We were lucky to catch up with Ian Huber recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’m the youngest of six and growing up I watched a lot of movies with my older siblings. I remember walking into my oldest brother’s room and watching “Child’s Play” with him when I was far too young. Not only did that movie instill a love of horror in me, but I was very intrigued about how they got a doll to do all that. Needless to say I was hooked and wanted to know more.

I started watching movies differently, breaking them down and wanting to know how certain things were achieved. All the while begging my mom for a camera. Eventually she gave in and bought me a little point-and-shoot camera, which I mostly used to take photos of my dog, before I got the idea to start filming my buddies and I skateboard. Skateboarding was the first time I held a camera with the intent of creating something. As the worst skater out of my friends I was usually the one filming, but I fell in love with being behind a camera. I was lucky enough that my high school had a film class, which taught me the basics and fueled that love even more.

After high school I bounced around quite a bit before I began working with a childhood friend, Anthony Palmer, who had also gained a passion for film throughout the years. Anthony invited me to join his production company, RIPDAYDREAM, as lead cinematographer and we are now the top music video production company in Utah.

When it comes to film, I’m not sure I’d say there’s one singular way to speed up the learning process. Filmmaking is just that, a learning process. You’re constantly learning, constantly adapting. I’ve gained so much knowledge from being behind a camera on sets that is invaluable, there’s nothing quite like the experience itself.

Outside of the technical knowledge, I believe attention to detail, adaptability, and time management are the most essential skills I use as a cinematographer. It feels like there’s never enough time for every shot, so I’ve learned to be adaptive and do a lot of improvising. When you’re having to improvise you have to be extra attentive to the details to still try and achieve that desired result. Overcoming obstacles such as time constraints can require the use of creative solutions which can lead to an amazing outcome.

Ian, 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?

My name is Ian Huber. I’m a 27 year old cinematographer from Salt Lake City, UT. I’ve been working in the film industry since 2011, but I’ve always had a passion for story telling. I grew up wanting to be an actor. I loved telling stories and doing all sorts of different voices, but I didn’t like being in front of the camera. The first time I held a camera I didn’t automatically think, this is what I’m gonna do for a living. It wasn’t until filming skateboard videos with my friends that I even thought to myself, I like doing this. I went to high school in Tennessee and a buddy’s older brother suggested I take the film class because, “the teacher is cool”. That class was amazing and it’s where I learned a lot of the skills I still use to this very day.

After high school I did an internship with Milkhaus, an award winning production company based in Denver, CO, where I was able to expand my knowledge even further. In 2020 I began working with RIPDAYDREAM, a multi-media production company that focuses in music videos. Since joining the team, I have shot over sixty music videos for various genres of music, which has allowed me to truly hone my craft. For each video I work very closely with the director, Anthony Palmer, on how we’re gonna bring the vision to life. I have a large Blu-ray collection and I’m constantly watching films, so I find inspiration in things all the time and try to utilize it when I’m coming up with ideas. We try to break the typical norms of music videos, put our own personal spin on things, and make each video a different visual experience. I can confidently say we are creating the best music videos to come out of Salt Lake City.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve lived a lot of places, Utah, Washington, Tennessee, Colorado, and California, but something always brings me back to Utah. This place is special and both Anthony and I know it. When people think of Utah they usually think Mormons and snow. We want RIPDAYDREAM to help Utah break away from those stigmas and open doors for the art scene here. We want Salt Lake City to be a destination that artists and creatives want to come work in. Utah is full of so much hidden talent that is just waiting to be discovered and we are trying to help reveal that to the rest of the world.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met Anthony Palmer in 2004, the summer before 1st grade. The school year was rapidly approaching and our parents had to go to the school for a meeting. Both he and I just happened to be there at the same time and when I saw him playing on the benches outside the building, I asked my mom if I could join him. We spent the next thirty minutes jumping back and forth on the benches and talking until our parents were done with the meeting. When school started we were immediately the best of friends and stayed close until I moved to Tennessee in 2009. After I moved we would still talk a few times a year, we’d text each other on our birthdays and what not, but we rarely saw each other. We always wanted to work together, but it wasn’t until 2020 when Anthony texted me and asked if I wanted to come help out on his short film that we really rekindled that friendship that formed in the 1st grade. Since then we have done close to one hundred projects together. I love working with him and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. We have grown so much as people and as artists over the years and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for RIPDAYDREAM.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ripdaydream.net/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ian_huber/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ripdaydream
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ripdaydreamproductions