We recently connected with Tori Rice and have shared our conversation below.
Tori, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
My name is Tori Rice, I am a Cinematographer/Director in Austin, Texas. The legacy I hope to build is being dedicated to my craft no matter how big or small the production is. It has always been difficult for me to dial back my push for perfection with anything I do. Wether it is film related or not I set standards high for myself so in turn I exceed my own expectations. Sometimes my standards are unrealistic but without those goals it can be hard to push yourself past what you know you can achieve. Besides pushing myself I try to push others to help achieve their best self because not everyone knows their own self worth and what they are capable of. Even thinking of your end goal can be overwhelming because it is so far in the future you can’t picture it, but if you want it enough and work for it, eventually you will reach it. I think a lot of people get lost along the path towards their end goal. As it develops they loose themselves and what the original goal was, in turn never feeling that they have achieved anything. A part of my goal is to show people how much they have achieved and will achieve if they push for it enough. I hope to not only be remembered for my craft but also helping people reach their goals.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a Cinematographer/Director one of the challenges I face is being a well rounded leader. It takes a lot of trial and error to develop the skills to give constructive criticism but to also have people maintain your vision. This industry is very large but also very close and connected. Since it is contract work you not only have to be willing to hustle jobs but also maintain connections. The job isn’t always the hard part, it is maintaining your relationships with the people you work with and still staying true to yourself. Everyone in the film/art/entertainment industry has a bit of imposter syndrome. It can be hard to maintain self worth and usually our worth is fulfilled by working consistently. The only problem with that is you tend to work to the point of exhaustion and in the end you still feel that you are getting nowhere. Everyone’s end goals are different in this industry but one thing that resonates throughout the community is dedication towards our craft. Working twelve to fourteen hour days can make or break you but at the core everyone you work with throughout those times are in it together. When working on a three month long job you build a sense of family that sometimes can be sad to lose once the job is over. That is also what makes it exciting, you constantly meet new people yet there is always at least one person you know. When you get to reunite with those people it makes the job worth it. It is not the job/celebrities that makes this career worth it, it is family you develop over the years and watching the hard work, long hours/days displayed on a screen for everyone to watch.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
Recently this year I had the pleasure of working with a friend of mine Sheilava ( Sheila Victoria Anne) on a music video called MAD. I worked with Sheila as her Director and Cinematographer on her last music video CAGE. During that we developed a good working relationship/friendship. Sheila enjoyed my directing and writing style so she invited me to direct MAD. This video was very ambitious because the theme was based off Alice in Wonderland. I knew we would need some more funding than our own savings to help us so I suggested a go fund me. As we have learned, running a campaign takes a lot of pre- production and patience. Sheila and I set out to create our first campaign. We don’t usually like to ask for money, in fact it made us very uncomfortable. There were a lot of times we didn’t think we were going to make our end goal, especially for a music video. Most people usually fund feature films or short films. It is very rare to see funding for a music video. I believed we could do it because Sheila and I have such are large community here in Austin, Texas that has supported us throughout the years. It took a long time to develop those relationships. In the end we reached our goal of 5000$ and had over 100 people volunteering their time on set and their money to help make this music video come to life. It was something I never thought I would be able to achieve but we did.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
When I first started in this industry I wish I knew that I could always ask for help. At first you believe you have to do everything yourself. A lot of people I have met over the years have stressed to me that is is okay to ask for work or for help on projects that I am passionate about. Sometimes you get so enveloped in your own work that you forget that you have a community supporting you. Most people in the industry want to see you succeed. It is okay that you don’t know everything, we are constantly learning new things on set. There is never a dull moment and everyday is filled with challenges. Which is what makes this career so entertaining.
Contact Info:
- Website: TheGoldenDreamProductions.com
- Instagram: CinemaChick96
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tori.rice.98?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Zachary Salas