Barrett Dennison Episode Summary

In the studio this week is filmmaker and owner of El Osito Films, Barrett Dennison. We’re talking about the journey from film school in Kentucky, to full time filmmaker in Los Angeles and everything in between.

Barrett Dennison Lightning Round Answers:

• Favorite Movie – It’s a Wonderful Life
• Last Movie You Watched – Shazam! / The Lighthouse
• Favorite Director – Taika Waititi / Quentin Tarantino / Christopher Nolan
• Underrated Cinematographer – Natasha Braier / Bradford Young
• Coffee or Tea – Coffee
• Pineapple on Pizza – I don’t mind it
• Favorite Camera – ARRI Alexa Mini
• Three Films to Watch Before You Die –It’s a Wonderful Life / No Country For Old Men / Inception

Episode Links

El Osito Films

Barrett Dennison on Instagram

El Osito Films on Instagram

https://www.infocuspodcast.com

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Barrett Dennison Transcript

Corey Allen  00:05

Hi, I’m Corey.

Bill Cornelius  00:06

I’m Bill

Corey Allen  00:07

And together,

Bill Cornelius  00:09

we host the infocus podcast.

Corey Allen  00:11

I was really hoping you were gonna have something catchy again this week.

Bill Cornelius  00:14

Well, I was worried about talking because apparently I was reprimanded A while ago for speaking over the intro and Heaven forbid

Corey Allen  00:21

I do. That’s true. I don’t need that stress in my editing life.

Bill Cornelius  00:26

I don’t need that stress right now. It’s early. Perfect.

Corey Allen  00:30

Thanks. Today we’re joined by filmmaker and owner of LLC tow films. Barrett, Dennison Barrett, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for having me. Excited to be here. Thank you for making time. I know you’re in the middle of a move right now. I feel like you just like you stopped on your way to your new place here in Nashville. Absolutely. I’ve

Barrett Dennison  00:48

got a bed in the back of my truck. down so it’s not far I’m living in Bowling Green right now and we’ll be Nashville official starting August 1. So that’s

Corey Allen  00:58

exciting. Welcome to town. It’s good. Welcome. Good to be here. I hear good things. Yeah, it’s all lies.

Bill Cornelius  01:05

It’s just gonna go downtown.

Corey Allen  01:07

That FaceTime call I lied to you right okay, good. Good to know know me selfishly just trying

Bill Cornelius  01:13

to try to get me out here to LA I’m here. Okay. You were successful? Yes.

Corey Allen  01:21

Oh, I almost forgot before we get started I brought you a gift.

Bill Cornelius  01:24

Oh, thank you. An s an STI can get 20 shielded

Corey Allen  01:30

12 g shielded we’re Komodo brothers.

Bill Cornelius  01:34

Very nice. Yeah, Komodo brothers

Barrett Dennison  01:37

held that one’s long enough yeah should be Hey, let’s get this resolved ladies.

Bill Cornelius  01:42

Leave it to people who work in production to be like I have you a gift. Here’s an SDI what I want an SDI cables. actually a really nice gift. Thank you can come in handy. Nice.

Corey Allen  01:57

Awesome. Well, I know Originally, I invited you here to talk specifically gaffing. Because we’ve had up to this point. We’ve had directors producers, editor coming up DPS. And we haven’t gotten really deep yet into like grip and gaff and sound and some of the other departments and we’ll get into that. But before we do, I would love to talk about your film school experience. Okay,

Barrett Dennison  02:25

sure. Um, so, in high school, I got the opportunity to attend. Kentucky Governor scholar, it’s like a scholarship program for upcoming seniors. And you know, you get to pick a major some people pick, you know, healthcare marketing up chose film. Nice. So we had a public access TV network in Glasgow that we were the high school base was responsible for really doing advertisements and stuff for, you know, just keeping people aware of like, what’s going on with when’s homecoming.

When’s the football game like that stuff. And so it was really news packages we were supposed to make. While I went to this, you know, basically summer program where I was studying film, and we were making short films. And we were taught on Hollywood ad Craigmillar, super great guy had worked on Spielberg films, he done some really cool stuff. And so I came back after that and took the class again, with the public access, it’s called advantage and started making short films. Well, those projects tend to stretch, I missed deadlines actually made my first day in the class.

But at that time, I, you know, I’d gotten into college, you know, I’d gotten my scholarship so that it was all figured out. So it really didn’t like there was no penalty for making the D All right. My only D he was ever in video production, by the way. That’s, um, but I made the short films with my friends. And we’ve made like, Fast and Furious parody. And, you know, we were just doing, it was just like, it was super entertained. And they were all like, they don’t have a great group of friends. I still hang out with those guys a day. And just like really, like, you know, who can make each other laugh the hardest, or like, it’s all just encouragement in the filmmaking. So we started making stuff. And then I’m, you know, I went to the bku, which is right down the road and Bowling Green. And they have a tremendous broadcasting program.

I’ve got two or three buddies that work at news networks around the nation. You know, NBC, ABC, Seattle, Washington, Boston, you know, by friends all over and all out of that program, program and I started doing stuff. I went, you know, thinking maybe I want to go work for ESPN or you know, I love sports. But I got into the lab production, I was like, this is just not as much fun as you know, writing something and making it and so early on, I knew that probably wasn’t for me. So I focused on the they have a production side of the broadcast program, and now they’ve developed a film program out of that. Now that program, but there’s a film minor while I was there, and so I was doing I was a film minor political science, minor broadcast major The broadcast really just quickly became film. I was shooting stuff and, you know, it’s actually the same guys, you know, you know, booba and Swanson and Yep, got it, Jacob Kissinger and Dale Johnson and all these guys from college. I just we just are making short films together, we would enter competitions. You know, we just, that’s what we did. We made we made. We made movies. And so you know, you get hooked on that. Yeah, I had an internship in Louisville, a company called video bread. They didn’t do a lot of bourbon, do a lot of horse racing. But sounds very, very Kentucky. But as a little basket bomb, right basket, out aluminum, Kentucky, so I was there for a summer. It was before, before my junior year. And I was like, you know, I could do the political science thing and probably go work on campaigns. And that’s what I was thinking about doing. I was like, let me apply to film school and just see what happens. Yeah. I probably applied way too late to go to some of the major, you know, UCS UCLA is Yep. actually had an interview with NYU was doing a program in Singapore. So I applied to that had an interview for that. And it was like, probably shouldn’t probably shouldn’t go that far away. Ended up I had a teacher, Rhonda Mars who went to Miami for his post grad. And he was like, you know, you think you’ll enjoy it, I think you’ll you know, you’ll have a strong basis coming from here. I’m teaching you very similar things that go on there. But yeah, I needed to go out into the world and, and Singapore was too far. Singapore is a little too far, Miami is a lot closer. So I ended up going to University of Miami for my graduate studies. And I think a lot of people always have questions like, should I go to grad school? Should I not go to grad school? For me, I felt like it was the right choice. You know, I had the opportunity, you know, I was on scholarship for my undergrad. So I had the ability to, you know, to go in and do a post grad and which is, you know, it’s a financial decision. Like that, you know, very supportive parents, but it was great for me, because I was, you know, definitely fish out of water. You know, it was it wasn’t in my normal, you know, is it’s where I grew up, I consider Miami where I grew up as a human being Brown, and also as a filmmaker. I was in classes with people whose, you know, didn’t speak English as a first language. But you know, we’re extremely passionate about cinema. My buddy, Luis, Colombian, he came into the program, I think he was 38 when he started and so I’m coming in, like, 23. So that was my, that was my best friend was in school. So I getting to see his experience. And like, he had had a life outside of film. And he’s like, bro, trust me. You know, a lot of my friends were older. And they were like, Hey, man, like you really got to focus like treat this like a job. And so I really treat rascal, like a job and just focused every day. And it worked out for me. So you know, I think it’s every everything I’ve worked on census has some type of my either Miami or bku. And so for people like should I go to school shall not go to school, I think it’s an individual decision, you can always go out and start working. But it gave me structure and it gave me You know, it made it very serious for me once I made that decision. I think

Corey Allen  08:05

that the approach to treat it like a job versus like, probably a lot of kids what is like, a college is just an extension of high school. Like, I think that’s a really good approach to

Bill Cornelius  08:17

well, and then I also went to film school and a lot of the the, you know, you get the students that are like, I want to make cinema that speaks to me, and it’s like art house fluff. But the you know, the instructors are like, Look, this is a job. This is a career path that you’re choosing to do. You You can’t make a living doing fluffy arthouse films, you got to think practically, right, you know, how do you how are you going to get employed when you get out of here? And so yeah, I agree like the takeaway of just like working, it’s, it’s a job, it’s, it’s fun that we get to do it. But it is a job, and you have to put in the work for it.

