Meet Tyre Mills of Millsuave

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyre Mills.

Tyre, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first felt a passion for film when I was in my later years of high school around 17. Growing up in East Oakland California as an athlete, playing baseball was my whole life. I was trying to pursue college baseball after high school. Once that faded and I was left to only pursue school and find myself, I originally went to college to study film but was quickly persuaded away from it by some people that were close to me. I didn’t believe in myself much back then, so I allowed many outside opinions to influence me to believe that pursuing film would be a waste of time, or that I couldn’t make money in it, or that I would have to already be famous to produce something big or special. My real journey in the game actually began in the middle of college when I had put film out of sight out of mind, I was studying to become a Firefighter and was pretty much done with ever considering film again in my life.

On this random Saturday I got a text from a friend asking If I could help her friend of another friend and be in a student film as an extra. Fast forward to the shoot day, I wound up being cast in the film that day as one of the leads because the other actors had just dropped out and they liked me based on appearance. I had no idea how to act, but I was comfortable it came so natural I didn’t even realize, until I saw the footage later of how dope it looked. I even got to be in an action chase scene. I loved every minute of it. I ended up helping the director and crew capture more visually pleasing shots on set and recommended new shots and they used them. I didn’t even know back then what any of the positions were on a set, they seemed to be intrigued by suggestions I was offering. I was directing and setting up cinematography and didn’t even know it. Fast forwarding to recent years, I experienced a deep depression in my senior years of college, God was preparing me for more though, I came out of this horrible chapter in life from being suicidal multiple times to being more full of life than I ever felt, The turning point was on a random day I sat in my living room talking to one of my closest friends we were both stressed out about life trying to get a job and figuring out what was next, I had no food in the fridge and only 8 dollars in my bank account when this vivid revelation hit me, it felt like a spirit of life entered my body. I can’t explain it other than I believe it was god speaking to me or handing me my purpose at that moment, I stood up and couldn’t get my mind off of getting a camera somehow, I was so determined to get one that I went out to campus that moment while it was late, I found a way to rent one from the school, I must have looked weird to people as I was asking around obsessively like a person searching for something they had lost, I stumbled into the tech dept at the library and found that they were just starting to rent out a new camera that day and I was the first to get it, most students didn’t even know you could rent things here. It was weird, I felt this obsessive need to go out and shoot things and make videos and films.

I rented the camera every week I could and didn’t even know what to do with it sometimes just point and shoot at things edit them and do it again, I went looking for film sets to work on and probably looked weird to people on set too because I was so drawn into making movies that I didn’t get sleepy I was full of energy when everyone else was down. I eventually couldn’t get the camera anymore so I would shoot on my phone all the time, I would shoot promo videos for parties, campus events, social groups on campus, and even short films, commercials, intros, you name it. I created an entire YouTube channel and edited dozens of videos all on my phone to create the CSUN black student union’s YouTube channel BSUTUBE. Film was such a passion to me that it changed my social life, I actually preferred to stay home and study my craft. many of my friends were out partying and turning up, while I would read books, listen to audios, watch and study film tutorials on YouTube and watch masterclasses on film for 5 hours or more a day at home. I could spend whole weeks and weekends studying my craft and then going out to apply what I learned and I wanted nothing else. It’s like god set me up this way to teach myself film rather than study it in school because he had greater plans for me, I started with nothing but my phone and now I have an entire arsenal of equipment to pull of almost any type of production. I wouldn’t be here where I am today if everything didn’t happen for me this way.

