Community LomoAmigo and Filmmaker Blayreellestad Gives it a Shot with the LomoKino!

He sure has got film making in his blood! And with that, he has proved that when you want to achieve something in life, then there should be nothing stopping you.

And that applies to his relationship with our glorious movie maker. One look at the LomoKino and he knew it was something for him to own. This occurrence lead to tons of films and several lovely analogue movies!

Learn more about this week’s LomoKino LomoAmigo Blayre as he tells us his LomoKino experiences. Be sure to take a look into his work, too!

Full Name: Blayre Ellestad
Lomography Username: blayreellestad
Location: Toronto, Canada

Tell us about yourself. What do you do for a living? What are your interests?

I’m a filmmaker at heart who’s been at it ever since I was old enough to understand how to initiate
the record sequence on a video camera. I remember our 1 ½ foot long Sony camcorder which
mesmerized me based on the fact it could zoom alone. The idea of capturing a moment and being
able to hold onto it forever has always intrigued me.

I currently own and operate two cinema companies in Toronto. Elle & Be Wedding and Lifestyle Cinematography AND Blayre Ellestad Cinematography. I’ve luckily been able to turn my passion into a career with a little help from my amazing girlfriend Laura. She always reinforced the idea that if you
keep doing what you love, eventually someone will start paying you to do it!

Along with shooting, I’m a huge passionate editor. There’s something to the control you have as
the video editor, and all the possible outcomes, which keeps my excitedly anxious to work on every
new project that comes through my door. No two editors will ever make the same cut using the same
footage. It’s always a unique finish.

How long have you been a Lomographer and how did you find out about the Community?

I’ve been interested in Lomography for a little over a year. I first noticed the storefront on Queen St.
in Toronto, and happened to walk in as George Stroumboulopoulos was exiting with a new camera (I
didn’t catch which one…). You walk into the store and see a giant wall fully dressed in artistic prints,
taken from various Lomography camera models. And every turn of the head reveals an interesting
display of analogue possibility. My first camera was the Diana Mini.

It wasn’t until I heard about the LomoKino that I really went nuts with Lomography. Being a
filmmaker, this was the ideal piece for me. The online samples were breathtaking and lead me on a
mad dash to the store to purchase one of my own. It was a proud moment to have the camera placed
in my possession, and the box was simply amazing (months later it’s still resting on my work desk).
Here is a link to some of my Lomokino work: http://www.blayrefilms.com

Describe the LomoKino in five words.
The Restoration of Cinematic Creativity

✘ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/34758740
Uruguay After Dark

How did you like shooting with the LomoKino?

It’s always been a little awkward, especially when you try cranking the wheel while looking through
the viewfinder (the stick always hits me in the face…) however it’s a unique old-fashioned design with
a modern twist, lending itself to an original experience. After you get comfortable with where the lens
is and how to expose, it’s a lot of fun. You’re free to move and create in ways not usually known to
our younger generations. The dreamlike quality of the footage is spellbinding in it’s surreal capture of
real moments.

What or who has inspired you to purchase and use the LomoKino?

The reason behind my purchase of the LomoKino is simply the difference and uniqueness offered
through it’s workflow. Coming from a collection of 10+ modern digital based cameras, it’s nice to step
back into the origins of photography. Learning hands-on the methods behind which a moving picture
is created, gives a new appreciation to the craft. You’re the one doing all the work (you and your local
photo lab).

Any funny or strange encounters you’ve had with it?

I guess this is not as funny as it is sad. I recently had a wedding project in Japan where I had
envisioned shooting the couple running through a bamboo forest, filming each-other with the
LomoKino as they made silly faces, dances, etc. I purchased 10 rolls of film in anticipation, and
anxiously arrived with the couple to the bamboo forest, thinking about the magic we were about
to create. Shooting off to the side with my 7D, I yelled “Action!”, and the couple went at. It was
amazing! They were so animated, so excited and I couldn’t wait to see the final outcome (though we
had only just begun). About 15 seconds in, the crank on the Lomokino snapped off and our delightful
magic bamboo dream end abruptly.

If you could shoot any person alive or dead (or imaginary) with your LomoKino, who would it
be and why?

Right away the first person I though of was Michael Jordan. He’s the ultimate athlete — personality and
presence. He’s someone I’ve always wanted to meet, and certainly always admired growing up. He
has a saying, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed”, which
really applies to anything. You need to be resilient, persistent, and passionate to become the person
you truly aspire to be. The LomoKino would have an amazing effect on Michael Jordan.

Kindly share to us any LomoKino movie you love the most.

My favorite movie is one of my own, the X-Mas Vacation one! It’s a perfect capture of our time in
South America. It was such an amazing adventure, which I’m so glad I was able to make it everlasting
with the beautiful little LomoKino. I used 60+ rolls for the film. Running around with Fritz the Blitz, I
was on a LomoRampage, loving every minute of it!

✘ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/34757957
Family X-Mas Trip to South America by blayreellestad

ny future plans with your LomoKino? More shoots or a full-length film perhaps?

Coming up on summer time now, so you can be sure I’ll be out there in the world with my LomoKino. I
have no plans to shoot anything scripted. For me the Lomokino is best utilized in real moments of joy.
Short, sweet, and creative is the message I believe Lomography intended us to understand through
this wonderful device.

Your advice to future LomoKino users.

Buy a ton of film and use it. It’ll take a few tries to understand the exposure and framing, but you’ll
soon feel the limitless potential of your small investment. Always find light, and the more the merrier.
The LomoKino is designed to capture vivid moments, so always be on the search for vibrance in your
surrounding life. Don’t be afraid to shoot anything that you love. If you love it, so will your audience.

Check out more movies from Blayre!

✘ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/31939604
Vintage J.C.

✘ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/34759124
B&W Beer/Coke

✘ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/32381232
Plutino Group

Enter a new analogue dimension with the LomoKino. Lomography’s own 35mm analogue movie camera allows you to capture action and immortalize your story on film! Shoot 144 frames on any 35mm film and create your own cinematic masterpieces. Want to watch your movie the old-school way? We also offer the LomoKino and LomoKinoscope package!

geschrieben von mayeemayee am 2012-05-12 in #Menschen #film #movies #community #lomoamigo #lomokino #lomokino-lomoamigo