Barrett Dennison  08:59

Yeah. And I was, you know, I was taking projects outside of school, I was there, you know, we’d go work on commercials or Telemundo, Univision, and, you know, I’d be one of the only people who didn’t speak Spanish while I was on set. And so like, just that, like life experience of like, not being, you know, not being the, you know, being the minority is it was a good experience, like, right, not not be the person driving the decision. And, you know, not being in the leadership role and someone, you know, saying, Hey, man, we would love you to come work for us, here’s what you got to do. And you just put your head down and go do it. And, you know, I think that’s, you know, pave the way for a lot of a lot of my career. Yeah, that’s awesome.

Corey Allen  09:35

I The other thing, I think that’s interesting is, it sounds like your experience sounds a little different than what I think most would define. Probably broader. Film workers or cinema today is very much white male driven, largely like there’s still a lot of diversity that exists and continues to grow. But like, it sounds like in your experience, you were the opposite to your point, like spending much of that early time. In Miami, you being the kind of the diversity versus the norm there,

Barrett Dennison  10:04

right? It was either tell the same old recycled stories that we’ve been seeing forever, or I could go help people. Like my friend, April, like my friend Louise, like my friend, Ronnie, who all come from very different backgrounds. I didn’t help them tell their stories. Yeah. And to me, that was the most fun because I got to bring, you know, I had a lot of technical experience coming out of Wk you that you guys didn’t have, but the way that they saw the world, and were able to tell stories, like I got to experience that, like, for me, that was the coolest part because they needed me. But at the same time, I also needed them, you know, I need them to broaden my experience to open my mind up to certain things that I’d never experienced. And it was just the I just found really cool people to work with, and really good partnerships. And, you know, they’re still making stuff today. And I still keep in touch with those guys. So

Corey Allen  10:52

yeah, that’s awesome. Now, so from Miami, did you move from grad school in Miami, directly to LA or, um,

Barrett Dennison  11:02

so this is, there’s a so this, this is the interesting part of my journey is I got out of school and you know, you know, coming out of film school, you’re gung ho, you’re ready to see the world. Yeah, you think you know, everything? You think you know how the process works? I knew it was gonna be hard. Yeah. But I didn’t know. I didn’t know that it doesn’t, you know, it’s never a straight line. Right. And you know, filmmaking is a big circle. Yeah, always a big circle. And so I had a friend, like I said, I have a friend Rico, who’s a news producer, and he was in Atlanta at the time, I was like, I’m gonna move to Atlanta, they’re crushing it right now. I’ll just go there. And I’ll start producing, right, because that’s how the world works. And so at the time, you know, while I was in Miami, I was shooting everyone’s project. So I got to cinematography awards was there. You know, I was directing some stuff, producing some stuff. But then I will also do Genie on other people’s projects. You know, I just always had an affinity for the technology. I love lighting. I think if you, you know, we’ll get into that more, I’m sure. But if you understand lighting, it really adds to all the other skill sets, right? You know, normally your biggest budget expense that helps you produce, yep, cinematography explains itself. But so I went to Atlanta thinking, you know, I went to all these meet and greets. I was like, Hey, I just got a film school and crickets. I mean, nothing. Nothing. I sat on my buddy’s couch for basically, two months and a friend who went to Miami. Brittany, who was on a reality show, she was on it, we Supernanny. She’s like, Yeah, I know. You’re not busy. She knew I would visit I was like, Hey, what are you working on? And she was like, I’m working on Supernanny. Would you want to come Pa? I was like, man, I really want to go pa but yeah, and to anyone who’s like, I don’t want to go pa that’s the wrong attitude. That’s the best place to learn. Even if you’re coming out of film, school, even if you’ve been in the business. Like if someone gives you an opportunity to walk on set and you’re not working. It’s a great place to meet people. Oh, yeah. And you’re always gonna learn something new. I think just being open to opportunity in the end, like, eventually you’ll move up if you’re good. Like it just happens, right? Like you’ve got to get in you gotta get your foot in the door.

Bill Cornelius  13:04

It’s like you’re not too good to pa when you get out of film school. Yeah, like you’re not I don’t think some some directors I think should PA. photographers. I’ve worked for ship. Yeah, but you got to learn from the ground up a lot.

Barrett Dennison  13:17

I think for me, it humbled me, it gave me a lot of humility. And it made me appreciate the work a lot more because I saw what you actually have to do to get you know, what goes in at the bottom floor to make this stuff happen. So I appeared on Supernanny. Most of the crew is from Los Angeles. And so you know, a couple of them, you know, they were super cool to me, I helped them do lighting, and they were like, Hey, we need help lighting. So I was, you know, taping up LED screen lights and you know, running light one cinematographer got sick and had to get some home so they bumped everybody up. And now I’m doing the lighting. So I’m a PA lighting. Yeah, you know, you’re not gonna get a pay bump. Sorry, guys, right? How the world war two media managing lighting and PA and so then finally, you know, a couple of guys were like, Man, you really should think about moving to Los Angeles. I was like, well, when Los Angeles calls I’ll come you know when they Yeah. And they’re like, bro, that’s not how it works. Los Angeles not waiting for you. It doesn’t need you. Yeah, I was like, but if you can’t, you’ll your work. Yeah. And I was like, Man, that sure does beat sitting on my couch in Atlanta, which you know, and I maybe if I’d stuck it out, and you know, took a little different approach, it would have worked out but I knew more people in Los Angeles at that time. And that gave me the confidence. So I came out January of 2016 and called the guys from the Supernanny show. They were when I was coordinating on Food Network stuff. Yeah. started work the next day. So once again, PA, you know, but from that pa class, you know, I met one of my best friends Kyle. While I was there, I just worked with a dp named Eric who I met on that show, great friend and Cody, who is a stage manager for eSports. So I met all these Really cool. People are doing a lot of different stuff. And that’s just like, but your pa group is normally your network. Yeah, right when you first move to LA so I would if anybody’s think about doing it, just go get on a show. And then like, the people you’re around like that is who’s your next job like that is your meal ticket. Like, you’ve got to support those people. Like there’ll be with you, you know, I’m still still cool with those guys. I just did. The dp Eric, he just called me to gaff. The last film I worked on so yeah, and spoken to him in five years. And just still work coming in still working. I mean, I mean, just a great dude and fun to work with. It was fun to see his journey because we’re both kind of miserable. Pa is a little overqualified arm in our minds. Probably not. Yeah, awesome. For something else. It’s just could have been cool to see like, yeah, it takes a little longer than you think it’s gonna take. But I think it’s a good practice of humility.

Bill Cornelius  15:55

Yeah, that’s awesome. That’s like, that also speaks to the the cliche, you know, it’s about who you know, right. And it really it really is. It’s networking is everything in film. And, you know, you won’t get on a set. If if you’re not speaking to people and meeting people. And, you know, you do meet those people on set where you’re like, I like this guy, you know? And then they invite you on, right? And the Bible is good. Yeah, yeah. So

Corey Allen  16:23

yeah, when you went out there and started being you, you mentioned a PA class. Oh, no, sorry. I just like the group you can. Okay. I got Dungeons and Dragons class. They do have trainings for pa is like, yeah, that’s why I was gonna I think there’s one in Nashville. Nashville film Guild. Yeah. Hosted one, like a month ago. Yeah.

Barrett Dennison  16:46

Yeah, there is. I mean, there is a learning curve to it. And like, you don’t want to be that overeager person on a set that doesn’t know what they’re doing. So yeah, I think anything that you can do to like, separate yourself and get your foot in the door, and then all I think personality is a huge thing. Um, yeah, you know, I’m very outgoing. I always have been really bright. And, you know, I think sometimes that can make some people who don’t fit that that makes them nervous. Yeah, a little uncomfortable. Yeah. So you’ve got to know, you got to know who you’re playing to. Yeah. Yeah.

Corey Allen  17:16

The beta guest on recently mo EC, you know, we spent a lot of the episode talking about gear and tech and just stuff a lot of, but one of the other things he mentioned, just, you know, one of his focuses is continually investing in himself from a skill standpoint. So whether they’re, like those hosted type classes, or like he, he’s like, he’s probably gone through every filmmaking related masterclass at this point. Yeah. I’m saying like, Don’t underestimate that at all, like any opportunity you get, yeah,

Barrett Dennison  17:48

I just call it betting on yourself. Like, if I invest on myself, I’m basically exchanging your time and resources into me, that’s making myself better. And like, if I’m betting on myself, like, feel like that’s a can’t lose, right? As I’m gonna either level up or change my thinking or, you know, hopefully meet somebody or, you know, I think you all if, as long as you’re betting on yourself, I think you’re in a good

Corey Allen  18:10

spot, that continual evolution of yourself, for sure.

Bill Cornelius  18:12

There’s always room to grow and learn. I mean, it doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have, there’s always an opportunity to learn something else. Because like when we had one of our other guests, Mika Mateen is like, this. This guy’s like, 10 years younger than me. And I was learning stuff from him on that show. Episode, he’s, yeah, I’ll be like taking now you know it when I was your age, I was not thinking ahead, like you. So you know, you can always learn there’s always an opportunity,

Corey Allen  18:44

for example, so you were you were in LA for five years, six years.

Barrett Dennison  18:47

I’m about six years old with COVID he got a little dicey. Yeah.

