Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ian Burse. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

It was summer 2019 i believe and I had the opportunity to film a pilot tv series to be pitched to major networks. The budget was very low but I was willing to grind to get to the goal of being a DP for a major tv series. I had 2 weeks to build a team on a low budget and managed to get one. We filmed the episode and I did an extra day for free because we couldn’t finish it in the time allotted. Then once filmed, I had to edit it. I had limited time to edit a 40 min episode because I was also working full time. To meet the deadline, I had to quit my job. I was doing 18 hour editing days. I finished the edit and uploaded it 13 minutes before it was due. The company gave me time to tweak it afterwards. She promised that we’d be big and I’d make a lot of money for my and my brother’s sacrifice. I didn’t believe it fully but i had some hope. After a year went by, I was asked to film 2 more episodes. I requested a higher budget because my crew needed more money. The producer ended up going with the people i hired because they charged less! She gaslit me and did not take accountability for her actions. She left me and my brother out of filming the next 2 episodes. The guy i hired even had the audacity to ask for help in editing some projects. I ended up blocking his number. Then, that same person stole their money from the production company and she (the producer) came back to my brother and I as the film crew. She evaded talking to us directly and we refused to work with her until we had a meeting. The assistant insisted we get our passports ready because we had won over 100 film awards overseas. Of course, we did not budge until we had a meeting. She got connected to a well known producer/actor and left us behind in order to re-film everything. That changed me forever.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a producer, director and cinematographer in the DFW area. I’ve been doing video work professionally since 2017. I have had an interest in video since I was in highschool. It’s crazy because before I was born, my mom even said I would have something to do with film (she named me after Ian Fleming). I also like to do photography on the side. I also own a clothing line called Terruform. I create cinematic content for brand and i love to do short films/tv series. My video production company is called Magnificine which stand for Magnificent Cinematography. Even though i focus on brand/fashion and shorts, I also will do weddings, music videos and events.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In summer 2018, I took a 6 month break from filming. I was burnt out from trying to get new clients and collaborating to the point I just needed to stop. In that time, I began to look at my life and really focus on my main goals. I wanted to do short films. I knew this and yet I was doing everything else instead. Now that I am more focused, I am also more honest with myself and potential clients. I charge more and deliver better content. I also set up my budgets to include more crew. Eventually, you don’t want to do everything by yourself.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew that I could rent gear that was better for the productions I wanted to do. I never thought I could rent cinema cameras or audio equipment. I first used Borrowlenses online to use gear for a wedding. Even though I liked it, it was very inconvenient because I had to plan far ahead in order to get it on time. Now I just rent from Aperturent (I also work there). They have great prices and I can test out equipment that I definitely can’t afford. Plus it gives my business the quality that I’ve been wanting.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.magnificine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magnificine/ and https://www.instagram.com/iantburse/

Image Credits
Alexis Monét Presley Sheffield