Rondell Mcleod
I had met Rondell playing dodgeball oddly enough and we became friends soon after. Rondell had a infectious personality and tone to him. He was always so happy and smiling. Rondell was actually the only person I got to do any sort of prep with. I said I wanted to go out location scouting one night and that was partly true but I really wanted to get a better idea of who Rondell was. It's tough to truly know someone and I thought it would be fair to use this opportunity to get deeper into Rondell's life and also to let Rondell know why I was doing this project, so he could decide if he wanted to participate.
It hasn't been an all together smooth ride for Rondell. I think he's still trying to find his home. I believe that he's excepted and found himself though and that's a beautiful thing.
Jennifer Field
Jennifer had starred in a commercial I shot for a company called Halo a ways back. She is gorgeous on camera. But beyond her being a former beauty queen. I wanted to get a POV from someone who's outer appearance is more important to them than most. I say that with complete respect because as a Actress and model it's important. I knew she had a son but I didn't know anything about him or her. I didn't know until the interview that that was her biological son. And then when she asked if she could talk about her trans sister who had been excommunicated from her family I realized her story was far more complex than I had imagined. I think what I appreciate so much about Jennifer is that beauty to her is excepting it wherever it is. Her part ended up being a love letter to her sister and an honest confession to her family unwilling to see beauty if a form that scares them. Jennifer embraces the idea of beauty far beyond her own and by the end of her interview I was tearing into the view finder.
The Moskow Family
Natasha and Jacob have been friends of mine for a long time now but since Natasha got pregnant I haven't seen much of them. Natasha has such a glow to her on camera and I think because of her and Jacob's background I was interested in shooting a part with them that had a sense of nostalgia. I feel like new parents all have a moment of clarity when they realize that in fact their parents before them were just as clueless and scared when they had kids. By the end of the interview I could see Natasha really felt at home. She had almost a moment of clarity. You could see in her face she felt so loved and lucky to have a family. At the beginning of the interview I never would have thought she would have ended trying to keep herself from crying but that's the beauty in this part. I didn't ask them too many questions now did I in any of the parts. The best things happened when were were having a conversation and when her and her husband were trying to articulate what beauty was to them in this new chapter of their life.
Cyrus "GLITCH" Spencer
I knew Cyrus a little going into the piece. I used to shoot dance concept videos about 5 years ago and he was already a known commodity in the dance world. He popped back into my head as he just starred in a Mountain Dew commercial I had shot a couple months earlier. I've always loved watching dancing and Cyrus has such a unique style. I wanted a POV of an artist on beauty. I didn't want to ask him how he defined it. He filled in the details around the idea brilliantly. I came at his part in a much more cerebral way. I knew it was going to be less about the dancing and more about him so I wasn't after some choreographed routine. I wanted to see him freestyle a bit but it was more so about his expression and his vibe.
Jessica & Kathleen
Beyond Jess and Kathleen being and I'm not exaggerating two of the best producers I've ever met they're also about the most gorgeous couple I know. Jess had produced a car spot I shot a few weeks before we shot her part. She graciously let me shoot her on her Birthday. I like both of them because they have an excitement about each other. It's sort of like two kids that have a crush on one another in elementary school. I also think the challenges they face as gay women and the backgrounds they grew up in left them wondering where the idea of beauty fit in. But I think when they look at each other that's the answer. It's always great rolling the camera and listening and watching people try to figure out how to define beauty. That was the beauty of shooting this piece. Seeing them both try to find the right feeling to convey.
The Tousey Family
So Brian Tousey was actually my middle school teacher. I reached out to him because I wanted to do a POV from the standpoint of a middle class straight white guy. Also someone who has had a bit more time experiencing life. Brian and Maya have a more realized notion of beauty. They're living it. They have found their home and what's beautiful to them.
Stills & BTS