Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Elkins
Hi Alexander, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started out my career, in 2010, as a PA (production assistant). I was living in Chicago, IL and cold calling anyone and everyone I could. I started to get some work in Cincinnati (where I grew up), so I decided to move back. A couple of PA jobs turned into some work in the grip department, which lead to my first feature film, 7 Below, in 2011. That film got me into IATSE local 209 where I did a few features as either a grip or an electrician, gaining valuable insights into how more experienced DPs worked. At the same time that I was doing feature grip and electric work, I was shooting small music videos, local commercials, and corporate videos – trying to beef up my reel and make connections. I had a few lucky breaks in the music video world, like shooting the ‘Stressed Out’ music video for Twenty One Pilots, which introduced me to even more producer and director connections. In 2016, I had the opportunity to operate B Camera on the film ‘Mom and Dad’, starring Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair. That job got me into ICG 600 and opened a lot of doors for feature operating work. So, I retired my IATSE 209 union card and dove into my new life as an operator and non-union DP. From 2016 to 2020, I worked on 9 features, either as operator or as 2nd Unit DP, shot a narrative series for Snap Chat, and shot numerous commercials and music videos. In early 2021, I took a step back from the feature film world in order to be closer to home for my growing family (my wife was pregnant with our second child at the time). I joined a local commercial production company, Big Media Creative, as a partner and worked with my good friend Adam Bowen to craft high quality advertisements for almost 3 years. In February of 2024, I once again stepped back into freelance in order to gain some more flexibility in my schedule (we now had three children and the ability to turn down work became necessary). In the past year, I’ve mainly shot commercials, but I’m working my way back into the feature world and I’m excited to see where this amazing career will take me.
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?
It has been everything but a smooth road. Plenty of bumps, twists, turns, and detours. Most of the struggles came during periods of reinvention: from PA to grip, grip to electric, electric to operator, and trying to build up the DP work all along the way. Apart from the work-related struggles, there is always life… maintaining healthy relationships with friends, family, and my wife… raising three young children… trying to stay physically fit and healthy. But through it all, I’ve come to realize how much I really love what I do and how all of my life experience filter through to my work on screen, in some way or another. It’s not an easy business by any means, but it’s worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been fortunate to have worked on all sorts of different projects: features, commercials, music videos, documentaries, live music… every job is different than the last and it’s always so fun to figure out how to make the current job the best that it can be. I love the whole process: putting together the crew, figuring out the technical needs of the job, crafting the style, working with the cast and crew on set, color grading a project at the end. Every step is fun in its own way. I’ve worked on a lot of action movies and they’ve provided me a lot of fun stories to tell friends and family. From blowing up cars, being strapped to the front of ATVs, or suspended high in the air on cranes, I’ve had some very unique experiences. On the music side of things, I’ve worked with some great artists over the years, shooting music videos for Twenty One Pilots, Beartooth, Red Sun Rising, and many more. I think the one thing that’s helped me keep progressing in my work is my flexibility and adaptability; I try really hard to give each project its own unique look – I never want all of my work to look the same. So, I feel like I could slot into any scenario and deliver a polished, appropriate look for whatever the project requires.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I feel like this industry is built on taking risks. They may be calculated, but they’re still risks. Even just thinking about my own progression, I took a risk each time I decided to reinvent myself. Whenever you do something like that, there’s a chance that it could completely fail and send you back to where you came from. Reaching out to new producers and directors is a risk. Every job you take on is a risk. But, your ability to look at the risks and calculate your best chance of success is what helps see you through. The biggest risks tend to be doors to the biggest successes. If it scares me, there’s a good chance I should do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.AlexanderElkins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexelkinsdp/
