03 Aug Creator Masterclass // Interview With Filmmaker Sage Stephens
We had the pleasure of meeting Sage in Thailand on a trip with The Luxury Collection back in 2018, we instantly hit it off as he is such a down to earth guy. We stayed in contact over the years and when we decided to elope in Namibia early 2020 he came along to capture that special occasion.
For a long time he was based out of Oahu but recently moved to Puerto Rico with his wife Bárbara.
Sage’s understanding of creative filmmaking has lead him to work with brands all over the world and even a stint at Beautiful Destinations – who don’t need much of an introduction when it comes to cinematic storytelling.
We’ve always been inspired by the films he produces so we thought we would reach out to him to learn more about his filmmaking process.
Let’s get into it…
Interview with filmmaker Sage Stephens
How did you get into filmmaking?
In high school (class of 2011) I wasn’t in touch with my creative side at all. And in college I spent my time training very hard in the sport of diving and studying to become a social worker of some kind. But in that first year of college I asked my mom to borrow her camera. I knew she had one that was going unused and I wanted to capture photos of my team gracefully flipping through the air. Turns out high speed photography, in a cold dark pool, with a crop sensor, fast movement,..let’s just say it wasn’t an easy thing to learn. I enjoyed the challenge it presented and the reward of finally getting something in focus; so gratifying seeing a decent image. The lens my mom’s camera (d70) had was an 85mm 1.8, so that’s the focal length with which I developed my eye. I brought that camera to practice every day for 3+years, took video clips occasionally but never thought anything of it. I spent my free time hustling photography jobs, saving up, eventually got my own camera, a d3100. I worked senior portraits, weddings, really just anything. I made a whopping paycheck of $47.00 one time from my school newspaper. It just wasn’t an option so my life carried on, I did my thing in college and then somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to uproot. Do something wild with my life. Just a massive change-up. My girlfriend and I had just split. I just graduated college. I retired from competitive diving. My life was an open slate, so naturally I decided to move my life to Hawaii. There I immediately met some good friends that were into cliff diving. The rest is history. Obviously I wanted to record every second I spent adventuring, so I really dove into the craft of film making. I made a few videos in college so I knew the basics, but I really got into film making and learned it through and through because of cliff diving and the friends from that.
As a filmmaker who are your creative muses that inspire you to push your craft?
This list is always getting longer. I believe we are a product of the people we surround ourselves with. Ive taken inspiration from many people in many chapters in life. It’s hard to start naming people because I would feel bad leaving someone out. I seriously try to take some form of inspiration from everyone I meet. Everyone has something to teach.
You spent a few years working at BD who are known for epic cinematic films. What did you learn from working in that kind of environment?
I learned a lot from that environment. It definitely helped sharpen my skills. The BD team works hard. In 2yrs with them I traveled to over 30 countries and worked with just about every kind of client and video you can imagine. Tourism, luxury travel, food, documentary, hotel, lifestyle,.. the list goes on. In all that, I gained a massive amount of practical experience. There are some heroes that work behind the scenes at BD. Producers, Account managers, creatives, every single person at that company was a bad ass at what they did. I learned the importance of team work at BD.
What is your favorite filming experience? One where you look back and go “just to be there was something extra special”
There is lot. I wish I could write a book with all of them. Some of my favorite experiences filming were in the Silfra Gap in Iceland, the jellyfish lake in Palau, and time lapsing the night sky of the Atacama Desert. And many more. But those really stick out to me!
As a creative filmmaker what makes a great film in your opinion?
A great film is timeless and masterfully tells a story. A great film evokes emotion and inspires change.
If you could only shoot one thing for the rest of your life – what would that one thing be?
If I could shoot only one thing for the rest of my life, it would definitely be people. Every person has so much to offer, so many stories to tell. There is infinite inspiration to be taken from even just one person.
Are you working on anything special at the moment?
Yes! I’m working on a short film! A passion project called, “Gifts from the Sea”. It’s a project I made to just.. express! It’s been in the making for over a year. I’ve poured my heart into every frame. Music is being made for it now, so hopefully a release date follows soon!
How important is it to shoot in 4k for client work?