Corey Allen  18:52

So how long were you in LA before you started at like gaffing full time

Barrett Dennison  18:57

so I you know, I did a lot of random jobs in LA. You know, I was a PA and and that kind of gave me the opportunity to look for outside stuff. And so while I was in Miami, there was some AFL students they came and shot one of the projects, of course known for their Senator agraphia incredible school. So I met one of my, one of my best friends LA is eco casarez. Argentinian dp super sweet guy, because he got to go to his season, where he became assistant. Yeah, he asked me to go with him. So that was an opportunity I never would have had, yeah. But he came and shot a project for my friend Ronnie, Ronnie kulula. Director. And, you know, I was like, Whatever you need, I’m happy. So I actually went back to Miami early, coming out of December break, and we shot we shot a movie and so I was basically just the low man on the genie team. They just needed help. I knew enough to but their expertise was so much, far advanced than mine and I’m a graduate student but they just didn’t have the detail of the fit. program is totally different than the Miami program is a little more broad asi very focused on your individual skills. So got to work with those guys. And you know, I moved out and called him when I moved out say, Hey, I just moved to town, love to grab coffee. He goes where you live in, I told him he’s like you live a block away from me. And so he has two young kids, you know, if he needed help with his kids, I’d help him out watch his kids, you know, they were super cool. But he had projects and so I would jump on his you know, the genie swing, you know, you can pay a little bit more than a PA but not much more. But you know, then the skill set starts to come and you’re seeing the real way of doing stuff. And you know how you have to act as a as a Los Angeles craftsman. I mean, it’s a totally different, totally different ballgame when you’re working. I mean, people at that level, you know, even the non union are really, really good and work really, really hard. And it’s a it’s a whole different ballgame than than what I was what I learned in school. Alright, so

Bill Cornelius  20:56

it’s it’s like an entirely new film school. Exactly. It’s, you know, the stuff you learn just being on set. much different than being in the classroom or in

Barrett Dennison  21:07

the classroom. Like, that’s what I don’t want. I don’t like the classroom stuff really does matter.

Bill Cornelius  21:10

It does. Yeah. But if you don’t,

Barrett Dennison  21:12

if you don’t have a mix of the two, right, I think you leave yourself short and one or the other. Right? If you don’t understand the theory, if you don’t understand the practice of how to do it. Yeah, then you leave yourself short. And so I’m glad I have a balance. Yeah. But I was definitely more theory before I became more practice. And now that I’m probably more practice than theory now. I’ve been working so much that it’s like, you know, you’re just like, it becomes second nature. You’re not even thinking about why we do some of this stuff. It’s just like it is this way. Exactly. Right. And I think being open to different ways is good. Yeah. But yeah, so that that gave me the confidence working with those guys. You know, I was still shooting I worked on a project Alabama Atlanta documentary. And so at that time that we were working on the documentary, they were starting to film, you know, super low budget film in Miami with one of my professors was producing. A lot of my former classmates were working on it. And so they were like, Hey, you know, we know you’re going to Alabama and you want to come to Miami, and work on the film was like, What do you need? They need some one of those lights. I was like, Okay, I’ll come gaff. And so I was paying $100 a day, right to gaff film. But that was my first gaffer credit, I think. Looking back, yeah, the money was low, but I learned a ton from it. Really good dp really quick schedule. And so you just had to be on your stuff. And so yeah, once I had a gaffer credit, right, once I was able to come back to LA and still piane, still working on different stuff, and, Hey, I just got this movie and talking to some of the PA is now that that pa is going to AC a movie, they just lost their gaffer. So now it’s $350 a day do you want to come gaff, right? Yes, absolutely. It’s a month long show. It’s two miles from where I’m living in LA. Yeah. And I’m like, that’s a done, you know, that’s easy. All right. So I’ll walk on set. And once again, just you keep learning I had a really good key grip on that show who’s, you know, tough on me, which I needed. I think that relationship is really important. The gaffer key grip relationship. I’ve had great key grips, I’ve had to go grip for them, you know, when I’ve been slow on the gaffer son, so I’m just learning that side. It’s two totally different sides of the genie spectrum. Yeah. But you know, boost your skill set.

Corey Allen  23:28

Yeah, but that so that second gap job, they’re like, really that month long that came from a prior pa connection? That Right, yeah. Went to go AC and that network then.

Barrett Dennison  23:39

And we just we just talked about he. I had just seen him I was watching Shane Herbert’s his master classes or whatever. And I saw Kevin in the background, I was like, Oh my gosh, and so I just hit him. I was like, Kevin, D, I just saw you. On Shane. Like I was working with him. He goes on to grade and I’m learning a lot about lions. Like, that’s awesome. It has gafta movie, blah, blah, blah. And so you just like, Hey, man, I’m doing that too. And I think it’s awesome. You’re doing that and just outside the PA like, cuz like, you always want to level up, you want your guys level up. And sometimes you can get stuck in that same rut where you’re doing the same thing over and over and over. And so it’s not it was like, oh, man, like, you see, you see guys at your level going out of you’re like, oh, man, I can do it. You know, it’s, it’s I can, I can make it. And then you just like you don’t see it. You’re just like, I gotta keep making money. So I can stay in LA and, and then the opportunity comes and you’re like, hallelujah, you know? Yeah. You get out. Yeah.

Corey Allen  24:35

And I don’t want you to like, spill the tea on anybody specifically, but working in LA. Yes, sir. I can’t imagine. You didn’t see some crazy stuff on set or just being a part of some Really? Yeah. fantastical wild productions. Yeah. Yeah. Compared to what we see here.

Barrett Dennison  24:54

I got yelled at a couple times. I don’t know if it was. It happens. It happened. I don’t know if it was Like being overzealous about, you know, I think the best thing I was watching a YouTube of a gaffer, an Australian gaffer, and he gave this is the best advice I think I’ve heard. But he’s like your level of care has to be at the level of the directors. Right? It can’t be above. Yeah. Directors. Yeah. Right. You cannot care more than the director about a shot. Because when you do, you’re putting yourself you’re putting your ego, yeah, over the movie. And so if you don’t care about the movie at that level, like sometimes, it’s just a shot. Like, sometimes it’s just a shot. But you know, if I’m in there yelling, the ratios are off. Like, this looks terrible. Like, that’s not my job. My job is to support the vision, the director. And so I can, you know, whisper it to him. And if he like came in, it’s good. Don’t worry about Yeah, but if I bring my ego into it, and I’m like, yeah, this looks here, you know, that’s not my job. And you can’t care less than director. Yeah. So and then you’re gonna you’re gonna miss stuff, or you’re gonna, you know, your works gonna slack. So I think there’s a, there’s a really fine line of where you’re, where your care should be.

Corey Allen  26:02

I feel like I got to experience that firsthand on a project we were on recently. Yeah, shooting overnight. And we were just having that dialogue as we’re going through, like, I’m camera up here. gaffin. And we’re just, like, I think that example of don’t care more than the director not that the director didn’t care. I think we’re trying to be really technical and really, like, like, there’s still more that can be done, right?

Barrett Dennison  26:28

Yeah. Sometimes you got to go sometimes you’re only Tompkins. Yeah, sometimes it’s budget. Sometimes the actors hot and you want to go get the performance. And we’ll deal with it and resolve later, you know, we’ll punch stuff up and stuff. But it’s if if if you go in carrying too much, your egos too big. And you really got to, you know, if you don’t put the movie first and why are you doing it?

Corey Allen  26:50

Yeah, right. That’s really good advice.

Bill Cornelius  26:52

No, yeah, that’s that’s great advice. Everyone needs to hear that. That’s a that’s a great take one Ali says I got punished.

Barrett Dennison  26:59

I mean, I got punished for caring. I got yelled at. You know, I was the we had a dp who had to step off because he was shooting another show while we’re on a project and so the cam ops get bumped up. Right. But um, the gaffer saw the light, right? And so, um, hey, we need to, this is not you don’t have enough light. Okay, we’re gonna shoot. No, no, no, you need more light. We’re gonna shoot. I said, Guys, it’s not gonna work. Go outside. Okay. Wow. All right. So I got Yeah, I mean, yeah. And I’m frustrated outside. And I’m like, but I think I was wrong. I really think I think I was right. I think my approach maybe I was right. And this is something that’s been hard for me. Normally, yeah. I’m normally on my friends will laugh at this, but I’m normally correct. Yeah. But it’s my approach to be incorrect is wrong.

Corey Allen  27:48

Yeah. Right. Technically speaking. You are correct. Correct. Yeah.

Barrett Dennison  27:52

But doesn’t matter if it falls. If you can’t hit the person you’re talking to? Can’t hear it. Then what a waste of time. Yeah. What a waste of time. Yeah, just roll with it. Yeah. Sometimes people got learned on lesson two, you know, so you can’t you can’t fix everybody’s probably, you know, sometimes they have to learn on their own like, oh, man, we we definitely underexposed.

Corey Allen  28:13

Yeah, that’s my favorite approach is just like, I’ll be there and see what happens. Yeah, let me know your funeral approach. I don’t know if that’s the right. I think not not that hard.

