Welcome to the Video Creator Spotlight of the month!

This series of interviews highlights video creators and their work. I’ve personally learned most of what I know how to do by talking to other people and learning from them. The Video Creator Spotlight is my way of sharing other people’s stories with you in hopes that they inspire you to make better videos.  If you or someone you know would like to be featured in the Video Creator Spotlight, please send me an email at videoschoolonline@gmail.com.

Now on to the interview!

Who is Caleb Negassa?

I’m a filmmaker that enjoys telling stories by collaborating with various artist to help bring amazing stories to the screen.

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How did you get interested in video creation?

I first got interested in film and video as a child. I always wondered how they made everything look so good and fascinating on TV. I used to wish that I lived in the film world that I saw instead of the one I was in. That inspired me to figure out what film and video was all about so I started making my own films. It wan’t nearly as great so when I got to high school, I enrolled in a television class to learn more about it. From there, everything was history. I was would spend everyday after school coming up with projects or completing projects I started. I created a film club with a couple friends and started producing shorts that got me on the track I am now. In high school I learned how to make documentaries which I won a student Emmy for and when I got to high school I learned how to make films. So I still have a passion for documentary filmmaking and narrative production.

What is your favorite part about video making?

I think my favorite part of filmmaking would have to be a tie between development and post production. I like development because it gets the mind flowing with all the crazy ideas. Oh man, brainstorming is so much fun because this is when you get to be real imaginative and there is no limitation as to what you come up with. Development is also research and an opportunity to look at what everyone out there is doing and compare your idea right along theirs. There is no right way of coming up with an idea as long as you look at what is out there and ask yourself how you are going to go about to make your idea better than anyone else’s. This is the part where you rack your brain over a wall until you spit out an idea that is amazing. The best part is no one knows what the project will be/look like, until the project is done. You might have spent the last few month or in most cases years working on your ideas with out knowing if it is going to be a success. What matters most is that you took the risk and ventured into doing an idea, which also makes you an entrepreneur which I see myself as. That is why development is one of my favorite part of production.
I also like post production because it is when you put all the puzzle pieces together to form your project. The idea that you can throw everything up against the wall and create something different each time is truly amazing. There is also a lot of talent in post production that can take any project to the next level.

Do you have a video that I can share on the blog?

Caleb’s done a lot of great projects. The above project is a short documentary on a baseball coach in Compton, CA.
What I love about each project is having been involved from the beginning. The conceptualization of each project is where the magic begins and having been there makes me happy. I’ve always been able to take what I learned from one project to the next. It’s what makes each and every project better. You always get better at doing something and in looking back at all these projects there are some many things I remember not being able to do but figured it out along the way.

What has it been like navigating the professional video world?

The professional video world is aggressive and not for everyone. There are many jobs, positions and ways in which one can be part of the video world. After all, it is one of the larger industries out there that employees a lot of people. It is the path you take that matters and how involved you want to be in it. Some people are in the industry to profit and make money, while others are in it to pay their bills or because they are a true artist. The video world is a combination of business and art so you have to figure out which side is more lucrative to you. There is also no easy way up to the top even if you where brought into the industry through nepotism. Nowadays, with the advancement of technology anyone with sheer talent can make it all the way to the top. What matters most is your ability to consecutively deliver a product that people can buy into. Consistency is not something you buy, it’s something you get through being talented and practicing it. Even then, there is a chance of not being able to survive on top because there is just so much competition. The best advice and idea someone can have is to have an exit strategy. Determining where one sees themselves 5-10 years down the road. It will make things from the get go a lot simpler and doable. One thing to also keep in mind is that everything has a process and learning to understand and trust that process.
I am an entrepreneur so I have done my best to have several ventures developing. One thing I have learned is that they all take time and through the years have developed stronger bonds and friendships that makes all the projects I am doing worthwhile and can’t wait to complete them. I have learned that everything has a process. Anyone trying to be part of this industry needs to learn this process and understand it. Then you must learn to trust the process because it will keep you grounded and realistic; above all it will help keep yourself in tune.
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Give our readers one tip for making better videos.

Find out who inspires you in film making or whoever is your favorite person at doing what they do. Find out why they are good at what they do and learn what it is you, yourself, not what everybody else says, that you like about that person. Then figure out how to better do what they did. Film or video production is like building a skyscraper. You have your architects, electricians, plumbers, engineers, etc, similarly in Film and TV you have your producer, DP’s, PD’s, Editors, Directors, etc. By becoming someone skilled in one fashion of work, others out there will want to work with you. Then together you make something that will no doubt be the best and first of it’s kind

How can people find you and your work?

Most of my projects are listed on my IMDB page: imdb
I will also have my new site up and running – www.calebnegassa.com

Thank you for taking the time to tell your story to the Video School Online audience. We appreciate your tips and wish you best of luck in your video making career.

Please let us know what you thought of Paul story below. If you have any questions or comments, the comment section below is the place to do so.

Until next time,
Phil