give back to the community. Want to bring sides from around the world to the communities that don't have adequate Internet or the exposure to what is out there. So me being a cinematographer and I get to teach and travel the world showing the youth what is possible is my dream. Anything a part of that would just be an added accomplishment. I don't pry myself on accomplishments but I just want to make sure that I can impact someone else to pick up a camera or to go after what they want to do in life. That's been my number one goal. My number one goal for sure is to inspire. To keep hope alive that you can be absolutely anything you set out to do in life. I just hope that someone somewhere can read this and tell themselves that they can accomplish whatever they set out to do.