Barrett Dennison  28:22

Right. whisper it, and then it’s up to them that I’ve put the ball in your court. Yeah, it’s up to you to take the jump. Make a

Corey Allen  28:29

subtle, a subtle like, Hey, I’m it maybe you might like it. If we tried this

Barrett Dennison  28:37

approach, I think works way better than you’re wrong. Yeah, screwing it up. You’re screwing it up. Yeah. That’s at least in my experience. Yeah. Yeah.

Corey Allen  28:48

Yeah, I know. You’ve worked on some pretty cool projects that I’ve seen like the recent Atlas Orion silver series, that little promo short they shot any other like, or maybe, in your mind, like, what’s the biggest like just wildest project you had the experience to work on while you were out there.

Barrett Dennison  29:09

I’ve got a couple. And they all they all are different, how I worked on I worked as a project manager for a company called mega tracks for a long time. And that’s probably where I learned the most about how to be a professional, but also the technical stuff. I was working with the guys that were, you know, had 30 years in the business, you know, they were riggers. They were motion control. And those guys just really like, invested into me. And so they taught me all this different stuff. But it was a high speed camera. Dolly went zero to 60. In two seconds. We bought stuff for NASCAR with it. But it just had a really it was a really hard development. It’s a really expensive piece of machinery. So they’re not allowing our business now but like I always tell the founder I’m like thank you so much for letting me work on this because I learned so much and you know he’s upset but You know, he’s like, you know, I’m glad you got something out of it but just getting be around like true professionals and I know and they really respected what I tried to do for them and organize the days hotels, flights, you know, gear machinery I was going to Home Depot three days a week, you know, so it’s like, I got to learn all that like, really tech tech tile, right? You like to work in the film business, but that was really cool when I did a film with Sylvester Stallone, kind of one of those be the movie for B movie for China emit image furlough racist films which you can Google that if you need to. You know, we get to spend a week with was special on his best friend john hartsville was my boss. You know, john a lot. He’s done some crazy stuff in the business he one of the coolest things he gave Shirley’s there on her first role. Wow. So she sees on speed dial on his phone. And Mark Wahlberg was asking him for notes on a movie one time, it’s just he has all these connections to all these people. And he’s just the I call him the wild man. And he never sleeps, never eats. Always, always working. Yeah, we’re working 14 hours a day on rewrites of this movie for six weeks before we shot at Ohio. And so that was a really tough but it like showed, like, if you grind, you can figure it out. You know, and it has, like, be around smart people just put yourself around smart people. And yeah, you know, even you know, the movie, is what it is. It’s a B level action movie as far as a fun movie. Yeah. But you know, do you just see, like, all the work that has to go into making something like that? You know, even even on small movies, man, people go so hard and respect to so much. It’s it’s hard to make any movie? I think it is. Yeah. And to make to make a good movie is exceptionally hard.

Corey Allen  31:48

Yeah. But probably one of the bigger benefits of being in the marketplace. There’s just the frequency and the diversity of work that exists, right? Like, they’re probably a good even number of people that aspire to move to LA to get into the business and probably an equal number of people in LA that are like, Alright, like, I’ve done my time. Yeah, it’s time to take my skills elsewhere, which I feel like you probably recently experienced it.

Barrett Dennison  32:17

Yeah, I was. I was at the point in my career where I was gaffing non stop. And, you know, when I went to LA, I was shoot, I’d still I still shoot and produce and I was a lot of those jobs came from GAF. And, you know, it’s like, here’s a competent gaffer. What else can you do? Or, you know, someone would refer me or, like, if I had a dp for him that needed some produced, I would produce it for him. And I just think you’ve learned so much about the business doing Genie, you know, I think that’s like, Well, like I said before, it’s probably your biggest monetary span, maybe art be similar, but normally your biggest crew base on a project. And so I just think having that information as a crew member, you know, how to talk to crew members, you know, how to produce you know, where the schedule is gonna get ate up, you know, where the, you know, the pinch points of the project are and so, you know, I had just been gaffing gaffing Gaffey non stop and I basically worked after things opened up again and allows about six months straight, just no breaks, music videos, music, videos, music videos, and then finally got a feature they got me out of music video world and the feature was really fun and but at that time, I’d kind of made my mind up a conversation with you and some of the guys in Bowling Green about you know, what would it look like if I moved back? You know, I had been here because of COVID COVID displays me for sure. I’m type one diabetic. So I wanted to hit in February you know, early March of last year I do not call it my mom’s like I don’t really like I went to the grocery and it kind of freaked me out. And I was like, I don’t really know if I should stay here because if something goes wrong it goes really sideways really quick for me because I’m yeah, yeah, yeah. As much as I’m not disabled but I’m immune compromised for certain things but so I got out of town I came back to this part of the world for the first time in 10 years for extended period of time. And I really enjoyed it I really enjoyed being back and the people and yeah, you know, I got to you know, work with you guys and see the quality of work you were doing and I was like if we can maintain that quality of work then i’ll i’ll be happy I’ll be happy working at that level and hopefully there’s more stuff in Nashville more people I can you know, connect with and hopefully you know, help them out with with some lagging that skill set.

Bill Cornelius  34:32

Well this opportunity. This is the best time to come back to Nashville because there’s so much happening here. grown used to grow

Barrett Dennison  34:39

Yeah, it’s not the Nashville of my youth. My child. This was my city growing up. This is close the city to where I grew up. So yeah, just seeing it evolve and yeah, and what it could be. What’s exciting, you know, I just it was do I join the union truck in the Union as a as a gaffer and all I’m gonna do for the next five to 10 years, maybe taking some time. Reducing projects when I can Yeah. Or do I change it up? Try to get closer home. You know, my family went through some stuff last year. And just begin being far away for that was, is really tough. Yeah. And so getting back to where am I? You know if something goes wrong I’m a car right away?

Corey Allen  35:19

Not much closer.

Barrett Dennison  35:20

Yeah, not an airplane. So Exactly. You know, I talk about this with people too, because I think a lot of people I met in LA, we’re running away from their families in a way or, you know, trying to create separation and like I haven’t, I have a great family. Yeah. And always. I talked to Frank when Rogers is a producer, and she’s like, Don’t you think it’s so weird? I’m like, Yeah, I love my family. And people, people are allowed to work typically have like, these weird relationships that, you know, not that I’m speaking for everybody. Situations either. But I just was like, man, I would love to be close and get to do the work. And so I thought, yeah, this was a great compromise about those two worlds. Yeah,

Bill Cornelius  35:55

well, and we talk about this a lot on the show is just the film community in Nashville, in particular is so much different than, you know what you get out in LA or New York. It’s just it’s more family feeling, right? Even just within the network of people that you work with here. Everybody’s trying to help everybody out. You’re only like, one or two degrees away from the next guy like that. They’ve heard of you, or they’ve worked with you. I’ve seen your work. And so, you know, there’s not a lot of it’s not oversaturated to the point where it’s every man for themself like there’s enough family dynamic, even with the growth that’s that’s still present in this town.

Corey Allen  36:39

Yeah, there’s like there’s definitely some production. Competition for sure. For sure. But I think at the same time, like to your point it, it’s pretty regular that if someone can’t take a job like their they’ll reach out to not only will they like, reach out to their own network, but like, I get messages all the time, like a friend of a friend of a friend like yeah, that which just means I’m like third or fourth on the Rolodex of but still like, I don’t know, this person, and I’m probably competing for them. Yeah, with them for part of this hustle, but

Barrett Dennison  37:12

I feel like it was too late to the Grammy that’s obviously bigger wins more people. Yeah. In certain networks, like, you know, I got, we’re a referral business, right? Oh, yeah. You know, I don’t think my resume has ever gotten me a job. I mean, maybe maybe, you know, I think once you have been, you know, you get passed by someone. Trust, you know, someone trusts you and they pass you on, then they might look at your resume. But yeah, if someone doesn’t vouch for you, and you know,

Corey Allen  37:39

oh, yeah, sponsorship is a big deal. Oh, yeah. The cosign? Yeah.

Bill Cornelius  37:44

Yeah. The biggest deal?

Barrett Dennison  37:47

Yeah. Well, I’m excited to see what what Nashville is and the community and I’m excited to see what you make here. Yeah. Let’s see. I’m excited.

Corey Allen  37:56

So yeah, your production credits here in town. They’ll be under the LLC tow films.

Barrett Dennison  38:02

Yes. So, you know, that came about I just, I needed a production company at the time, my friend was we had contacted Samsung, who wanted some internals done for their smart, smart program. So I incorporated in Kentucky a lot cheaper and got production insurance I was producing. So for those of you out here, you know, I think there’s a sharp learning curve when you start doing it, but I had a lot of people. You know, Aubree Canfield, I messaged her, I was like, I need to see your budget sheets. And I think like what you said, sponsorship, I think people are kind enough to invest their time in you and show you how to do something. That’s a May, I mean, there’s a million ways to skin it as a producer is totally different styles, totally different projects people were working on. But, you know, one thing I try to do is always pay my crew up front, I try to get my you know, at least get 50% of the budget so that I can operate, you know, one to two day projects, that seems to work pretty well. So it’s been good. I’ve gotten to do some cool stuff. Under my banner, and, you know, I still freelance a ton, and I love working on other people’s stuff. So now we’ll see that stopping anytime soon. I think I like to wear all the different hats. And that’s probably a good reason why I decided to put the stuff on hold and, you know, just try to do some other stuff, as well enjoy.

