Hi there!
I’m Matt. I’m a Toronto based cinematographer and videographer. I’m also a sucker for a pretty picture, spending time with the people I care about, and watching the members of my blossoming house plant collection grow at their gentle and meditative pace.
Above all, I strive to be a skilled technician, an inventive storyteller, and, hopefully, a crew member on your next set or producing your next video campaign with my team!
With so much content at our fingertips these days, and with trends and styles constantly evolving, I believe there’s one thing that truly sets any piece apart, whether its a narrative or documentary film, a music video, a commercial or promotional spot, or even a product teaser;
The story.
In the internet ocean of visual media, what really gets me excited, when watching or creating, is creative visual storytelling and the journey images can take us on. As someone on the quieter side myself, I’ve come to appreciate how images and video content can tell your audience so much, sometimes without ever uttering a word; a quality I try to imbue in all my work.
With every project that comes my way, I’m thrilled to be a part of this long standing tradition, drawing on my own and the team’s creativity and technical expertise, to present new ideas and abstract concepts to the eyes of the world in the most efficient and visually compelling ways possible.
For the past several years, this skill has been where I’ve focused my efforts with every shoot I’ve worked. I’m excited to see where we can take these methods and techniques to in the next several years, whether it be in long and short form fiction and non-fiction or commercial content.
While I’ve always had an aptitude for the tech, I realized early on that the what and the how of shooting video was not nearly as important as the why. I often found myself stuck and frustrated, feeling like everything I made lacked the heart and soul that is so present in all great films and videos. I wanted to make things that stood out from the ever growing pool of content available to us, and I wanted to be able to do what all my favourite artists do so effectively with their work;
I wanted to be able to tell great stories.
To do that, I needed to understand more about why we make the choices we make when crafting visual media. In my time at TMU, I was able to study topics including art and colour theory, film theory, psychology, philosophy, and music theory, along with several hands on training opportunities, all helping to enhance my storytelling sensibilities.
While my formal filmmaking journey began upon enrolling in TMU (formerly Ryerson)’s Film Studies program in 2016, I’ve been camera operating and doing videography work for nearly a decade. Since earning my BFA in 2020, I’ve focused on building the foundation of my equipment rental business, Bay Film and Equipment, as well as building up my freelance operations and furthering my managerial and communication skills in order to better serve my clients’ needs, as well as work more seamlessly with my crew mates.
My schooling days may be past, but my commitment to learning has continued shaping my life and career. Skill and knowledge development has been a great source of joy in my life, and I never intend to stop. In fact, it’s one of my favourite parts of this work; we work with so many unique and knowledgable people, not only from our own industry but across several others, that it can be hard not to pick up some new hyper-fixation or have an interesting discussion with someone new on each project.
Having been behind the camera in many different capacities over the past several years, big and small, I’ve developed a well rounded understanding of the production process, as well as how different departments work internally and amongst each other. I continue to enjoy AC, gaffing, and gripping work, as it all contributes to my knowledge and skill base as a DP and videographer.
As a young child, I had an insatiable appetite for experimentation and discovery, with curiosity and a desire to challenge the status quo driving that hunger and creative spirit; something I carry with me into my work even still.
From weddings and sports events, to social media promotion and commercial-doc material, to feature and short films, I’ve worked with several types of formats and subject matter over the years and can adapt quickly to new opportunities with a fresh perspective. As a technician, I love contributing to a team fulfilling a strong vision that will stick with the audience long after the credits roll. As a cinematographer, videographer, and producer, I enjoy having a hand in distilling a project’s goals, and crafting a story and production to meet those goals.
As consumers, as audience members, as people, what keeps us thinking about something long after an encounter is its story. Storytelling, even in its simplest form, has the power to be impactful, memorable, timeless, and meaningful. Stories are how we can cut through the digital noise, to make our message heard. Reach out, and let’s discuss how we can solve whatever challenge you or your brand is facing, with a story.
