Filmmaker | Photographer Cale Glendening

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Most directors pump out video after video, why focus on larger projects like Demon Hunter’s “45 Days” and Throwdown’s “Deathless”?

My dream is movies!  I want to capture life, tell stories, inspire people, make people laugh, change lives, make people think, make an impact. I can’t achieve that with updates and music videos. I was told I should always be working for what I want to do. For the record, I absolutely love music and music videos.  Francis Lawrence, Mark Webb, and Mark Romanek (just to name a few) are music video directors who blow my mind!  I don’t dislike music videos; I just want to work in movies more.  With longer pieces, I get to spend time with subjects, actors, crew, and the project at hand. It really gives me the chance to get comfortable with people and dig into their lives.  To really see character build and emotion pour out requires your subjects trusting you and being comfortable around you. I love getting to know every subject I shoot personally.  How can I pour my heart into something I invest no time in?  Go big or go home.

I think your most intriguing video is the “Living in the rain forest with the Mentawai” short. Can you sum up how the heck you ended up in Indonesia?

My friend and talented photographer Joey Lawrence (JoeyL.com) asked me if I would be interested in attending an adventure with him and his friend Will.  Joey travels to remote places all over the world to do photography. He has shot several tribes. I expressed my interest to do the same with video.  I have always been interested in culture and visiting remaining tribes all over the world. So the next trip that came around he thought I would like to go.  On a weeks notice I left to go to the rain forest to live with the indigenous tribe “THE MENTAWAI” for a couple weeks.  Since it was so last minute, the flights and traveling was just insanity.  I spent 5 full days on foot, in cars, on boats, and in the air just to make it to the tribe.  The trip was so unforgettable not even alzheimer’s could erase it from my memories.  I could do that for the rest of my life and be totally happy.

If you had to choose,  gun to your head, what was the one event / conversation / email that has changed your career thus far?

I would have to say in February of 2008 when Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter, Invisible Creature) sent me a random email asking if I would like to shoot Demon Hunter’s documentary.  At this point I had only shot one music video and was praying daily for an opportunity to get me taken seriously in the film world.  Without getting too deep, I was overwhelmed with promise in January 08.  I felt an opportunity was coming, and that I shouldn’t worry.  However I knew it was going to be hard. Dreams never come easy. So I got the email from Ryan and he mentioned I would be doing the entire documentary by myself.  While I was in extreme self-doubt, I remembered how much I had bitched and complained about wanting an opportunity and there it was. I knew if I pulled it off, then something great would come from it.  Since completion of “Demon Hunter – 45 Days” I don’t think I have had a single day off.  God was right, and that email changed my life.  Thank you Ryan Clark and Demon Hunter for having faith in me.

The barrier to entry is lower than ever for filmmakers and photographers. What do you think separates the guy/gal with real talent from the guy/gal that’s just lucky enough to buy some fancy gear?

I will say this over and over again.  Good gear doesn’t make someone creative.  I can hand Joe Schmo the best camera out there and he will deliver Joe Schmo photos.  Hell, he could know how to take the camera apart and put it back together but with no vision he will get nowhere.  I truly believe that vision can’t be taught.  You either have an eye for it, or you do not.  One of my favorite quotes sums this all up,

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.”  - Helen Keller

Any respectable filmmaker/photographer is secretly in love with their gear, what’s in your arsenal?

I LOVE GEAR, but keeping up with technology is a pain.  My secret weapon was the redrock and letus extreme 35mm converters on my hvx200.  I recently have enjoyed watching technology set up boxing matches between Canon, Nikon, Red…etc.  The capabilities these guys are offering in their products are just incredible.  Multi million dollar commercials, music videos, even scenes in movies are being shot with $2,000 cameras.  The result is just unreal.  I have always been an advocate of Canon, so I recently purchased a Canon 7D.  I used 3 to shoot the entire Throwdown “Deathless” film.  Once acceptable audio gets molded into their products, which will happen soon, the industry is going to start getting very interesting.

It’s easy to point out the AWESOME aspects of your career path, what are some not so awesome aspects?

This is the question I was avoiding and decided to answer last.  It’s hard being negative when you are living your dream.  I say it all the time, but I truly am grateful to do this daily.  However, for the sake of the question I will play ball.  Some might say the risk and sacrifice sucks, but that’s what makes it fun for me.  Without sacrifice there would be no glory.  I would say MONEY is the not so awesome part.  Having to explain to people “my worth” and why I deserve to be paid. I don’t deserve a reward for answering my calling. I also dislike explaining what I am worth and why I cost more than “so and so”.  Getting paid to do something I love feels like cheating.  Also, I love people, but some clients really can take it out of you.  Most clients see the start and finish; they don’t see the obstacles you overcome just to deliver.  My grandpa once told me, “10% of each job will be the actual work itself and 90% will be psychological.”  This couldn’t be truer.  From every job, the easiest part to me is writing, shooting, editing, and finishing.  The overwhelming part is dealing with people.  The clients with insane deadlines, asking to do things that are optically impossible, wanting with no regard of how it will effect the outcome.  Everyone answers to someone, and that just creates a longer chain of miscommunication and frustration. So the psychological part of my job is very frustrating at times.  If you procrastinate and can’t get a long with people this is going to be a very difficult job for you.

If you could flip a switch right now, what kind of dream project would you get involved in?

You might as well ask me to count raindrops during the next thunderstorm!  While the list of talented actors and directors I’d love nothing more than to work with is long, I would say if it were a project I would want to work on something like “Planet Earth.” Now that may have caught you by surprise but let me explain.  I am first and foremost visually motivated and inspired.  When watching the series, not one person can watch without thinking, “unbelievable”.  What’s so funny is how tangible it actually is.  What you are watching is right here, where we live.  The message is completely universal.  WE LIVE IN A UNIQIE, INTRICATE, & BEAUTIFUL WORLD.  It is overwhelmingly undeniable by any man, race, culture, or religion.  Something I love even more is that there’s so much more to be explored and discovered.  Planet Earth only spikes the question, “What else could be out there?”  I would happily camp in the forest for a month, 2 months trying to get a 1 second glimpse of the unseen. What could be more exciting than that?  Hit me up when you get a chance BBC/Discovery!