Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Hill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Chris thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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?
I’m not sure if ‘legacy’ is the right term, but I hope that some of these stories at I’ve helped bring to life continue to resonate with people long after I’m gone. There is something really amazing about having that film or music, or art that just sits with you. Leaves you asking questions and brings you back to conversations with friends and love ones. Sometimes its as simple as that warm feeling of your favorite film after a hard day.
Chris, 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?
Growing up in small Midwest town, films were always an escape to different worlds, different lives, different paths. I spent a lot of my free time at the local movie theater, and once I turned 16, I would make the one and half hour drive to the next big town that had a tiny indie theater. Every Tuesday I would be at the local video store to buy nearly every film that came out on DVD that day. By the time I graduated High School I was more or less my own Blockbuster video store. But with all that, I never really thought of it as a valid option for a career.
Once I graduated High School I kinda just went on with my life as people do in a small town. I was managing a Wendys and hanging out with friends on my days off, no real plans or drive. Just watching movies and listening to music. But that stagnation began to wear on me, so at a certain point I had made the decision that I was going to join a small Eastern European circus that I had come across on a Geocities site. They where looking for English speakers and Splinterheads.
Sadly shortly after I had begun the process of getting my passport and figuring out the logistics of moving across the world, my mother fell ill to cancer. I knew I couldn’t leave the country and go run around Eastern Europe without any means of contact with her in that condition. That being said, I also knew I couldn’t stay in the same small town I grew up in. I had seen too many stories and place on the screen that I needed to see and experience for real.
So I decided to pack my bags and move to Florida, where I began working on tiny tiny indie films. Over about a 3 or 4 year period I slowly meet people and formed bonds and began to help create bigger and bigger projects. Then in 2007 I was asked to work on Marley and Me. It was by far my biggest project and I joined the union. After that it was one large scale production to the next. But it wasn’t completely fulfilling, I was here working with the absolute best in the world at what they do but I still wanted more.
It was around that time that Jacques Bruna (Local hip hop artist that goes by Bleubird) asked me join an art collective known as the Black Locust Society. It was a collection of Musicians Graphic artist and other creative individuals. It was there when I began to make closer bonds with local musicians and artist and began to photograph and film videos for them. From that day forward I have been challenged with the task of trying to balance both Large scale film productions and creating quality content for local artist in hopes to bring their amazing talent to a wider audience. Making life long bonds with many of south Floridas leading acts along the way. One such act is The Haunt, Ive made probably nearly 10 videos with at this point. Its an amazing experience to be able to be with a group like that from its inception. To watch how much both of us have grown and challenged each other to create more and more amazing art to expand both our creativity.
When covid it hit it took down the industry along side everyone else. And just like everyone else I had a lot of time on my hands to look back and reevaluate my path forward and what I wanted to leave behind. That’s when I decided to dedicate more of my time to indie films and creative endeavors. I spent the next few years traveling across the country shooting small indie films. It’s been some of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever created. And I’m really excited to keep the balance between large Films like Bad Boys and Fast and Furious with smaller Projects like A24. And I might have a couple of my own projects in the works as well. Fingers Crossed.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Oh man. People today have so much info out there now. So many online courses and classes. But honestly a YouTube premium account and some searching you can learn almost anything these days. Also a great place is the different social media platforms. So many people are either asking for help or giving out amazing behind the scenes information.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I mean I think what helped me continue to grow and thrive in the Film market is the fact that I have a genuine love for the art and the medium. I am always learning every day on set. I listen more than I talk. I feel like that is one of the best ways to learn. To really take in everything around you and understand what it takes for other people to accomplish the job at hand. It helps you understand what you need to do to be able to not only accomplish what you need to do, but to help everyone else on set create the best film and story possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.DigitalCypherProductions.com
- Instagram: @digitalcypher
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/digitalcypherproductions
- Twitter: @digital_cypher