Today we’d like to introduce you to Zeeshan Khan.
Hi Zeeshan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I hail from Bangalore, India, also known as the Silicon Valley of India. Hence, you could throw a rock in this city housing 11 million people and it is guaranteed to hit an engineer. Therefore, for an eight-year-old young boy to be dreaming of pursuing film seemed like a farfetched desire. It wasn’t easy considering my parents had other plans for me. They wanted to see their son become an engineer or a doctor, the two paths that the majority of my family members, close and extended chose. However, I was determined to pave my own path and pursue my dream to become a Cinematographer.
It all started when my father had got home a film camera and I wasn’t allowed to touch it. The most I could do was stare at it from a far and marvel at its beauty. The idea that I could preserve these images for a lifetime peeked my interest in further gaining knowledge about the camera and world of film. The idea was to go on and pursue my undergrad in film however my parents didn’t understand what was so enticing about cinema and couldn’t envision their son working in this industry and being able to live a stable life. So with the failure to convince them of my passion, which they merely saw as a pass time hobby, I kept my head down and got my Undergrad in Commerce but as fate would’ve had it I was once again reeled towards my passion when I found a photography competition during our College fest. I was eager to be a part of the competition but at this point, I didn’t own a camera. Nor did mobile phones have cameras that would guarantee me a win, hence, a friend and I decided to split the cost and invest in a Nikon D5200 together. This was just the start, participating in various photography festivals became a habit and further down the line I started fashion photography as well, which I published on my personal social media page ‘Zeislab.’
However, this wasn’t getting me any closer to becoming a cinematographer and so I chose to switch paths and join a company that shot for weddings. Here I’d at least be able to film and be creative with the camera angles, vision, and composition. However, the downside of working at this place was that I didn’t credit for my work. Hence, I choose to move on and speak to my parents that I was determined to learn cinematography and one day work in film. It wasn’t overnight of course, but soon my parents recognized my seriousness towards the field of film and let me fly to Los Angeles to further pursue and grow as a cinematographer.
I am very thankful that they understood because since I have been here, I have only seen my graph grow as I thrive in the land of Hollywood. I recently had the opportunity to be the B-cam operator for Jerimiah Spencer’s (NFL Linebacker) Documentary. Along with this I have dived into my love for experimental music videos and shot Prince Hadj’s ‘Ain’t Sorry,’ which recently crossed 100K views on Youtube. With two more videos in the pipeline, I am thrilled to see myself grow as a cinematographer and take on life one film at a time.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As mentioned previously, one of my biggest struggles was to convince my parents and make them see how being a cinematographer was worth considering. It took some time but I’m glad that they came around. I had never dreamt of being in Los Angeles and learning film considering my family situation. However, a decision was made in under 4 months and I was then headed to LA.
The world here was very different compared to the one I had left behind. I was finally pursuing my passion but there was still a constant push and pull between attending classes or being on set and learning firsthand. After a month of struggling with this, I was finally able to strike the sweet balance where I could reap the benefits of both- being in class along with finding myself on set.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always been inspired by the series ‘Better call Saul.’ It is the kind of drama that invites me to further continue watching a series or a film. Hence, one day I would like to be able to film something along those lines. However, for the meantime, I am fascinated by the genre of experimental music videos and am glad that I got to test it by filming Prince Hadj’s ‘Ain’t Sorry,’ which is gaining several views on YouTube. I have two other music videos, ‘I can be me’ and ‘Show me what you got,’ in post right now. I am excited for everyone to see those as well. Apart from this the one thing that I have consistently been told is how unique of a vision I have. Not being able to look at a story one-dimensionally is my strong point that I most cherish. I am able to give different visual inputs to further add to the story and make it visually strong.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I believe I am a listener and I often like to strike conversations with my friends and family in order to understand their perspectives. Specially when I am among my filmmaking friends, I love to hear where they come from and how their vision/opinions align or diverge from mine. That way I can learn more about the world which later on goes onto help me with my work and certain choices I make as a cinematographer. Along with communication, I’d like to believe that it is my determination to get something done that has gotten me this far. Plus it is the awareness of what I want and why. These three things help me strive toward my goal and keep me focused towards where I need to end up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/zeislab
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPENAAO3ow8
