Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aamuro Kanda. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Aamuro, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I like to say my work ethic stems from my heritage and long lineage of farmers on both sides of my family. My father came from a small village in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan and immigrated to the states in the 70s. While he was a complete hippy in Oakland back in the day, he stayed true to his farming roots and understood the hard work needed to advance in life. He moved to Boulder, Colorado and worked at one of the first Japanese restaurants in Colorado, Sushi Zanmai. He put hard work in and moved from being a dishwasher, to sushi chef and eventually owner of the establishment now 38 years in the making. His journey taught me that things don’t always go according to plan, especially in the restaurant industry where you can have people not show up, things break down and shipments not come in on time. He knew how to adapt, and funny enough being that environment was just like being on a film set- it’s always chaos but you have to make your day, trust your teammates and make the best product possible. Now that’s only one half of the story. My Norwegian side of the family immigrated to the United States and grew their roots in a tiny town called McIntosh, a few hours away from the nearest notable town of Bemidji, Minnesota. They survived the Depression, the wars and everything in-between all while staying true to their Norwegian heritage and building out a legacy of small, hometown farmers. I’d like to say I try my best to adopt that farmer’s work ethic. Even though there are long days with little rest, we must put in the work to yield the crop, put food on the table and support our teams. With filmmaking, we work 12 hours day-in-day-out and even when we’re physically and mentally drained we still find time to think about new ideas and have to continue to yield fresh concepts to help create our content. So, with both my proud Japanese and Norwegian sides of the family influencing me over the years, I’d say I’ve developed a strong work ethic- at the end of the day those who get to work and keep their chin up whether a farmer, chef or filmmaker, are going to go the furthest and make their ancestors proud.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
At Kanda Films I specialize in directing, cinematography and editing solutions for short and long form content. I am fortunate enough to say that I have been making films for over half of my life now which catapulted me through various festivals and USC film school. My career has also taken me backstage and allowed me to shoot various music festivals and talent including Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Tenacious D and Phil Lesh to name a few. I am also directing a concert video for a Grammy award winning artist in a temple in Japan later this year- hopefully I can share more news about that soon! For my personal filmmaking and storytelling career, my work tends to focus on personal, relatable stories that are set against vast historical backdrops. In fact, I recently finished a script I’ve been working on for the past few years that expands on an award winning short film I made in 2019. This film follows a young draft dodger trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered family after he returns to the United States in the late 1970s. History has also played a big role in my life, so I am always attracted to period pieces. While the stories take place in different times, their themes remain universal and accessible to modern day audiences. At the same time though, I do like to have fun and create comedies and films spanning across multiple genres. It just so happens that a fellow filmmaker and I just wrapped principle photography for a feature film that we’ve been shooting around the Midwest. During this process we were very lucky to have access to an entire small town for over a week. McIntosh residents I’m looking at you: thank you for your hospitality and letting us shoot a wacky alien movie and hijacking your town parade to film.
These lessons of creating different genre films and making the most from available resources have really pushed me to think outside of the box to find stunning visuals and moments. Over the years, my projects have taught me that many different items or objects can be repurposed and magically transformed into set pieces. For example, when creating a sci-fi short series for a studio in New York, we ended up repurposing a combination of soap, oil and vinegar to create bubbles that visually look like massive energy field planets in space. This wild shoot was of course done in a garage with virtually no budget. Thinking outside of the box in moments like these not only sharpens our minds as creatives, but it also allows us to really hone in on our crafts. If early cinema started as almost magic tricks, I like my current work to reflect that very spirit. Maybe in another life I would be a magician who likes to see just how far I can deceive the eye.
In the end, Kanda Films serves as a haven for creatives to come together, problem solve and create sweet, engaging artwork. Whether I’m directing actors or a camera department, I want to help my clients harness their most creative potentials and create the best products possible. In doing so, I tend to learn something along the way that I can one day utilize for my own personal stories and projects. So, let’s make something cool, test our creativity and grow together along the way!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
If I had to do it all over again, I’d still say I would prioritize blending hobbies with an artistic career, rolling up my sleeves to push through challenges and of course finding a group of creatives to collaborate with. Let me elaborate. For those who are early in their careers, find areas of interest that you can pull from to create your own niche. For me, that’s history, specifically the 1960s and 70s. History aside, I’ve also grown up with a musical and jazz background which has allowed me to feel out and visualize films as songs. Editing is all about rhythm, so having some sort of musical background has helped me tremendously. Take your hobbies, whether they be music or any sort of art, and use the fundamentals to build out your filmmaking career. As for my career, I’ve had plenty of ups and downs over the years with problem solving on sets and in post-production. Remember this: sometimes you just need to roll up your sleeves and get at it. So many face walls that seem impenetrable, but there is always a way to change something around, pivot and adapt. Chances are that the solution might even be better than what you were originally thinking. Lastly, make sure to remember you’re never in this alone. Surround yourself with other passionate creatives and let the ideas flow. You never know, one night of hanging out with other filmmakers and creatives might lead to the next big break.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for other folks to collaborate and partner with for my next project! Filmmaking is inherently a group or team-based medium so please, if you have any cool ideas send them my way. Given my musical background, I’m also always looking to collaborate with musicians for videos or promotional photography as well. If you have a good attitude, strong work ethic and a creative mind, I am always excited to see where our creativity takes us. I hope that whoever I work and collaborate with will have as much fun as I do. I always remind myself when collaborating with others- the greatest reward is advancing both of our careers through our fun creative endeavors!
Let’s make some magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kanda-films.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanda_films/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aamurokanda/