Corey Allen  39:29

So let’s, before we talk about some of the projects that you’ve worked on recently, the origins of your production company name, there’s got to be a story behind that. Oh, yeah, for sure. So first, what does it translate to?

Barrett Dennison  39:42

It’s the little bear. Yeah, I will see down a little bit. And then films is peliculas or films, right.

Bill Cornelius  39:51

Films, what

Barrett Dennison  39:52

films what films. So in grad school, there’s a Miami had a great program where They paid for, you know, my class to go to Antigua, Guatemala and you basically are teaming up with like an NGO. In that part of the, in that part of the world. There’s a company actually Alli media who coordinated Aubree, who I just mentioned she runs actuality media. And, you know, I really fought her on how the best part way to go about what we’re doing so we got matched up with a school. And we were gonna tell the story of the school. And I was like, This is lame, like, let’s just go shoot, she wouldn’t let me take a camera at the time I was shooting all the time. You know, canon five D, you know, the Oji mount one of my favorite cameras.

Corey Allen  40:41

I wish this was a video podcast so people can see just like shout out. For the five D

Bill Cornelius  40:49

phrase, these are the recent marsi.

Barrett Dennison  40:54

So you know, shoot all the time. And she had this really specific way she wanted to go about like, figure out what your story is, before you go shoot before you get a camera. It’s like, That’s lame. I know, we’ll figure something just shoot. Let me just shoot. And what that did was it organized our process, organize our thoughts and made us like we were a four person team. So we really had to know what we’re trying to go get. And in that time, we were doing interviews of like, some of the students at the school and we ended up it’s a project called Romana. We can link it if you want one of my favorite things I’ve ever worked on. But you know, I don’t speak Spanish. So my buddy Louise, we were going around this school and all these little kids would run up to me. And you know, come with a Yama What’s your name? What’s your name? And you know, Barrett, baby and the other couldn’t they just the double or I don’t know something about it. It just if your name if you don’t speak English bear. It’s not the easiest thing to say. Yeah. And so Luis is like, oh, Sita I’ll also the bear the bear the little bear. And so all these little kids for the next week are going

Corey Allen  42:00

Oh, see, oh, Sita

Barrett Dennison  42:02

yelling at me in the streets. And you know, and it just add this felt like it’s stuck. You know, people have called me bear growing up, you know, lazy and don’t want to do the double level. And I’ve a bear ask physique I would say especially in West Hollywood. But LLC does suck. And when I came to start this production company, I was like, I need a name, though. And so you know, my friends in Miami, they call me sceeto. And it just it just stuck. Man is it’s a good? Yeah, it’s a good fit. And it’s a really good story. Like, yeah,

Corey Allen  42:40

I got super meaningful to you versus like,

Bill Cornelius  42:42

versus me making up something. Yes. The name of my company means nothing. I just Google. It means something to you. It has no cool story, though. Except I googled it and couldn’t find it. That’s the only story. Yeah.

Barrett Dennison  42:57

You know, the only thing is I was always worried that people are gonna think you’re doing only Spanish specific projects.

Corey Allen  43:03

Have you run into that? Oh, it’s actually been pretty cool. People meet me like, oh, okay, we get it. Yeah. You guys LLC toe and the little bear like so. Yeah. Yeah. Makes sense. Yeah. been cool. Yeah. That’s awesome. recent projects that you’ve worked on. I know we were together last Friday. Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. A lot of fun. Yeah,

Barrett Dennison  43:25

I love live performance. I love getting to that was for me at all. Because we were young. I was like, Man, that was so great. Just getting to shoot and not have to do all this other stuff. You know, I have always felt really comfortable with a camera in my hand. And you know in LA I feel like that’s something you had to really fight all the time to be the shooter to be the camera. There’s for every for every post on Facebook, you see if someone looking for a seminar for is 100 100 people post on it. And so I think you really have to fight to get to shoot stuff and you know, shoot stuff when friends were you know, are working on it or you know, stuff worked out but it was just nice to you know, here’s a camera all you got to shoot. You know, I helped with the lighting just because I know it and I’m good at it. But it’s more suggestions than like, this is what we know. They knew what they wanted. For

Corey Allen  44:16

this giant led wall led walls are tough to

Bill Cornelius  44:19

easy. I saw the BTS for that. Shoot. It was fun.

Barrett Dennison  44:23

It was fun, good, good, good BTS stuff drives. Um, so yeah. And it’s like, just give me a camera and let me find stuff. And if it were in the collaboration with boob has always been really pretty easy. Yeah, I know. He has a strong vision and respect. I think that’s the most important thing you can have as a director.

Corey Allen  44:41

He’s also influenceable, though.

Barrett Dennison  44:42

Yeah. It’s a collaboration, right? So if I give him an option, and he’s like, yeah, like that great. Or now here’s what we need. Great. Now I know where you’re headed, where we’re at. Yeah. I’m not someone who. If, if you can give me a reason to Send it or cool forever if you’re wishy washy. I since that and I just I need you I need a backbone. I’m always, I always have needed I just needed. I need someone to just tell me the truth just you know, be straight up. Don’t be wishy washy and I think that’s the people I’ve gotten along with the host. And, you know, there’s a directness, I think of working in LA that I’m maybe gonna try to soften coming back to the south, I’ve noticed that may not go over as well. But you know, I think being direct, I call it nice and kind, right. So I think I’m a kind person, but I’m not always nice. I think nice sometimes gets in the way of being honest and direct, I think it’s more important to be in, like a high degree of candor on set, makes things move a lot quicker, efficient. And if if if I hurt your feelings, it’s never the intention. And if you hurt my feelings, I mean, I’m a sensitive guy. I mean, but I’ll let you know, Hey, man, that hurt. Like, I think it’s just better just get it out in the open. Yeah, you know, I think you know, I’m a big Bernie Brown. I like the vulnerability of strength. I think that’s an important part of life. If you’re not willing to, like, explore that side of yourself. I don’t think you can be true to the project. I mean, I’ve been through the project. Why are we here?

Corey Allen  46:11

Yeah, yeah. And then the collaboration component to like, exactly. I mean, I feel like the culture on set, like, can be either amazing when there’s great collaboration, or it can be the complete opposite. And

Barrett Dennison  46:24

if you’re never listened to, and you’re cyfle all the time, like, that sucks. Because like sometimes, like, once again, you’re right, like, you know, you’re right. But you just you may not be right for the certain instance. And, you know, I think a good idea can come from anywhere it can come from your PA, because I was that pa Yeah, no, I was the PA that had an idea. And I think it’s important to listen to those guys and try to boost them and and see what they’re doing. I just had a really cool Instagram message. The cavea of the PA on our last shows kind of worked as a key PA. I was like, bro, you need to quit GP and I was like, you need to go ad. You have that skill. And he’s like, Man, I’m not never. He finally messaged me because I just ad. He’s like I took care of I was like, Man, it’s awesome. great feeling. Yeah.

Bill Cornelius  47:08

level and I’ll get the proud dad feel. Yeah,

Barrett Dennison  47:10

it’s like, just kind of off color like, bro, you need to quit. Don’t like grow up. Right, right. Go do some testing. At least test it. And yeah, it doesn’t work out. You can always come back. Yeah, anyone did it. I think it worked out pretty well. For me. That’s great. I’ll probably do it forever. I hope Yeah.

Corey Allen  47:25

That’s another good like, version of sponsorship. Like sometimes, like, somebody just needs to know that you’re their sponsor, right. Like, like, like, I believe in you. Like you got this, like, just do it?

Barrett Dennison  47:35

Well, and I don’t think we realize like, I know, the people that did it for me in my life probably don’t realize the impact that had on me, I’m just like, Hey, man, you you have a skill set, like you should come to LA. And I’m sitting on my couch, my skill set, I should move. Probably that’s probably a good idea playing over and over and over and over. And then you’re sitting on your couch, you’re like, Man, I’m so sick of sitting here. Let’s do something. Like, you know, I think, you know, I think there’s a point to being optimistic. And then there’s also like, with that optimism, you have to be opportunistic, right? You have to go get it. Nobody’s gonna hand you like you have to go find it. And I think that’s the activity that you gotta you got to find.

Bill Cornelius  48:13

Well, it’s so easy, you know, to be self conscious and to be you know, like it we talk imposter syndrome.

Corey Allen  48:23

Yeah, I was just gonna say like, yeah, like imposter syndrome is it’s prevalent is runs rampant. Some of my

Barrett Dennison  48:28

favorite people that I respect the hell out of their work habit. Yeah. And I talked to him all the time about it. And they’re like, I’ve got, I’ve been on Instagram. I’ve got imposter syndrome. Yeah, but you’re, but you’re better than these people were watching. You just got to get your shot and the responses.

