Made with Hassl: Filmmaker, Jake Ashe

Jake Ashe is the cinematographer and co-founder of Electric Bubble, an Australian based documentary production company.

What led you to start making films?

I guess it’s the old cliche, I always loved movies as a kid and was ultimately fascinated by the magic of cinema. As an angsty teen, I started making films of my friends skateboarding and later found greater satisfaction in the process of that than actually skateboarding.

I was that one weird wiz kid in school who would rather film the swimming carnival than compete in it.

Baby Jake and snow jake.

What inspires you?

Art and music inspire me. I love trying to reverse engineer how something is created, trying to understand the thought pattern put into creating. I don’t have a heap of people I look up to in my life but I guess if I had to say, someone, Hunter S. Thompson.

behind the scenes: (left) Cameron brunt, Co-founder and (right) Jake.

(left) BTS working with John Kaye and (right) my current home office in Manly.

What does a typical day/week look like?

I don’t have a typical day/week and find a lot of discomfort in routine. The moment my process starts to feel like a 9–5 I throw everything up in the air and take a left turn.

I would much rather get lost in a project then have a schedule, to me filmmaking is about trying to make ideas turn into reality and not stopping until you are at 99.9% of your vision.

My notebook, analog Hassl.

How does Hassl help you do what you do?

With a somewhat chaotic lifestyle, you need some structure to keep everything grounded, Hassl is my rock. All my ideas spawn through Hassl and later follow through with pre to post-production.

I use Hassl to plan shoots, accumulate assets, manage productions and communicate with everyone involved.

What other apps do you use regularly use?

I am a big fan of the Google suite, I use all the apps like Google docs and calendar but some filmmaking apps I use are Sun Surveyor to see what the sun is doing and Celtx which is a free script writing software.

Screengrab from Handcrafted.

What is a project you are proud of?

In 2017 I was the cinematographer, editor and helped produce a documentary called Handcrafted. A film about custom Australian motorbike builders, whilst I’m much further ahead with my work now I still learnt a lot from an undertaking like this and it has led me to bigger and better projects. I’m proud of this one not for the quality of my work but what it represents, taking a step in the right direction and backing myself.

I have a mild obsession with collecting old cameras.

Any books and music you are into at the moment?

For some strange reason ever since isolation I have started getting back into some classics like Rockwell, Johnny Cash and Marvin Gaye. I have been reading some cliche self-motivation books lately, I just finished How to Make Friends and Influence People.

What are 3 songs that make you feel nostalgic?

My Happiness, Powderfinger.

Old Man, Neil Young.

Is This Love, Bob Marley.

What are some of your favourite docos?

I love Eddie Martin’s documentary All This Mayhem and am a big fan of Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man In San Francisco.

What advice would you give an aspiring filmmaker?

I hate giving advice because I like to think that I will forever be a student. I’m always learning — even from people who I am further ahead in my filmmaking journey. But, if I had to give some advice, it would be:

Technique over technology, don’t worry about the gear you have. Focus on what you are making, great stories will always prevail.

Anything you want to promote or plug?

The big project I am working on at the moment is a documentary film we just wrapped up filming called “Wide Of The Mark”. We followed six riders and their hand-built motorbikes as they traversed through Tasmania’s most beautiful, rugged landscapes. Living off the back of their motorcycles, cooking on campfires, and having an all-out adventure. We are in post-production for that right now and I am really excited with what we have.

I have recently been putting more energy into making Youtube videos too. At the moment I’m just having fun with it all and using it as a way to break up my days.

This is part of a new series by Hassl. Showcasing the creators, makers and groundbreakers who use Hassl to help them do what they do.

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Keep on keeping on.