Daily Inspiration: Meet Ben Steeper

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Steeper.

Hi Ben, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It started as soon as I got my hands on a video camera and made a few terrible films in middle school. I knew I loved it. But, for a while, film and I went our separate ways; I studied and worked in neuroscience, traveled the world, and wrote some fantasy novels but inevitably came back to film. Then, filled with life experience, I was ready, and I made another two short films. They were still terrible.

But I still loved it.

I took what I was trying to say and the moments that worked and learned from those. Meanwhile, my music video game, which was much more on point, began to pop off, and I pretty quickly got to work with some bigger names. Then, the commercial work began to roll in, and when I finally got back around to making another short film, I nailed it. From there, I started directing and directing photography on films in NYC and met a core team of friends who all made the move to LA together and have grown from there. And, well, we’re still writing the rest of the story; I’ll get back to you on that!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth journey, but that’s why we are here. The film industry and lifestyle bring out the people who need to be challenged. If you’ve ever been on an indie film set, you know smooth is just an illusion. It’s a beautiful dance of falling pieces and rebuilding as you go. It’s the gauntlet we all have to come up through. That said, I’ve had my own struggles. The biggest was getting over the hurdle to go full-time. In an industry where you have to trust yourself completely, in classic War of Art style, the resistance is strongest at the beginning. The leap of faith is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences in life.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What’s beautiful about this industry is the blending between art and work. It’s a tenuous balance, but it can be magical. For my own personal art, I am a writer and director. And professionally, in addition to writing and directing, I work consistently as a cinematographer. I consider it like filmmaking research. Being the cinematographer has allowed me to work with other directors and learn from the successes and failures of their films and get ten times the experience on set that I would if I was just looking for directing gigs and directing my own films. Then, stylistically, I like a vintage look. I’ve been working with 16mm and digital cameras that can emulate a filmic look. In an era of increasing resolution, sharpness, and CGI I’ve been appreciating the organic simplicity of film. This is partially because of my affinity for fantasy films. I feel a sincere need to fill the deficit we’ve had in the wake of The Lord of the Rings in quality fantasy films, and I think this one thing that sets me apart because my fantasy work is driven hard in that direction. I still believe in digital for my sci-fi and commercial work, but something about fantasy on film, with as little CGI as possible, makes the magic which genre needs.

What makes you happy?
What makes me happy? I am generally pretty happy, which is slippery because I can be happy doing most anything adventurous or social. I’ve had to work very hard to make sure I pay the closest attention to the deepest satisfaction that comes from an artistic success. One of the most specific things that makes me happy is a great idea, mine or anyone else’s. As an artist, if you can bring something to light, connect through experience, or make people think, that’s the reason to do it right there.

Contact Info:

• Website: steepproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamin.steep/