Bill Cornelius  48:44

Yeah. in fear, we talk fear a lot too. Like fear holds a lot of people back for sure. Because they’re afraid of criticism. They’re afraid they’re not good enough the imposter syndrome. But it’s like I always say the worst thing you can do is nothing at all right? Do something but put yourself out there even if scary. Even if you fail. Yeah, you don’t you

Barrett Dennison  49:08

won’t regret do I think the problem is we see a lot of finished projects, we see a lot of work. Right. Right. And so you’re not seeing the rough cut, you’re not seeing the the blue tear, right? Like, you know, the student films of some of the people you respect and love. Yeah, like the first albums of the unsigned artists. You know, we just that we see too much finished work. And we’re like, you know, like, it’s just they just, you know,

Corey Allen  49:33

snap their fingers and just show up on set work a half day and like, put out this amazing like, 30 minutes

Bill Cornelius  49:38

show me it’s hard for everybody.

Barrett Dennison  49:40

You just don’t see it. Yeah, some of your favorite things. People prep for 10 years to make. Yeah. Or they’re in development hell or sleep over. There was 13 writers on the project, like you’re not giving enough credence to the work and I think like, for me, it’s like, I think you have to stay dedicated to the work and not the result. That’s super easy to say because we’re In such a result driven society, and like if you’re not making your work for you, and I think you do a good job of that, like you make stuff for you, you make stuff you respect. And then also like the people you’re making it for love it too. Yeah. Which is sick. But like, if you’re not like loving it at the end of the day, like, what always?

Corey Allen  50:19

Right? Yeah. Yeah, that now let’s, I would love to connect the dots between the, like the vulnerability and then also like, just do it even if we fail. Let’s can we be vulnerable for a moment? I would love to talk about just like your process creatively. I know you produce a lot of projects been on a lot of projects, we probably take them risks. Biggest creative failure, you feel like you learned the most from

Barrett Dennison  50:45

this was, this was so hard. So I had started a documentary in probably 2017. And I guess I was just naive about how it would affect me emotionally and affect. So there was a little girl who is missing, and then they let her find her. found her dead. She was a twin. It was really kind of a messy court case. stepfather got arrested, you know, and I started doing interviews for it. My friend said to me, like, Man, you should really try to do it. Like I’m making a murder of this. And it was in my hometown. I was like, okay, like, let me see. So I was every now and then I’d fly back for two, three days and do an interview. Yeah, I was working with a company there. And that company was just getting started as a as a full fledged production company. And so they had a lot of stuff on their plate, too. And so, you know, we basically liked all these interviews, and then I still do not know what happened in this court case. And I think, you know, for me as a filmmaker It was hard to like is you’re always look, I think one of my professors said, you know, a script has to make sense, but real life never does. Yeah. And so this was definitely real life. It’s, you know, I think, you know, it was, at the time, I was very critical of the policing involved. And I realized that they they’re doing the best they probably could with the information they had, I’m critical of the, you know, people prosecuted, they’re doing the best they can with information they had. I’m critical of the people involved with it. You know, they were using drugs at the time. So how do you know what, what the truth was? Yeah. And so for me, it was one of the things I probably bit off a little bit more than I was willing. And maybe I could have got through it. But emotionally, like I was depressed working on it, I didn’t, I didn’t enjoy the process. And you know, like I said, another production company, I didn’t have enough help at the time, they were starting their stuff. And like they had to feed their families. I couldn’t be mad at them for taking other stuff. Right. And so it was just a real big, you know, and I still communicate with some of the family members today. And I felt awful that they had to go through this and just a really messy and sometimes there are no winners and losers. It’s just yeah, life. Life is messy. And

Corey Allen  53:01

it doesn’t make sense. In

Barrett Dennison  53:03

I could not figure it out. I was like, I can’t figure out what what happened. What I really want to say with it. And I don’t know if they do either. They just want somebody wants to know what happened. I don’t I’m not sure if anyone ever will. Yeah. Well, which is said other than the people that were there. And once again, there was drug use. So yeah. Who knows

Corey Allen  53:22

what a heavy doctor like try to jump into?

Barrett Dennison  53:27

Yeah, there’s a lesson, the mindful, mindful of what you’re gonna get into. Yeah. And that goes with feature films, too. I think some people, there’s weight to what we remember there’s emotional weight to what we make. And

Corey Allen  53:38

well, if you’re invested in it, and like you truly want to see it through right, then yeah, you start making emotional connections, mental connections to whatever the story is. I had a nice,

Barrett Dennison  53:47

that was like, she’s four now but at the time, she was getting close to that age, and I just couldn’t close my eyes and not see that and so just the connection, there’s like bad things happen in life. It’s It’s tough.

Bill Cornelius  54:05

Well, I in speaking of that, like I worked for five years on a documentary that I directed, called hear me now that was about bullying. Because that was something that I dealt with personally. I was like, Look, I’m I’m going to tell the story. I’m going to talk to people that have been through it. It was Yeah, it was it was a roller coaster. I had to go back to therapy during production just because of all the the stuff that brought back out. Yeah. And that’s one of the reasons it took five years

Barrett Dennison  54:31

to get you probably buried it you probably work there’s a barrier. And then yeah, he rehash it every time in the Edit. You’re just like, but it’s,

Bill Cornelius  54:39

it’s it’s one of those things where it’s like, I gotta I gotta get through this. I got to get through, you know, like, you got to tell yourself you got to get

Corey Allen  54:46

through it again, because you were committed to it. Yeah, telling that story. Right.

Bill Cornelius  54:49

And it’s not just to be clear, like it’s it’s not just these documentaries that where you’re talking to real people that you can get emotionally connected to you can get emotionally connected to it. A script, just a story that you’re in love with, and you can get very attached to it. And, you know, that’s good, because it puts a lot of passion behind it. And I think people can see that both on set and you know, in the finished product, but you know, you got you got to have guardrails, you got to have boundaries, because you can go a little too far with the way you feel about it. Well, it can ruin the project,

Barrett Dennison  55:25

a lot of people have a problem with, you know, say they have a script, and they really love it. And they’re the writer on it, you know, if someone buys and develops it, yeah, they’re gonna chop that up, like, it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna look like what it looks like in your head. And so you have to be okay with like, you have to learn this away, right? I’m giving this away, and it’s up to you to take care of it. You got to find the right people to take care of your project, right? Yeah. And so you see a lot of people you know, holding on to their project, and it’s never been made you let go of the of the leash a little bit, you have the chance to make a film and you have a chance to get your name out there. And so I think it’s I talked to a lot of writers that you know, are upset that they let their baby go and then but they made a movie. Yeah,

Bill Cornelius  56:06

yeah. It’s it’s taken me years to get to that place, right. First, for so long, I was the naive to close to the chest person with with story ideas. But I finally finally gotten to a point where I’m like, You know what? I created something. And you know, I’m giving it to the world, right? So if that’s someone buying it and changing it, or shelving it or whatever it might be. I did. I did. I did the thing. I created it. And I put it out there and I did what my part? Yeah. This is the next stage of life for the story that may not involve me.

Corey Allen  56:42

Do you have any any screenplays I can buy? Yeah. dollar option like everything I can option? Because I yeah, absolutely. I’m looking for whatever my next thing is,

Bill Cornelius  56:53

I wrote a lot last year since I wasn’t. I can’t imagine.

Corey Allen  56:58

All that free time. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. All right. Last question for you before we get into our lightning round, and we still don’t have an intro for

Bill Cornelius  57:06

john Bailey. He just did a commercial with Ryan Reynolds. We need to get him to do it. Nice.

Corey Allen  57:13

Ryan Reynolds 10.

Bill Cornelius  57:14

Even better.

Corey Allen  57:17

I mean, I feel like he’s willing to do anything to promote himself for any of his projects. Its products. smart investment. He says he’s a smart guy. All right, last question. If you could give one piece of advice to any young, creative, maybe it’s filmmaker, maybe they want to get specific into a trade to somebody that’s wanting to get into the business of creating visual content. With all the experience that you have your life lessons through school and in LA and everything. Like that one, like critical piece of advice be. I feel like I’ve given a few I mean, you’ve given a

Barrett Dennison  58:01

few already. I’ll just say what I admire in people I work. I’ve worked with a lot of people. I mean, I’m 32 at this point, worked with a lot of like tenacious DPS and directors are less than 25. Yeah. And I think what impresses me most about them is that they somehow they have blinders on. And they’re, so what’s the word? They just they don’t care. Right? They just, they’re, they’re going and getting it and they’re not afraid of, of the consequences of their of their work. They’re just there to they. They’re aggressive. You know, the No one’s ever gonna tell a 23 year old dp or 23 year old director, Hey, man, you’re too young to be doing, you know, but like, when you’re working with a young man, this guy’s really young, but they know their stuff. They’re good, and they’re tenacious and like, you just can’t dissuade them for what they like the vision they had. So much, like aggressive vision, I would say it would be the most important commitment,

Corey Allen  59:00

commitment, their own internal commitment is

Barrett Dennison  59:02

Yeah, like, I’m gonna make this on set you don’t see like, you know, I think that’s one of the biggest things like, you know, even some of the, you know, tougher Genie guys I’ve worked with, if they they’re like, sharks in the water, if they smell weakness, it’s like, blood in the water. If you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about, you know, and I think I don’t think you have to know everything. I think you can add, like, these are great people. You know, I think what a key grip in a year will do you know, the ones I’ve worked with will do, probably 10 to 15 projects, right? where their feature film, I mean, probably maybe more music videos and stuff. But yeah, they’ll do 10 to 15 good projects, a director in a year, maybe three or four or five Adams. So just the amount of experience those guys have, like they’re great pieces of other great people. Hey, what do y’all think about this? Here’s what we’re thinking about doing. But I would just say have the confidence in your work, have the confidence in yourself and you know, if you don’t know something Make a decision and be okay with being wrong. Yeah, I think just you know, but I think making, making a quick, strong decision, I think that’s what’s impressive. It has confidence in yourself.

