We were lucky to catch up with Carson McKinnon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carson, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I think film has always been my first memory and my first love. My first memories are watching movies as a 2 year old with my grandpa, staying up late during a cousins sleepover when I was 3 to watch Gremlins, seeing Mars Attacks flip on the screen after my family fell asleep in front of the TV at 3, and being handed a VHS copy of Ghostbusters at the library when I was 3. As a kid, most of my dreams consisted of going to the library to check out a new VHS of a movie that had caught my eye previously.

When I was about 3-4 years old, I would constantly ask to go to Blockbuster Video and rent movies. I remember asking my sister to walk me to Blockbuster so I could rent some 80s b-movie anthology film about monsters and aliens. We got there and got my movie but on the way back we got lost for a couple hours.. It was worth it though. I had a new movie I’d never seen in my hand.

My older sister Courtney recounted to me that not long after that, I said “I’m going to be a filmmaker one day”. She thought I meant it like when a kid says they’ll be an astronaut or a firefighter. I knew I was dead serious. She told me every year she thought would be the year I thought more practically about my career but I always knew that was what I was going to do. There was never another option.

In short, the first time to me I knew I would be a filmmaker is essentially my first memory I ever had in my life. It was laying with my grandpa in a bed, watching the television, I believe The Wizard of Oz, and feeling such warmth and sheer unadulterated happiness that from then on for the rest of my life, I can’t fathom a single greater thing that brings more happiness than movies.

So from my first memory and onward, every career fair in elementary school, middle school, high school, it never changed. I just always knew I would be a filmmaker. And I couldn’t wait to get started.

Throughout elementary school, I discussed how I would make Titanic 2, sneak my moms camcorders to cut together and edit movies, learned how to use the Windows Movie Maker editor when I was 7. I honestly felt like I couldn’t get started soon enough. I would ask the principal of my elementary school, while I attended there, if I could get location permits to film a movie there. (I didn’t know what I was doing but I knew if I had a camera and someone willing to be in front of it, that’s a movie, right?)

To be my friend, through my entire life, meant you had to be willing to watch a movie with me and then listen to me babble about the behind the scenes facts and making of. If you couldn’t bear to be around me (looking back, I can understand why), that meant we just weren’t compatible.

My first and true love has always been film from when I was 2 years old – my very first memory. (And this isn’t hyperbole, ask my mom or sister).

Carson, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I tried to get into the industry officially when I was 11. I’ll emphasize “tried”. I found a Utah film directory of emails to everyone registered and working in the industry at the time. I sent as many emails out asking to be taught how to be a real filmmaker and maybe even be an assistant. Out of the many many emails I sent, I was able to get a few responses back. All of them rejections, the gist of which was “Come back in 10 years, kid”. 10 years seemed like a lifetime to me and I wanted to get started ASAP.

When I was 15, I joined a program at Spy Hop, a youth media mentor organization, where I first got experience in with the production process of film – from script development, to casting, location scouting, shooting, and editing, I learned a lot.

From there, I began making my own short films as I slowly began getting opportunities with on set experience. One of the turning points is when in my junior year of high school, I won “Best Filmmaker Under 18” which placed me on the map for other people in the industry, taking notice of me.

I would say what has set me apart has been my priority. I think many people join film for prestige or notoriety. To me, film is an art form that I don’t like to see desiccated or abused. I watched the trailer for The Fabelmans recently and it was the first movie trailer to ever make me cry because it was the first time I saw on screen a young boy who saw the art of film with as much love as I feel for it. I saw film mean as much to that boy as it meant to me as a little boy. Because of that, I love the process of film almost more than the result because if you love the process, the results usually come naturally anyways.

The best example is, I’d like a six pack and a top tier body however, that means I love the end result – I don’t love the process though. Since I don’t love the process of getting a six pack, I’m not going to get a six pack.

I think you’ll find many people who want the “six pack” in film (the accolades, red carpet premieres, etc.) but they don’t actually love the process of getting there. (Long 12 hour days on set, hours and hours of watching videos on how to shape light, camera movements, camera rigs, etc.) and so many people don’t put in the love and care that film deserves during the process to ever get the accolades and premieres they want. However, for me, I don’t care for the accolades and premieres, I just love being on set and taking all these moving parts and setting them just where they should be so I can see in a little LCD screen the creation of the digital ages painting. That’s what gives me the satisfaction. It comes from the process, not the praise.

Though I’m not a parent myself, I imagine it’s like being a parent. Someone who really wants to be a loving parent because they love the idea of having kids, have the kids not to see them in the end, because the parent will most likely be dead, they’re a loving parent of kids because they love the experience of nurturing a kid and helping them grow. To me, the making of the movie is my favorite because I love to see my metaphorical “kid” grow.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think the best resources are other people who care about what you do as much as you do. People who want to see you succeed. You have to be mindful of who is with you to see you make them money and who actually cares about you as a friend.

I found surrounding myself around those who care to nurture my aspirations are what have helped me most. This includes Tony Toscano, who when I was 15 making my own little short film, took the time to do a news caster voice over despite being an Emmy-winning film critic and producer who also introduced me to countless people in the industry despite me being a tadpole next to him. As well as Alicia and John Farmer, who gave an 18 year old his first shot at being the Director of Photography on a feature film that would be released in theaters across America. Brian Gerber, who saw my passion for film and has been more than generous in teaching me about film and showing me more ways to create a beautiful shot while letting me use and experiment with his vast arsenal of gear, being an industry veteran with years of experience. As well as Jacob Smiley, who has seen the passion behind things I’ve wanted to do and create and provided funding to back the art I’ve wanted to make. Also Alex Steiner, who has been a support and a friend through the entire process, always eager to learn and grow in this industry with me. There’s so many more I could name but each of them actually see more value in me than I can ever see in myself and that’s what helps me push myself is other people such as those I listed.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding moments for me are when I have the concept of what something should look like. How I want a shot to look and operate in my head. Afterwards, there’s a process of shot listing, location scouting, gear prepping, lighting diagrams, and multiple other factors I have to bring together. When I’m able to assemble all of this after weeks and weeks of planning and it’s finally the day of, everything is being assembled, and I look at the production monitor and suddenly see something that only existed in my head until now, that is the absolute most rewarding moment I can possibly think of.

Contact Info:

• Website: themckinnonmedia.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/carsonmckinnon_dp/

Image Credits
Cameron Barrera Devin Hansen Adrian Pacheco