about Josh
Josh
Videographer
He is an incredible force of forward motion, problem solving, and genuine laughter. Hands down, Josh is the best person for this job in every respect. Not only does he thoughtfully consider his every move personally and professionally, he is generous to his core as he leads the industry in cooperative efforts to make a better product as well as a better experience for the clients he serves.
As a creative person, what do you find most inspirational on a regular basis? How do you feed your creative side?
Like most videographers I tent to gain a lot of inspiration from cinema and TV – Wes Anderson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Tarantino, etc. But I think my most constant source would be Photography. I was once told by a wise internet stranger that if you can’t take one photo, you can’t take 24 in a second, so I study photography and I practice it every chance I get.
With a beard so epic you could easily be a lumberjack or a professional hipster, what drew you to this work?
I used to be a sound engineer, and I was driven to video because a client I was working with needed content and I was like, “Yeah, I can run a camera!” and I learned how in about a week. It was love at first frame. I have always been a cross discipline kind of guy (I’ve worked professionally as a graphic designer, photographer, sound engineer, musician, and videographer) and making a film incorporates almost every single creative outlet I enjoy, all wrapped into one.
With your background in music production and all things audio, how do you feel that this integrates into this work?
Sound is more than half of video. People can accept bad video with great audio, but not the other way around (there are studies on this so it’s literally science). So, you can be Stephen Spielberg and shoot a wedding, but if it sounds like garbage it’s not going to be enjoyable. Good audio is everything, and while weddings are events and perfect audio is not always attainable, having someone with the skills to adapt and make it the best it can be is so important.
Coming back to your beard, because I know everyone wants to know, have you ever used it as a wind screen for a microphone?
Ha ha… No.
What is your favorite element of the process as you craft these final videos?
My favourite element of these videos is interacting with the people at the wedding. I’m a pretty introverted guy, but something about the energy of a wedding day is intoxicating and breaks me out of my shell. Everyone is so different and it’s a lot of fun to experience each couple and who they are, and then and tell my camera to capture that.
You do a really great job at getting close to people quickly, in an emotional way …not like running up to people, what is your secret to this skill?
Listening. And then connecting with folks where they are. I think a genuine interest in who someone is as a person can go a long way.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about your laugh, it’s contagious, funny, and impressive all at once. What is your favorite kind of humor that just GETS you, every time?
I live somewhere in the middle of satire, surrealism, and non-sequitur. A perfect example of this is the Blues Brothers, my favourite movie. Show me a comedy with more heart and soul and I’ll show you a banana.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be? Keep in mind that in this crazy hypothetical, there is a ban on mix-tapes… so this is it, for real.
This is the hardest question here because it changes everyday. I’m going to listen to my analytical brain and say “Octavarium” by prog-rock band Dream Theater. It’s a super long album (8 songs clock in at 73 minutes) and being prog rock, there is a lot of diversity. Not only that, but there is a lot of depth to it; the entire album runs on a theme of 8 in a cyclical way, almost using the circle of fifths as direct inspiration so there is a lot to discover with multiple listens.
Lastly, to bring it all full circle to the core of what we do, what do you find most inspiring about the depth of relationship that we get to document?
Every weekend I get to witness the best day of two people’s lives, and quite intimately I might add – we spend a lot of time with them. Sure, I like filming weddings because of the challenge it provides and I always feel a sense of accomplishment when it’s done, but the that’s just the spark plug. The real fuel lies in the fact that I know what I’m doing is incredibly important to so many people, family and friends alike. I am constantly inspired by my own parents’ marriage – imagine being able to show your kids your wedding story from 20 years ago and inspiring them to love like you. Marriage is important stuff for everyone involved, past, present, and future; and I am constantly humbled that I get to be a part of it and tell these stories.
Would love to see how it turned out!