We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lakota Ruby-eck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lakota below.

Lakota, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

I try as much as I can to help the little guy tell stories through the film medium. People who have access to less resources have stories to tell that are just as viable, if not moreso than those with significantly more. A large amount of the short films and features I have been involved in as a cinematographer have budgets that reflect a fraction of the amount of money other such projects usually have. That’s not to say I won’t or haven’t shot films with more legitimate budgets, those jobs provide me with an income that makes the ability to help on smaller things more feasible and allow me to expand the equipment I have, which in turns make it’s so I can make those smaller projects better, at least in the cinematography department.

While I still generally charge some amount of money on those smaller projects, I only ask for a fraction of my usual rate which lets the production use it’s small pool of money to better serve the project, being it hiring more people to help or letting more money be put in to buying things necessary for a movie to be made such as props, costumes, or just food to feed the large amount of people that are required to make even the smallest film. I have donated time and resources free of charge as well if the project is something I truly believe in and is something I will continue to do throughout my career. Wether it’s purely an affinity for the film being made or being in support of it’s messaging, I believe it’s vital to back art in ways where there is little true gain to yourself in service of making something that can benefit others, regardless in the ways that benefit takes shape.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I fell in love with film accidentally when I was in high school. I was very interested in photography at the time and wanted to a National Geographic photographer, so I was taking some photography courses. One year my high school was trying a new system of placing kids in classes and there was a clerical error which placed me in a video class instead. The way they structured their system made it so I wasn’t allowed to switch out of the class for the first week of that semester. I realized in that week that working in film was something I could pursue and had never thought of before. I loved watching movies and it was something that immediately made sense to me not only as a way to make a living but to do something I could genuinely enjoy while still allowing me to make images.

It took around 4-5 years after that for me to really put myself in to the industry and my transition was aided heavily by meeting a group of people based in my area making short films regularly. I learned more from them in a very short amount of time than I could have learned at a film school so I was able to save time, money, and frustration that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

During the pandemic I lost my part time job and went on unemployment. I managed to save a rather large sum of money which I decided was best served putting back in to myself than fiddling away, so I spent all of it on as much film equipment as I could buy and started my company, Tomb Pictures. I hit the ground running as fast as I could making movie after movie with anyone who would have me and in the end it paid off, bringing me to where I am now.

I try as hard as I can to be a force of optimism and fun on every set that I’m on and making sure every one can feel included or welcome in that space because the industry as a whole can be the exact opposite. There’s an sense of unfriendliness that radiates off of larger sets and people who could grow to become really talented or hardworking in the industry can be turned off to it very fast if they feel it’s not a place for them early on. It’s important to me that people don’t feel that way about it because even with it’s hardships I think it can be a beautiful and rewarding job that lets you interact with art, community, and a greater sense of purpose which isn’t something you encounter in a lot of work.

I love working on pretty much everything but I focus most heavily on two things, the horror genre and things that have a really positive message behind them. I know that seems like two things that are diametrically opposed to each other but more often than not a lot of horror films have a deeper message or moral behind them that directly contradicts their darker exterior. Not all horror films I’ve worked on have that sort of message behind them, but it can be fun to just make something spooky for no other reason to make something spooky. As far as films with a positive message go, I think it’s equally as important to put out work that people can watch and either feel seen or supported by. As the world continues to get darker, people need something they can turn to to still feel hope or validation and anything I can help make that does that is worth it’s weight in gold. Films that focus on the LGBTQ+ space, social awareness, or family oriented are integral to the world we find ourself in. Giving those things a level of quality that can help either amplify their message or put them in front of more people is something I strive to do.

I’m most proud of helping create as much art as I can and helping those who need it, as well as finding a way to make a company that people recognize and skills that people commend because I can tend to be a person who suffers from low motivation, so the fact that I’ve been able to accomplish what I have really makes me look back at it all with so much more gratitude. If you’re someone who works with me, know that I will go above and beyond to help make your project personal to you and craft it with care. I don’t like unnecessarily cutting corners or doing things in half measures because if you care about what you’re making it’s something you should put your all in to and you should get the best product you can get with what’s available to you.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Depending on where your based, there is a chance there is a wealth of resources available to you to either help you in your journey, or help you meet others who are on the same journey as you. In relation to film in the capital region where I’m based, if you’re interested in film there are multiple non-profits based around connecting, supporting and teaching young filmmakers. things like the 518 Film Network, YouthFX, and Hudsy TV. Each one offers their own blend of the aforementioned resources and provide different ways to interact with them. Search out groups that do what you want to do in your area and go to as many events and meet as many people as possible, it can be draining but you’ll never know who you’ll meet, what they can do for you, or what you can do for them. With the explosion of the internet, there’s also an incredibly large amount of groups that you can access to meet people and learn new things as well. Facebooks group feature can connect you to a near endless amount of places with people to talk to and places to hone your skills. Websites like NoFilmSchool also provide endless articles and videos for free that cover a very wide range of topics all related to film. I taught myself the majority of what I know about cinematography from voraciously watching videos about how to do it in YouTube, which I think is one of the best learning resources available for free nowadays and I don’t hear people talk about that aspect of it much.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I helped build my reputation by being a friendly, easily accessible, and hard working person that people grow to love to have around. If you can make yourself indispensable to the people around you, you can increase your worth exponentially and if you do it with a smile on your face that will make it so people not only need you around but enjoy that you’re there as well. Learn how to take criticism on the chin and be able to digest it effectively, making the changes people are looking for and you will flourish. The world and every field of work within in is rapidly changing and won’t slow down any time soon, so being ready and able to learn new skills and technologies, expand on old ones, and let go of those that are no longer useful is something that will get you very far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lakotarubyeck.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomb.pictures/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakota.rubyeck/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tombpictures

Image Credits

Main photo of me with a camera:
Courtney Sherry

Set photo 1:
James McEntee

Set photo 2:
Randy Harlow

Set Photo 3:
Charity Buckbee

All other photos are stills of my work,