It’s very important. Even if the client doesn’t require 4K, it’s smart to shoot and at least offer the option to deliver in 4K. For a business owner it’s future-proofing
and it looks good on you because you are delivering a higher quality product. It’s a win win.
Do you back up the footage on 2 external hard drives or is one enough?
Always always two. Three if you can. I don’t have very good internet but if I did I would upload my content to a cloud service as well just to be sure.
What is your editing process? How do you select the best footage? Do you start off editing to a music track or does that come later?
I try to think of it as a puzzle. You go through every single frame of footage. Don’t skip a single clip and you search for the absolute best moments. You create your pieces. Lay them all out. And then, based on the story you have to tell, assemble them in perfect order. From there you trim, and like a Bonsai tree you can edit and prune each clip to take on the exact visual form as your imagination requires. It takes patience and time. Music comes afterwards, unless you’re making a music video then obviously that should be your base. If you must edit to music first ask yourself what story the song tells and what story arc does the music follow. The footage should peak with the music and breath with the music.
How important are sound effects in a cinematic piece? Do you use a specific audio pack or do you like to record real life sounds on shoot?
The sound effects are important. If they are mixed well they can really add to the emotion or drama. I have collected a few sound effect packs over the years. But mostly I rely on any sounds I took on scene. I use a Zoom H4N in the field. I like to use sound effects mostly for ambience and undertones.
Creating a film is like writing a book, you need to take the viewer on a journey. Do you often have the storyline in your head before you shoot or do you shoot and then piece a story together in the edit suite?
I prefer to have a storyline put together beforehand. Even if it’s only rough. I love to know the purpose of the shot so that I can try my best to frame it in a way that is intentional and interesting. Or maybe the story requires a certain style of shooting that is different from other visual styles? For instance if the delivery is exclusively vertical orientation, why not shoot vertically. The results speak for themselves. Preparedness goes a long way. However, that’s not to say that beautiful work cannot be crafted based on the footage! You can totally go that way and win awards. There are no rules in film making.
Do you travel with a producer/fixer on your shoots? and do you find it beneficial?
It’s absolutely beneficial to have a producer and a fixer on a shoot. It’s helpful anytime a workload is distributed, having a producer creates more favorable conditions when it comes to making impactful imagery. Producers are paramount to any major film. However incredible films can be made by small teams or even by a single person. It’s really all about your vision. I’ve had a healthy mixture of both. I usually see that having a producer makes the whole process of creating a little more seamless.
As freelancers finding work is the name of the game, we are always pitching ideas to potential clients, do you do the same? or does word of mouth and your portfolio bring in enough new work?
I absolutely pitch my own ideas. Our ideas as creatives are arguably our most valuable commodities. It’s all about communicating those ideas effectively to the right people, and at the right time. I do not rely on word of mouth, however I do have a wonderful network of talented friends that I enjoy working alongside when opportunities arise.
What camera and lenses do you shoot with?
I own a 1dxmkii, nauticam underwater housing and L series prime lenses. My favorite lens for that camera is the 50mm 1.2. I don’t recommend my set up for everyone. I’ve been trying to shoot more on RED as of lately and will definitely be transitioning to that when I can afford to make the switch.
What lens do you find you use the most?
50mm 1.2 and 24mm 1.4
Do you think it’s essential to have a gimbal with you on all shoots?
A lot of film makers would disagree with me, but I say no. Don’t get me wrong, it’s essential for some videos. For most client work too. But in my humble opinion there are other methods of telling a visual story than a gliding shot or a tripod shot for that matter. It’s nice to have, but don’t feel like you can’t be a film maker without one. That being said, a gimbal takes dynamic movement to another level. It completely opens a world of possibilities in storytelling and cinematography. But not essential on every shoot for me.
If you could give one piece of advice to a young filmmaker wanting to do what you do, what would that be?
I would say to take a really big chance on yourself and set some serious goals. Create a plan, visualize where you want to end up. Then get out, create, and stop at nothing!
To see more of Sage’s work you can find him on Instagram as well as sagesthephens.com
We hope you enjoyed this interview with our first featured filmmaker Sage Stephens. We have some more incredible creatives on the list for future posts so watch this space.
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