Video + Interview: 'The Dreamer's Waltz' by Tony Minas
This short video from the talented Tony Minas is a stunning, visual masterpiece. Described as "A short dream story starring Zanna van Vorstenbosch of Photogenics Media," this is one mini film that you just can't miss.
Tony Minas is a Director and Photographer based in Los Angeles, who frequently travels to London, Germany and New York.
We're incredibly excited to present an inspiring interview with Tony on the blog today, and we hope you enjoy his insightful answers below!
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Q: When did your love of photography and videography first begin?
A: I first picked up a camera while studying in Göttingen, Germany for a year after college. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles so being in a small European town, with its Medieval / Renaissance architecture, was like living in a fairy tale compared to what I was accustomed to. As it turned out, the Brothers Grimm were professors for a time at the University of Göttingen. In hindsight it seems appropriate that I started developing my vision in one of the historic centers of folkloric study, the so-called Märchenstadt.
The video work came later when I began to notice that all my best images contained a lot of movement. In their own way they were becoming little stories. It just made sense for me to pursue film-making as a creative medium.
Q: What inspires your creativity the most?
A: Classical music has been an extremely important part of my life and hardly a day goes by that I don’t still play the piano. But if forced to pick what inspires me as a filmmaker, I would have to say that fantasy films that create dream worlds but that still manage to communicate very powerful human stories almost always get my motor running. Pan’s Labyrinth is a particular favorite of mine in that genre. I’m often deeply moved by those moments in cinema when the combination of sound, sights, and performance come together to create an overwhelming emotional response in the viewer. I wont give anything away, but there is a particular moment in that film that is so beautifully constructed that I’m moved to tears every time I watch it. Mind you it’s been almost 10 years since I first saw it!
Q: Please tell us about the experience you had working on this video? Was there a specific story or inspiration behind this beautiful shoot?
A: I can’t remember exactly how the idea came to me, but I remember wanting to tell a story about the world inside a photograph, as if a picture could be a window into another world. It required a little creative editing and finding the right piece of music to accompany the images was definitely challenging. I tried various other pieces until I found this recording of one of Chopin’s posthumous waltzes in my collection, then everything clicked. In the end it seemed more personal than any of the other choices.
Q: What does an average day in the life of Tony involve?
A: I get up pretty early these days and begin work at 8 in the morning. There is always something to do: a film edit to tweak, concepts to develop, or a shoot to produce. I try to put aside enough time each day for meditation so that I can keep a cool head in the middle of the chaos of all these things going on at once. It may be a little hectic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your career in the not-too-distant future; Do you have any exciting, upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?
A: At the moment I am focused on producing more editorial shoots and fashion film in addition to a few narrative film projects that I have been working on the past year or so. One of those is a film about my friend Isley Reust of the band Spectacular, Spectacular. She’s a transgender artist and our film will incorporate many of the fantastical elements from my other work. Some of my fashion films are now making their way around the international fashion film circuit and I’ll be travelling to Belgium in September to attend the Antwerp Fashion Festival. Aside from all that, I’m scheming to make a move to London or New York, but only time (and Visa restrictions) will tell!
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We want to thank Tony for taking the time to answer our questions and for sharing his breathtakingly brilliant work with us! We encourage you to view more of his work by visiting his website or following along on Facebook and Instagram (@tonyminas). Enjoy!
