Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Islam Gimazov. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Islam , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Being a creative freelancer in New York is rough because you need to find a balance between working on projects that help sustain a decent living and help your portfolio, and heartfelt projects that are more “you”. The ones that, when you sign up for, you create a creative pact of leaving every bit of oneself on a project.

It wasn’t easy since day one for me, to be honest. I graduated from a film school, and I thought I knew people in the industry. It turned out I didn’t know anyone, except friends and fellow filmmakers from the same school. What helped me to cope in those moments is our community, and the realization that I’m not going through this alone.

One of the first projects I shot as a freelance cinematographer was a music video, “Shatterproof” by Elly Fox, directed by Louise Dill. Girls gave me and my grip and electric team, complete creative freedom, which is a rare luxury today. It felt like the right beginning, building this trustworthy, creative relationship, which eventually led to more collaborations.

Islam , 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 Islam Gimazov, and I’m a freelance cinematographer, gaffer, and colorist based in New York. I co-own a production company, “Wide Shot Production,” with my fellow filmmaker, Kaisar Maxutov. We produce narrative films, commercials, music videos, and branded content.

One of the latest projects we made is an experimental feature film “Filthy Dogs” about two couples, friends who have known each other for years, having a cross-affair. The concept is that the whole film is an improvisation, for both camera and characters, where the crew and actors know as much of what’s going to happen as the audience. When Kaisar first approached me about the project, I had my doubts – “How can we shoot a film, without knowing exact blocking and rehearsals, all in 6 hours?” It was a challenge, but at Wide Shot Production, we face challenges with a smile.

We decided to break down the story into 10 mise-en-scenes, as opposed to shooting everything in one take, and light for spaces. That way, we could keep the core of the story – improvisation – and have cinematic, rich visuals.

As a cinematographer, with a lighting background, for me it’s very important to think through every setup, and have control over my lighting because it’s a foundation to every frame, as well as production design and camera movement, and I think that is what we accomplished with “Filthy Dogs”.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

One goal I often mention in interviews is my desire to help put the Republic of Tatarstan on the global film map. The place where I come from is a unique blend of traditions, history, artistic expression, and modern technology — almost like a Hong Kong within Russia. I believe that stories from Tatar culture have tremendous potential for cinema, especially our folklore, mythology, and the history of a people who have faced oppression yet managed to preserve their identity and authenticity.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Over the past three years, Wide Shot Production has slowly built up our kit—camera, lighting, grip, and sound. In the beginning, our goal was to have a basic setup that would let us shoot independently on weekends, whether it was a short film, music video, or promo, without having to rely on rentals.

Now we follow a simple rule: if we end up using the same piece of gear more than five times, it usually makes more sense to just buy it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.islamgimazov.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islgim?igsh=MXVmaGYxOTA3MXhkdA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/islam-gimazov-104a39333
• Other: IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15485241/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

Casey Chen – BTS photographer(personal photo)