A Dream Project for the ICA Boston
People often ask me what I prefer more, filming or photography? I usually answer with a line about how cinematography is just 24 pictures a second and the two mediums go hand in hand, but one medium that flies under the radar and has a lot more impact on storytelling than most think is video editing. I started my career as an editor. In college my best friend and fellow creator, Keith Weiner, sat me down at an old MacBook, opened up Final Cut Pro, and taught me everything. He had me record myself counting out the numbers in order from 0 to 10, then had me drag the video into a timeline, showed me the blade tool and said “cut this video to make it sound like you are saying your phone number.” This was an incredible way to teach me to edit; it came very easily to me and I was instantly hooked. This then led to an obsession with editing footage into stories, whether I shot them or not. Clients started handing off hours of footage and asking me to create stories like this video I did for Reebok compiling footage handed to me and some that I shot of NFL superstar JJ Watt. That kind of challenge gives me an uncontrollable rush like no other and quickly became a real niche in the content creation world.
Now, almost a decade into my career, I get to combine my photography, cinematography, and editing skills, often all on one project . A recent project for the Institute of Contemporary Arts/Boston was the culmination of years of this editing obsession. For the first time, my work would not just live online, it would also be on display next to gigantic installations, helping to tell the artist’s story behind their work.
I’ve been working with the ICA Boston for a while, creating videos about exhibiting artists and filming studio visits to help promote their exhibitions. I even had a chance to follow the legend Virgil Abloh around for a day. This last year, I was asked by the museum’s Director of Creative Content and Digital Engagement, Kris Wilton, to do something they had never done before: produce videos that would play alongside artists' pieces in the actual space, to tell the story of their work further. We would accomplish this, during the pandemic, by interviewing the artists virtually, collecting stills and footage, and then capturing detailed footage of their installations. Each video would live in the space for the summer at their free seasonal space the ICA Watershed in East Boston. The videos would also be a part of the Bloomberg Connects app, to give a virtual tour to those who can’t make it or want to experience more after visiting.
This project took months. Kris and I spent hours on calls, along with the project’s curator, Ruth Erickson, talking to each artist no matter where they were in the world. The museum’s curatorial team collected video and stills from the artists, their gallery representation, and other museums. Over time, I organized and crafted the stories of each artist from their interviews, aligned b-roll, and found the perfect music to convey the feeling we got from each artist and their work. One video, for Joe Wardwell, we shot and interviewed in person since he lives in the area. Finally, under the curatorial direction of Ruth Erickson, the videos were added to the exhibition, looping between English and Spanish versions, with headphones and couches for a comfortable viewing experience. I was able to visit the Watershed to see the work in person, but really I went to see the reactions of visitors. At the time, my wife was very pregnant with twins, so this experience was extra special because what I witnessed foreshadowed the next phase of my life. For the one hour I spent observing, the visitors who most often sat down and watched each video fully through were families. Moms and dads with their kids, putting on the headphones together, taking a break from their day out in the big city, and watching our videos. I even heard one child say “Daddy I love the music.” Given how close I was to becoming a father for the first time, this hit me hard. I saw my future and it was beautiful.
I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than Kris and Ruth at the ICA. The work, the process, and the final presentation put a perfect bow on almost a decade of storytelling professionally under Doza Visuals. This next decade, balancing a family and a blossoming career, is honestly frightening, but it’s moments like those I had with my wife, watching families view our work together, that provided me with so much gratitude that I get to live this crazy creative life. Before you know it, that will be me putting headphones over my kids’ ears, while we experience some art together. What a beautiful life.
You can view the videos we made on the ICA’s YouTube channel below. Produced by myself and Kris Wilton. Revival: Materials and Monumental Forms was organized by Ruth Erickson, Mannion Family Curator, with Anna Pullagura, curatorial assistant. The show wrapped up early September but there are so many great exhibits currently at the ICA that it’s a must visit.
