Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Morales.
Christian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Christian, a media producer and post production supervisor with a love for analog visual effects, indie storytelling, and advocating for workers in freelance/corporate media markets!
Short form media production, color grading / post-production, as well as videography have largely been my focus- although I began my creative career as a playwright, graduating from full length Latino & Community theater productions to small-scale TV & film. My writing process has been a vehicle for success from the beginning. I got my eye for creating the “color grade” or look of a film by shooting film and studying pre-digital video & photo techniques.
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?
My whole university experience was online, devoid of basic human interaction, until my Senior year- and then I inherited a job market in a post-COVID era of AI revolution, social turbulence, Hollywood strikes, market instability, outright war, and everything else we have collectively experienced since 2020. Yet, just a couple of years ago, I had to find a way to pivot into a production role, while still earning my bachelor’s with a newborn son on my hip.
From Zoom classes in the hospital to getting through the stark reality of what it takes to be a media freelancer, my visual style and storytelling is a reflection of my admiration for different art mediums and the concept of “existence=resistance.”
I have fought bias in the world of videographer/photographer service jobs in the freelance media space, having worked within conservative cities in places like Orange County during two Trump administrations. Even shooting content alongside construction companies for example, people have interpreted my brown skin to mean I am actually a construction worker, only to surprise them- not always positively- as I set up my camera gear and demand a little more attention than “the other workers”. Don’t even get me started on working weddings.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At heart, I’m an audiovisual specialist, chronically online, yet committed vintage & analog videography/photo. From custom adapting USSR-era lenses from the 1940s to collecting obscure Japanese camera gear… to shooting on super8mm film, VHS, and all the way to bringing old Broadcast TV equipment back to life- I try and tell compelling stories with character weaved IN to the process, not just the product. You get all the character of real vintage lenses and all the image data of a modern day sensor- this duality informs my visual design philosophy. Over time, the world caught on to the charm of going retro- and productions like “Dune 2” have used some of the very lenses in my Soviet collections to pull of beautiful visuals. Needless to say, prices have since skyrocketed for these retro lenses and point-and-shoot cameras. You can catch celebs with them all the time now- because it has become more of a status symbol to use analog photo gear nowadays, as opposed to an act of anti-consumerism.
How do you define success?
Achieving wealth and status is only a success in my eyes if you turn around and use it to create economic safety nets & third spaces for communities you care about. Fostering creative opportunities, and collectively fashioning a world where we can all get by despite the constant turmoil we experience, socioeconomically. Success means I can look around and see that each of my peers is awarded according to their ability, and in turn supporting each other according to our needs.
Pricing:
- 1000 – Full Day Photo + Video Package for Interior Design & Construction (Day rate + Delivery Package)
- 450 – Creative/Corporate Portraits, BTS photography
- 500 Color Grading Indie Rate
Contact Info:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianok?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
- Other: https://docs.google.com/document/d/149BsSyp28-fvognEEztnOjT54R_AQKaH/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=106083982590789076535&rtpof=true&sd=true
Image Credits
– Graduation Photos: Emily Chen, emchen.info / @emxriii
– On set BTS photos: Kristina Kardi, @Kristina.Kardi on IG
