Let’s Talk Kit with Daniel Dressel
Leaving Germany for London to get his MFA at Goldsmiths University, Daniel has gained a lot of experience through both his exhibition and freelance work. He also loves the freedom of being an Artist and tells us how he’s never involved in a “typical shoot”.
How did you get into art? What’s your background?
I am a professional artist.
When I decided to come to London to do a Masters at Goldsmiths University, I soon realised that it was almost impossible for me to afford the rent, the fees, the cost of living and to focus on my studies at the same time without making debts. I had to find an alternative, a coping strategy, a way to enter the city. My solution was to buy a cheap old van in Germany. I restored it and I converted it into a mobile live/work studio. In August 2014, I drove it to London. With the help of friends I discovered Cody Dock in the London Borough of Newham, where I could safely park. I am officially Cody Dock’s first artist in residence.
In 2016 I graduated from Goldsmiths University, Master of Fine Arts (MFA). Since then I’ve been busy with my own projects. I mainly work with video. Some of my work is very complex and technically demanding.
What have you been working on lately?
This last year I had a few exhibitions. ‘Polygon’ is one example:
‘Polygon’ probably is the most complex work I’ve made until now. I showed it in the beginning of June 2017. It is a synchronized 4-channel video installation, in full HD (each channel 1080p), 60:00 min long, with 8-channel audio. The four videos are back-projected onto four floating screens. The videos shifts position between screens with the audio panning accordingly. To watch the work the viewer has to be active and follow the movement of the video he or she wants to watch.
You can read more about it here.
I shot all the video, the only exception is the historic footage which belongs to the PLA collection, Museum of London.
A little later I also had a commercial job: With a friend who is freelancing too, I went to Norway as a steady cam operator to document the Landrover BORN awards. We delivered a short video, that was published on the Landrover website.
How would you describe your style? And how does it differ from other production companies?
To be honest, I have not yet looked at other production companies. I take the work I can get. But I also take the freedom to say no to some opportunities because most important to me is my work as an artist. Maybe that is already a big difference to other production companies. I won’t take all jobs, especially if I had to compromise my work as an artist.
I am also not sure what to say about my style. Recently I started to construct my own work with video loops, without clearly defined beginning and end. But I think that every project requires different means to be accomplished. The style has to change in accordance with the conceptual framework. I like to be flexible.
What kind of projects make you excited to do the work you do? What’s your role on each project?
Generally I am more exited about projects in which I have enough freedom to make my own decisions, i.e. it is great when I can move around with the camera, shoot spontaneously or try out different angles.
My role very much depends on the agreement the customer. Usually I am always behind the camera, but sometimes I also do some of the post-production.
I like when things are real, or could be real — like documentaries. I’m not that exited about film, cinema or advertisements where everything is choreographed. Usually my own work includes an aspect of documentary format.
Can you tell us about your process?
When I have an initial idea it can sound a bit simplistic, even naive. Yet if I feel there is something about it, I cannot let it go. This is the moment I decide that I need to make work about something and it almost always relates to the world that surrounds me, things that annoy me, things that I am angry about or something that I wished was more present in the world. It almost is as if I need to externalise something that otherwise would stay inside and make me unhappy.
Then I start to research and gather material. If I work with video I go out and shoot a lot, to a point that I think I have too much. The outcome can be quite different from the initial idea, because in the process of making the work there is a constant negotiation between concept, content, chance and what I want. I like when a piece of work remains ‘open’. The work I make is supposed to address the issues I want to put forward, without preaching or forcing a political agenda onto the viewer.
What inspires most of your productions?
In general I am interested in questions of identity, migration, class, coping strategies, (self-) organisation and social networks. Indignation becomes a driving force. In my experience, if the system is too rigid to be broken, the only viable option is to find gaps that can be exploited.
What kind of kit do you use on a typical shoot?
In my experience there is no ‘typical shoot’. Usually, depending on the project, I use different cameras (i.e. I already used a digital film camera, a DSLR, or only a mobile phone with a GoPro), lenses if required, additional microphones (i.e. clip-on lavalier for interviews, or shotgun mic and a sound recorder in a conference). I use a tripod if I don’t have to move much, or my MoviM5 for more dynamic shots. Every job and every project is different.
What’s your favourite piece of kit?
I do like the Blackmagic Pocket Camera a lot because it is inconspicuous and it is possible to have it with you, ready to shoot, all the time. I can get away with filming in many places where I would otherwise not be allowed to film. And the image quality is really very good.
Also I like the flexibility of it, to be able to use lenses. And I can easily use it in combination with the rest of my equipment. I.e. I can mount it on my MoviM5.
What is your most-used piece of kit?
At the moment I still use my old Canon XA10, for similar reasons. Initially I bought it because it is possible to shoot continuously for several hours without having to stop the recording in full HD. I needed this function for a project in which I shoot a video in a single shot that was 9hours long. It is the smallest professional camcorder produced by Canon (there is a newer version on the market now) to meet TV standards and it has two phantom powered XLR inputs for microphones. It is the first piece of kit I ever bought. I can use it to shoot spontaneously, it is quite small and inconspicuous and very flexible. However I do prefer the image quality of the Blackmagic Pocket Camera, which is much lighter and even more inconspicuous.
What’s the best advice you’ve received in your time in the industry?
Even if you freelance, never work without a clear written contract. A day has 8 hours, you are entitled to have your breaks and you have to be payed extra for every hour you work. If there is no clear agreement, companies will try to take advantage of you.
What advice would you give, based on your experiences?
I was given this advice after I came back to London from a job without a proper contract. I had verbally agreed to work for one and a half days as a steady cam operator. This was one of the first payed jobs I got, and it sounded exiting (i.e it included flying in a private jet to another country and a helicopter ride). We agreed that I would get payed a single day-rate. I thought it was fine for me to work for less than usual because I was new and the job sounded exiting.
In the end the job lasted for 36-hours. I was working with a friend. We were in a foreign country, so we could not just leave and we did not have the guts to say: stop, it is enough!
In the end the customer only payed what he agreed to pay in the beginning, no extra hours. So my advice is the same: ask for a proper contract and don’t sell yourself below what you are worth.
What is something you wish someone would have told you early days about the industry?
To network and to meet people is one of the most important things one has to do to get exhibitions as an artist and to get jobs as a freelancer. It does not matter how good you are, if you don’t network things will not happen.
If you’d like to keep up to date with what Daniel is doing check out his website here.
