AbelCine: Tell us a bit about your experience outside of AbelCine.
Corey Hess: Outside of AbelCine, I’m a director of photography, camera operator, and camera assistant. I’m also getting more into coloring, which I’ve been practicing in my spare time. Recently, I wrapped production on a short film called Selfish, which will be released in July. I’m also in the middle of pre-production on a short I’m DP-ing called The Glory Years, which will be shooting at the end of August.
What do you love most about the industry?
I think my favorite thing about making films is the connection that everyone shares on set. Things tend to happen super quick when you're shooting, and you can forget that there are so many moving parts that go into making a movie. There’s obviously the technical aspects of the filmmaking like the camera, electrical, and audio departments, but there’s also other roles like assistant directors and script supervisors that are just as important. The realization that everyone is working together to create something great is humbling.
What’s your best advice when it comes to filmmaking?
Just go out and create. You don’t need a fancy camera and lenses in order to create a solid film. Steven Soderbergh and Sean Baker shot feature films on iPhones. As long as you have the drive to create, you can make anything you want. There’s a lot of quality content about filmmaking that you can learn online, but it all comes down to actually going out and making films. Keep making films and learn from the work you make. You may look back at your old films and hate everything about them, but, if you can, learn from what you don’t like and keep striving to create better work.
Who’s one of your biggest influences when it comes to your work?
I initially went to school for photography so a lot of my work stems out of a photographic background. I was really influenced by the work of Ed Ruscha, an American artist known for his photography. His typographic photography of the banal really intrigued me and caused me to focus a lot more in finding beauty in things that are traditionally considered boring. A lot of my work has been heavily influenced by his art.
This interview has been slightly edited and condensed.
