Today we’d like to introduce you to Islam Gimazov

Hi Islam, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Hello, Dear Reader of Canvas Rebel,

My name is Islam Gimazov, I’m an aspiring indie cinematographer and gaffer. I found my passion at the age of 8, learning how to edit and record, and I’ve carried it through my entire life, learning and studying something new about it every day. Very soon I’m going to finish my BFA program at the New York Film Academy and I can’t wait to enter the industry to work with industry professionals, to learn, and to bring my expertise to both Hollywood-level and indie productions.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

If you don’t make mistakes and face challenges, you don’t get a chance to learn. One of the challenges I had, I can’t say it was the biggest one, but the latest one was working with mirrors. Working with reflections made it a little more complicated because as a cinematographer I need to hide the camera whenever it’s a straight perspective, and huge and average size units as well as block the light that reflects. But I think I’m the kind of a person who faces obstacles with a smile on his face, so whenever it happens I always try to think of the fastest and most effective solutions. However, if you ask on a global scale, the struggle that every filmmaker faces is sleep deprivation…

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I specialize in motion picture arts, or simply, cinematography. My big passion is lighting, sometimes I catch myself looking at the contrast and color temperature of street and tungsten lights. I’m very proud of my latest three projects that we shot in October and November 2024 – a commercial for Harley-Davidson directed by my close friend Shaurya Chopra, a brother if I may, with some vintage and new cruisers where I was a creative director, an M&Ms commercial where we used an LED wall at Arri Rental and I had the pleasure to be a cinematographer for my buddy Rora Whightman, as well as a short film “Professional” by Egor Epishov where I also was a cinematographer and that’s, by the way, the project where we were fighting with mirror reflections. But you know what, we had such an enthusiastic crew and creative, but at the same time methodic director(shoutout Egor), that everything went super smooth and easy.

What was your favorite childhood memory?

My favorite childhood memory is my gramps teaching me how to ride a bicycle. I remember he just pushed me on a bicycle from a hill and told me to paddle the paddles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15485241/?ref_=tt_cst_t_5
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islgim/profilecard/?igsh=MXVmaGYxOTA3MXhkdA==

Image Credits

Shaurya Chopra – Behind the scenes picture of me(Islam Gimazov)