We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Isaac Crane. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Isaac below.
Isaac, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I have always been a dreamer. Especially as a kid, I truly believed that I could accomplish anything I wanted to if I gave it all that I had. In fact, I was convinced that I was going to be an NFL football player, but that clearly did not work out. Once that dream fell apart though, I struggled deeply with purpose. Sports (especially High School sports) taught me to place my value in my performance. If I sucked on the field, then I just sucked in general. And it is easy to believe that lie when even my coaches and friends told me that to my face. For years, even going into my film career, I struggled with that same idea of only putting my worth in what I could do. If my friends were on set, and I was not, I saw myself as a failure. Once I tapped back into my Christian faith in the middle of college, my perspective finally started to change, and I realized that placing my worth in temporary things will only lead to despair. Human value is not temporary, rather we have to find our value in things eternal such as love, beauty, and sacrifice. Connecting my own value to these eternal things has made my purpose far more clear, and I have now been aiming at higher concepts in terms of career rather than specific experiences. Ultimately, I have realized that whether I am a Cinematographer in Los Angeles or an NFL football player or even a father and husband, my ultimate purpose is to love God with my heart and my soul and to treat others as I would want to be treated. I have found that as long as I make those my ultimate goals, everything else seems to fall into line.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I come from a house of doctors and engineers in the sweet little town of Loveland, Colorado. The idea of studying film and working in the entertainment industry never even crossed my mind. Now, I have been living in Los Angeles for 6 years working as a Cinematographer, so you truly never know what God has planned for you.
I primarily work as a Director of Photographer and a Gaffer on narrative films, commercials, and music videos. I believe there is physical and emotional beauty all around us, and although we all know it and understand it, we often do not pay attention to it, so my goal as a Cinematographer is to bring that beauty into the light. From locations to production design to lighting, I am obsessed with the unlimited possibilities of storytelling that film provides. Telling stories is an honor, and I try to capture something meaningful in each frame. I also started my whole film career in grip and electric, so lighting is extremely important to me. I love keeping things simple, efficient, natural, and effective. Recently, I also have been diving into nature photography and videography! I love being outside, and there is something so sacred about being in the presence of large animals and beautiful sunsets that I just adore.
Along with my work, I also own equipment and love renting it out to people. Eventually, I would love to have my own van and equipment and a house to actually store everything in, but for now I am roughing it out and doing my best. Ultimately, my goal is to be a great husband and father, but I still find an immense amount of joy making beautiful stories and meeting wonderful people on set. I have no complaints.
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?
I have learned so much in my journey as a Cinematographer. On a very logistical note, I have learned that lighting is far more about camera placement than light placement. Additionally, light for what the space is already giving you, and don’t force anything. For example, when analyzing a location and framing up, simply moving the camera two inches to the other side of the eye-line allows the light come from the far side of the subject and instantly adds contrast, depth, and eye light. Along similar lines, I have found that for lighting, the simpler the better. There is no need to overcomplicate lighting set ups, especially when you’re shooting wide open and already have plenty of light. Oftentimes, the answer is turning off lights, not adding lights. In fact, as a gaffer, I have found that when DP’s ask for more light, I can often achieve the same goal they had by making small tweaks to the setup we already have rather than adding something else. Finally, on a broader scale, I think the best advice I could give to someone would be to be kind to everyone on set, and work as hard as you can. This does not mean kissing up to people. I mean genuinely look out for the good of others on set, and try to make the cast and crew’s lives easier and not harder. This always leads to more jobs, more friends, and more fulfillment.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking for people to collaborate with! I want to help tell meaningful stories. The industry is full of so much crap, especially now with the sheer volume of content geared for phones and social media. I want to tell stories that actually make people want to change. My ultimate goal would be telling faith based or faith centered stories on the big screen, so if anyone is interested in a similar thing, I would love to start planning something. I also love traveling and adventure, so anything that gets me outside and trying something new brings me so much joy. Finally, I would love to collaborate with people who do work in the nature photography, nature magazine, nature documentary space. I recently went on a trip to Idaho and Wyoming and took so many wonderful shots, and it inspired a passion within me that I did not know I had, so I would love to explore it. The easiest ways to connect with me is my instagram Isaac.crane16 or through my email, isaaccranedp@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isaaccranedp.godaddysites.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaac.crane16/
Image Credits
All images were captured by me.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