My family has always had my back and my great grandfather Charlie Thomas Sr. who is my greatest influence in life, has inspired me to get to where I am. Also R.I.P. to my neo, my brother in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc Josh Briggs. who passed away in a car accident. He taught me so much about this craft and I was inspired learning from him often as he was younger but far ahead in wisdom. He starred in my first film, I wrote the script and poured a few hundred dollars into the production and we made it happen in two days. I always approach my craft as a student, and this has helped me to teach myself the things I know when it comes to cameras, lenses, microphones, lighting, framing, blocking, editing, color science, gear, directing etc. I’m always analyzing what I see on screen and watching movies with the sound off, or researching movies after I watch them to find out more about how they were made. I fly drones too now and what’s crazy is I remember when I was once the person who watched others do what I do now, and I thought they were just born special to do it or that I would never be good enough to do all of this. Now its ironic people ask me advice on my craft. God is good.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been long rough and rugged. I experienced a deep depression in my senior years of college. My life seemed to be spiraling out of control all in a short period of time, I literally felt like I was losing everything all at once, it felt like god just swiped it all away. One thing after the other it felt like a domino effect. I had lost my job, my car, school, relationship, dealt with health issues that were causing me to be sick every day to the point I could barely find the energy to walk to class let alone sit in class not in sharp pain, it was difficult to eat most days because of this so I lost lots of weight from not eating, my little brother and grandmother were both fighting for their life in the hospital back home, I was having business trouble as well that could have gone bad legal-wise at one point I was even stuck looking for a place to live, in order to be able to stay in school, I failed all my classes in a semester twice & nearly flunked out of college, Survived two head-on collision accidents, there’s many other things that are too personal to mention here that were huge struggles for me. If you catch my drift though it felt like rock bottom and then some.

Now in more recent years my struggles are internal. I don’t feel pain in general the same way I did before being depressed, after I saw some horrendous things which I won’t mention. It’s kind of shaped me where not many things can hurt me the same today. The struggles have made me better at this craft though. Most people close to me, even my family don’t know a lot of this happened, but I share these stories of difficult times because I have come across others in my life who dealt with depression and suicide too, and just from sharing my story with them has saved them or changed their mindset to not feel alone. I hope that someone else might read this one day and take value away from it, knowing we’ve been there, it’s ok, it’s possible to come back from even though it seems impossible and that they can be inspired to get up and chase purpose too. The story after you get up, after you comeback is what matters so you can’t stay down.

Millsuave – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Freelance Cinematographer, Videographer, & Photographer specializing in Narrative Filmmaking and Commercial Videography. I also specialize in portrait photography. I currently am the videographer at Greater Zion Church Family in Compton, CA I shoot the visual media for our church and edit for social media use. Other clients I’ve worked with before include Compton Mayor Aja Brown, KJLH “What’s up with that” Radio Show, Fresh Empire, UnplugdLA Sessions, Cali HBCU Alliance, The Gouche Foundation, & The Nehemiah Project. I have produced everything from feature films, travel films, episodic series, documentaries, commercials, Church Media videos, music videos, weddings, real estate, & drone videography.

I would say what I’m known for creating is Epic hyped videos that move people’s emotions. When it comes to film, I love shooting One-Shots which I’m known for especially by my team members or anyone who works with me. I work with an awesome team & company now “Ryda 4 Life Filmz” that makes me an even better shooter every time we shoot. Ryda 4 Life Filmz really changed the game for me when I first worked on one of their sets. No other set I’ve worked on can compare to Ryda 4 Life Filmz, we are always growing, & always pushing each other to be better. We have together produced Award winning films, multiple episodic series, documentaries and more.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see film becoming easier and easier for those of us in the indie world. I believe 4k resolution will become the dial-up version of cameras pretty soon, our kids will be playing with cameras as toys that we dreamed of as adults. I think there are so many new machines and gadgets coming out at such a rapid rate, that it’s going to cause more people to focus on the specs of cameras rather than their artistic skills behind the lens. I see film & tv moving more into streaming services and out of the theaters in the future. Especially since Covid-19 caused so many theaters to close for a while. I am excited and hopeful that this will create more opportunity for those in the indie world of film to compete with the Big studios in Hollywood one day if all or the majority of film and media is consumed online through apps. I have seen so many talented filmmakers that are outside the industry. Many of them have more creativity and originality than the industry holds in itself but most of their work doesn’t see the big screen or TV because they aren’t here in Hollywood, however don’t underestimate YouTube and Vimeo, I have seen some of the best work that you will ever see in the world, on those platforms and not from Hollywood.

Contact Info:

• Website: millsuave.wixsite.com/tyremills
• Instagram: Millsuave44
• Facebook: Tyre Mills

 

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.