Bill Cornelius  1:00:09

Yeah, it goes back to what you said about directors Don’t be wishy washy, know what you want and what you want. And if you don’t know what you want, don’t show that you don’t. Exactly. There’s, there’s a lot to be said about, you know, masking your, your insecurities on set as it is like sharks in the watch sharks.

Barrett Dennison  1:00:28

And I would say like, so maybe you’re not going in, it’s really hard to direct, right? It’s really hard to get those opportunities when you get them knocking on the park, right. But you don’t say you’re let’s just talk PA, I think that’s the, that’s how I had to go when I came out of film school. You know, I definitely felt like I was overqualified. But I think the most important thing that that taught me was humility. to respect the people around me, you know, those people had to work their ass off to, to get to where they are, you know, and there’s a lot of people at home, who would quit their nine to five careers to be able to have an opportunity to do what we get to do. And, you know, I think, you know, at that level, you have a kind of a gilded view of what we do. And like, we’re, you know, we’re getting crustier as we get into it, but I still think, you know, there’s days and always thought we’re chasing always, you know, it’s like not the 9010 you know, 9% time, it’s gonna feel like work, but they’re, you’re looking for that 10% time. We’re just all like, I felt like last Friday, just all lined up. Yeah, it was just, and you’re always chasing those days where it’s just like, Man, that was, that was fun. That was a great day. I’ve got no comments. I thought we did a great job. We gave everything we could. And the vibe was good. And like so you’re always chasing these, like perfect sunset days. Right? Some days, it’s gonna end up raining, and sometimes we’re gonna get rained on. Sometimes the loadouts gonna suck. Sometimes you’re not gonna have an elevator when you’re leaving the location. You know? So you have all these problems, but like, you’re always Jason that was like perfect days. Yeah. That Friday, it was great.

Bill Cornelius  1:01:54

It was great. I’m jealous.

Corey Allen  1:01:58

Sorry.

Barrett Dennison  1:01:59

I saw all it happy as it happens. And when it happens, you just got to enjoy it. You got to enjoy it. Because you know that sometimes you’re gonna have an overnight that’s gonna be tough, right? Sometimes you’re gonna work out did a movie of overnights and so like, you know, it changes your life.

Corey Allen  1:02:15

Everything went so well. on that Friday. I feel like like we were originally Oh, yes, definitely knock on knock on wood. But Apple, we’re planning on it being a pretty late night. And we wrapped several hours early,

Bill Cornelius  1:02:30

which is crazy. Efficiency right there.

Corey Allen  1:02:33

And everything looked fantastic.

Barrett Dennison  1:02:36

But also maybe we had dedicated like, with specific roles, everyone did their job to the to a high level. And I think that’s all you can ask for. It’s like, and, you know, I’m, you know, on that I wasn’t a producer, I wasn’t a director, I was a camera up. And so like my job is to cam up the best I can come up

Corey Allen  1:02:54

and you know, Cam up the shit out of that comes through.

Barrett Dennison  1:02:56

I’m not. I’m not trying to produce the shoot. That’s not my job. And so like knowing, knowing what you’re there for, I think is super important. And like, we can all aspire to be the director. But if you’re not the director on the project, you’ve got to come with the same passion of the director. Not more. Right.

Bill Cornelius  1:03:14

And that’s in your specific job. And then you get done ahead of schedule. And you know, everything’s you know,

Corey Allen  1:03:20

yeah, traffic is flowing. That might be the best piece of advice. I’ve probably Yeah, that’s a great piece as it relates to working on set. Yeah. your level of given dam has to match to

Bill Cornelius  1:03:31

match. Exactly. Yeah.

Barrett Dennison  1:03:33

And I want to work with directors who really give a damn. Because I really, I really, really do. I might, I might care too much. And I think that’s been a penalty in my life. So maybe, maybe the South will soften me down a little bit again.

Corey Allen  1:03:47

I don’t know I like this version of Barrett, like I I’m good with it. But not everybody is I’m sure it could be an acquired taste. I don’t know. We’re like we’re like four or five projects together. So for sure. I have acquired, you’ve acquired that. I couldn’t. I was not gonna finish that sentence.

Barrett Dennison  1:04:08

Yes. And I had a great group in LA that had figured out how best to use my skill set and like I really miss those guys. And hopefully I get to see him soon work with it. You got to find your tribe. I think that’s important for people starting out too. Yeah, not everybody’s gonna. Nobody’s gonna share your vibe. Yeah.

Corey Allen  1:04:25

And that’s okay. The good news for you though, is it’s like $180 flight direct from Nashville to LA so.

Bill Cornelius  1:04:32

Oh, yeah,

Barrett Dennison  1:04:33

that’s an easy we’ll get back to Miami if I need to get up. Yeah. I’m a regional filmmaker now moving around. It’s good. Atlanta is not too far away. So

Corey Allen  1:04:44

you’re just easing right into it. Just regional film and a half camera will travel ready to go. Is that the first lining your Instagram?

Bill Cornelius  1:04:53

Yeah. Where are you based USA.

Corey Allen  1:04:57

Wherever you need me right. Awesome. Let’s go Let’s get into some lightning round stuff because this is always really lightning round. I just don’t want to randomly push

Barrett Dennison  1:05:06

gaffer for you though, is that enough? That’s more gaffer than we’ve had. Okay on the show add more technical gaff. No, I think he’s gonna let’s stick the holistic approach to gaffing

Corey Allen  1:05:16

Yeah, I think what would be and we could talk about this maybe since you’re local now. Maybe we just get you in every now and then for like a little gaffer episode.

Bill Cornelius  1:05:25

Sure. Film School Friday gaffer

Corey Allen  1:05:26

Actually, yeah, we we could maybe start pulling in for film school Friday.

Bill Cornelius  1:05:31

Yeah, cuz all I did, because we did a gaffer episode, but I just talked about like, what again, what it was, yeah. But not.

Corey Allen  1:05:39

Yeah. Yeah. Well, we’ll figure something out. I think I think the first would

Barrett Dennison  1:05:44

love to talk about it sometime, like camera DPS versus lighting DPS and the difference and how, yeah, how that really affects the gaffers role.

Bill Cornelius  1:05:53

Yeah. Yeah, I think it’s a good one.

Corey Allen  1:05:55

I think the the first return episode for you, I’d like you to listen to Bill’s gaffer episode. And just totally what is live.

Bill Cornelius  1:06:07

I mean, all I did was talk about, like, what is a gaffer? Where does the word gaffer come for?

Barrett Dennison  1:06:12

Like real reveal. clt is right, Chief lighting technicians don’t know why they changed it, but I like ever. Yeah, I liked it.

Corey Allen  1:06:22

This will be fun to get

Barrett Dennison  1:06:23

this weird, mysterious role that people don’t, you know, they know but they don’t really know. I was

Bill Cornelius  1:06:28

just regurgitating stuff that my former, everything you learned is drones. Who was a DJI guy? I like the Green Mile and stuff like that. Yeah.

Corey Allen  1:06:39

I set my brain up a minute now, like definitely levels to it. Yeah. clt seems like that clearly defines what the role is. Chief planning. Technically. A gaffer just staged its record.

Bill Cornelius  1:06:53

It’s recognizable. It’s memorable.

Corey Allen  1:06:56

Yeah, I do remember that from your episode. It has its roots in in stage stage.

Bill Cornelius  1:07:02

I’m the gaff pole, right. Yeah. Yeah. So I got that part. Right or? Right. I’m sure. Yeah. We could just expound upon it. Yeah, yeah. I was just base level like and me talking about the you talk about the the guys in LA that have been doing it. For years and years, I’ve worked on a home improvement pilot early early on with like a, a gaffer from LA, who was old enough to be my dad, like he’d been doing it for decades. And I shook his hand on his hand felt like a leather glove. because he’d been touching baller handing lights for so many years. I’m an LED gaffer now. So yeah, this guy. This guy was like, he only touched you know, the old mole Richardson’s with Oh, you could cook a steak on exactly what this case was. tungsten tin case. All right.

