Profile: Russell Dixon

Why did you pick this subject for Fresh?

I wanted to have my film screened by an internationally renowned organisation.

What motivated you to make this film?

The person in my film, Fabiano, is someone whom I find really inspirational as an athlete. As a result, I was driven to produce a film about his sporting life.

What equipment did you use to shoot the film?

Canon EOS 550d, Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM OS, Rode Videomic, Zoom H1, Velbon DV7000, Glidegear DEV-1000, Neewer Video Light.

Tell us about post-production.

I edited the film myself inside of Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and managed the grading using Film Convert 2.0 to create a filmic look. The camera's Cinestyle setting retains dynamic range to further help the grade in Premiere. The sound was tough to mix because of the mic used and the background noise on location, so there has been a resulting “hiss” in the background which I have attempted to clean up using DeNoiser.

Who/what inspires you?

My initial inspiration for filmmaking came from Neil Blomkamp and Trent Opaloch from District 9 (2009). Since then, I find a lot of my inspiration comes from Philip Bloom and Anthony Dod Mantle for their beautifully creative cinematography and visual storytelling.

What are your plans for the future?

To become an established cinematographer in the mixed martial arts and bodybuilding areas, while pursuing my passion for landscape and timelapse photography. I would love to see myself working the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship], producing their promotional videos, while also being hired to travel the world capturing beautiful shots of the planet's natural beauty, much like you see on David Attenborough productions.

What is the most important thing you have learned so far?

To take my time setting up my shots and to think very carefully about what I have in my frame, making full use of the mise-en-scene that the location has to offer.