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Michael Gray
@mikevisuals
Filmmaker based in the UK
Introducing Michael Gray
Mike has been intrigued by visuals since he was young and was making films with friends already when he was 10 years old. During his studies in visual effects at university, he discovered that he wanted most of all the active part in creating art and learning. So, instead of sitting at university, he left and worked hard to build his own portfolio. He focused on travel content, got hired by Beautiful Destinations, and since he built his own production company he’s worked with great brands worldwide.
Success is created through challenges and lessons learned as a result, as well as through working with others. Mike is an instructor at Creator Classes, where he teaches a wide range of things indispensable to know as a (starting) creator, aiming to improve their craft and/or build their own company within the creative industry.
An important aspect for Mike is striking the balance between creating content that is inspirational yet relatable. In the interview, Mike shares some tips about creating (short) videos that catch the viewer’s attention. He says, “Don’t worry so much about the quality of your footage, but more about how you capture the emotion and storytelling behind each shot.” In the interview, Mike also delves a little deeper into how to develop and execute a storyline. As Mike said beautifully: “…it starts with believing in yourself and your abilities. If you’re confident in yourself, you won’t dwell on an idea, you’ll act on it.”
The video Mike created with ViewSonic is a must-watch to gather some inspiration to participate in the ColorPro video contest yourself. A unique opportunity to get discovered and kick-start your career as a filmmaker! Keep reading if you want to learn more about Mike!
Interview
You posted your first YouTube video 5 years ago. What has been in short your path from the moment you discovered your interest in visual creation to becoming a skilled and well-traveled professional creative?
I have always enjoyed being creative, I’ve been making films since I was 10 with my friends. I studied visual effects at University, but soon realized that sitting at a desk all day wasn’t for me. Six months later, I left and worked hard to build up my portfolio. As my focus developed into travel content, my following across Youtube and Instagram was slowly building and I moved to New York after being hired by Beautiful Destinations. Since then, I have built my own production company and am lucky to work with incredible brands and talented friends all over the world.
For those viewers that are not familiar with your work, can you mention something you’ve worked on, and which is the project you created or contributed to that you are most proud of?
My latest project with ViewSonic and Colour Pro: ‘What is Perfection?’ is undoubtedly my proudest project to date. It’s a meaningful film because it represents a personal breakthrough of mine: no longer striving for the perfect shots but enjoying the beauty in the moment as it is. I filmed it in Cape Town with an incredible, talented group of creators and all my best friends feature throughout the film. It’s full of raw, real moments, emotion and storytelling.
What was your most challenging project as far as you remember, what made it challenging and what lessons did you learn from it?
A couple of years ago, I signed a production project with a large travel company that was supposed to be a 3-week turnaround. Long story short, it ended up being over 1 year long. The timeline quickly spiralled and the hours went way beyond the initial agreement. An important lesson was learnt to make sure you always protect yourself sufficiently.
"These are big companies and it’s important to cover yourself in any agreements and make sure your work is valued properly."
You are an instructor at Creator Classes. What are a few things that you generally teach your participants/students aiming to be a filmmaker and find clients that you don’t typically find online or in more standard lists with tips and advices?
I share a lot of my filmmaking tips and tricks, from the basics of Premiere Pro to cinematic storytelling, set design, cinematic drone videography and so on. Additionally, there are classes that dive into the business side of running your own content creation business which I think is super valuable for any upcoming creator’s development to successfully running their own company.
Many of your videos on YouTube are cinematic videos and you’ve a few where you share tips and settings for cinematic videos. What were your most valuable learnings to level up your own videos in toward that direction?
I think finding your style is the way to position yourself distinctively in this industry. Every person is unique, right? So let that shine in the videos you create. It takes a lot of experimenting and figuring out what works, what you enjoy, and what fuels your passion.
You have reached millions with your travel videos and stories on Youtube. In your opinion, what are the ingredients for a successful video, especially for the niche you are most involved in?
For me, it’s about striking the balance between creating content that is inspirational yet relatable. Even more so recently, we’ve seen a real shift in audiences enjoying real and accessible content. So in my vlogs I love to show a lot of the behind-the-scenes of my travels and content creation.
What are the reasons that someone should participate in this contest and invest time in creating a one-minute video? What can make this contest a great experience in your opinion?
Any opportunity to practice and develop your own style is one you should take! For upcoming filmmakers, the chance to showcase your work to the community doesn’t always come along often so getting involved in this challenge and others is definitely one you should participate in! Also, please don’t be intimidated by the length of the video. I would way prefer watching an amazing 30 second edit, than a longer 1-minute average edit so create whatever you want!
Probably we will have diversity among participants, including both amateur and more experienced filmmakers. What tips do you have for amateurs and more experienced ones to START creating the one-minute video?
What’s so great about my theme is that this doesn’t require you to film on an expensive DSLR, it’s very accessible to everyone. Don’t worry so much about the quality of your footage, but more about how you capture the emotion and storytelling behind each shot.
In general, what would you advise someone with a great idea to make that idea happen?
Plan it, and do it! Pretty simple advice but it starts with believing in yourself and your abilities. If you’re confident in yourself, you won’t dwell on an idea, you’ll act on it.
How do you organize the storyline of your own videos?
It starts with an idea, then I make notes, search for visualise inspiration and then, depending on the project, sometimes I’ll take the time to storyboard every detail, other projects I might shoot more spontaneously alongside a wider shot list.
Do you have in your (YouTube) library any video that you think may serve as inspiration for anyone looking to participate
Definitely, my latest video with ViewSonic. It sums up the theme exactly how I envisioned and I hope it inspires you.
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