Corey Allen  1:07:56

Yeah, we’re all led here. Yeah, actually, I do own I’m still a furniture guy.

Barrett Dennison  1:08:02

I could do a whole episode on this. Yeah, a whole episode. Yeah, lighting choices and why you would go with what and because I think a lot of people don’t stand like the budgetary constraint of lighting. You know why stuff is why tungsten can be more expensive than led even though LEDs on sticker more expensive but power supplies and, and man hours and labor like Bob life. That’s my favorite conversations with producers. Like there’s just not one way to do it. There’s a million ways to do it. And you got to that’s probably my favorite like the puzzle pieces of like, I mean, that’s why like producing is the is the all the little puzzle piece. Figuring all that out. It’s but probably about like Gavin to is it’s you get to do that.

Corey Allen  1:08:46

There’s a lot of that are very specific level. Yeah. I we’re definitely gonna have you back. Sure.

1:08:51

Yeah,

Bill Cornelius  1:08:53

we go deep. Talk lights. We’re gonna love it. Yeah, we’ll always have.

Corey Allen  1:08:58

Yeah, but until then. Let’s talk about some of this. little lighter stuff. Sure. Speaking of

Bill Cornelius  1:09:05

lights, lightning,

Corey Allen  1:09:09

speed of light. Lightning.

Bill Cornelius  1:09:12

I’ll show myself out.

Corey Allen  1:09:13

Thank you. All right, Barrett all time favorite movie.

Barrett Dennison  1:09:18

It’s a Wonderful Life. rencontre class Africa. Yeah. Excellent. Classic choice. Immediately. Emotional. emotional connection. I felt just turned on. You’re like, Oh,

Corey Allen  1:09:31

okay. The last movie that you watched. Oh, man,

Barrett Dennison  1:09:35

I just watched zahm again, shows and shows them for like the second time it movies. Great. Hold up.

Corey Allen  1:09:42

Is that the one was Sinbad?

Bill Cornelius  1:09:44

No, this is the DC. That’s cuz.

Corey Allen  1:09:49

Cuz Damn. Yeah, Shazam. And then we need our house. Last arthouse movie. I’ll watch it wasn’t it wasn’t Sinbad either.

Bill Cornelius  1:09:58

Have y’all seen the White House No, yes.

Barrett Dennison  1:10:02

Is that the last that’s okay. That’s the last movie I think that had a serious impact on my day. Yeah.

Bill Cornelius  1:10:08

I was pretty nuts white shuck

Barrett Dennison  1:10:10

after watching for three heart and i think that i think the four three choice intensifies it.

Corey Allen  1:10:17

Oh yeah,

Barrett Dennison  1:10:17

it’s very claustrophobic that’s a good way like the technical influences like I think that’s the film school and yeah, the work I think the the, the how that influences the art.

Bill Cornelius  1:10:30

So So here’s a question that like a side question I should honestly ask this of all our guests but when you watch a movie or a show, is it easy for you to let go of all the the craftsmanship behind it and just enjoy it or did you think about now?

Barrett Dennison  1:10:47

Good if it’s good, I’m gonna I actually I wasn’t Deakins Roger Deakins podcast. Yeah, he said the exact same thing. I was like, that’s exactly how I feel. But he was like, if it’s good, he’s like, he’s out. If it’s if he if the, if something’s wrong, let’s just do it. We’ll do the film school if the means if the means on sand is wrong, right? If you feel it, if you feel something’s off, like then you start to be like, why? And they’re like, is it casting light and, you know, most stuff like I’m just in it. I’m watching and turning my brain off and not thinking but you know, sometimes I’ll see something really cool. And then I’ll have

Corey Allen  1:11:22

to go back and mmediately go back out.

Barrett Dennison  1:11:24

Like, you know, the Miss maizel shot with the the twisty stay. steady cam. I was like, that’s pretty cool. See, I

Bill Cornelius  1:11:32

think that’s a luxury for people in our business to be able to turn it off. Yeah, and just immerse themselves because I know, you know, every other person I know, in this business. They can’t watch something without thinking of every technical aspect. And I’m like you like, I’ll turn it off, and I’ll just mindlessly enjoy something. But if something stands out bad or good, yeah,

Barrett Dennison  1:11:52

I’m gonna notice that a lot of times it’s the writing like, yeah, I wouldn’t call myself a writer. I took a lot of writing classes. Obviously, you’ve read a lot of scripts worked on our projects, but like, when I can feel the writing, or I can see the X and I’m like, they’re really yeah, they’re really going forward here. But when like, you know, I think pretty young was pretty young woman. That really surprised I was like, I did not see any of that coming. And it was like shocking. I was like, I love when when when they set you up and like even when like a film school brain you get set up for something and then something just totally flips and you’re like, Oh my gosh,

Corey Allen  1:12:28

yeah. Wow. I similarly like I’m I’m very AC like camera tech minded. And I think it annoys the shit out of my wife like, well, we’ll be watching a movie or a show or something. And I’m really quick to call that like, that shot would be impossible without a split dial up. Yeah. Or like, why didn’t they have a polarizer on there like you can see all the reflections can’t see through the glass. You

Barrett Dennison  1:12:49

know what one shot I can I’ll never it ruin the thought Revenant was so good. And then I saw one of the actors breathe on what I assumed was the saw the and I was like, Man that ruin that for me. I love Chiba like a chivo walked into. I was piano at this for this commercial company. And Chiba walked in. He was one of their directors. And I’m like, oh my god. Yeah, he works here. And they’re like, you gotta chill out. I like saw him and I went up and talked to him. And he was totally freaked out. And I was like, like, super intense. Like, I’m sure like cinematography. superfriends like, I’ve had friends do that to deacons. They were like, he was so freaked out. Like we were just so intense with him and did with chivo. But I respect his work. I was just like, man, why did you do that? You said that to him? No, I never critique Oscar winning chivo

Bill Cornelius  1:13:49

there’s a shot in minority report, where you can see the matte box shadow on a dolly in and I was just this is spiel, this is Spielberg and yon who’s convinced I’m just like, I remember it very well. I haven’t seen Minority Report in years. I love the movie, but it’s it’s like I remember that that instance. Yeah. Cuz that’s like, what the hell? What what was happening?

Barrett Dennison  1:14:13

ignorance truly is bliss. When it comes to this stuff. Like if you don’t know, why would you ever? Yeah, and I’ll even say it, we’ll be shooting something you’ll see. Like, like, maybe a flag shadow and just like, I’ll be like, nobody’s gonna know what that is. Yeah, like, I’ll know what that is. But no, no, but I don’t really know what that is like.

Bill Cornelius  1:14:31

No. This is like a dolly in towards a door shot. And you can see the matte box shadow as the dolly arrives at point B. Just like come on.

Corey Allen  1:14:45

I think the other thing too though, like I definitely over index cuz it’s easy for me to like, just turn it off and disconnect and just, that’s the intent of a movie is to disconnect from reality for that hour and a half, two hours, whatever. But when I see something That like blows my mind visually. Probably similar to you. I go like deep down the rabbit hole of how did they do that? Can I do that? How can I recreate that like the neon demon? Yeah, there’s so much right this really cool shit. Like every

Barrett Dennison  1:15:16

other then we have the talk is that a film or is that art piece is that yeah, that’s one of those really curious ones like

Corey Allen  1:15:24

but that were about the cinematography so runway scene where she’s in the like the pyramid the two mirrors in the back and that was so striking to me like I am recreating that for a music video very similar.

Barrett Dennison  1:15:38

That looks like right, yeah, shot that Yeah, she’s great.

Corey Allen  1:15:42

But the ASC did like an amazing behind the scenes segment on not only just the cinematography, but a lot of like how they pulled a lot of the practical stuff off. So I was fortunate to find like some behind the scenes photos of like, the grips, like literally building this whole right.

Barrett Dennison  1:16:01

I think that’s the best part is social media stuff. Now. I was like, I can you know, if I see something I like it, I’ll look up the gaffer or look up the AC or, and then I’ll behind the scenes every like, I’m like, Yo, I’m really curious how y’all did this? You know, we’re thinking most of the time those people will be like, here’s how we did. Yeah.

Corey Allen  1:16:20

Yeah, for them. Like it’s because I get that like this test clip, this RGB shadow test shot we were doing. I’ve probably answered five or six DNS about how did you do this? Where did you do this? Mike? Well, let me tell you, I get super easy. Yeah. But

Barrett Dennison  1:16:37

it looks more complicated than it is. That’s why I was like, absolutely, you’re using a prism will see that.

Bill Cornelius  1:16:42

Social media brings up a good point. I think social media has replaced the earth filled the void where we we don’t have DVD special features anymore, really. So it’s, you know, now it’s just like, go on Instagram and

Barrett Dennison  1:16:54

look up VFX breakdown. So all that stuff. Yeah, eat that stuff up. But again, I

Corey Allen  1:17:00

think back to your point, like to the creators, or the gaffers, or whoever it is, that is pulling that look off. Like you hit them with a DM and say like, this was amazing. How did you do it? Right? They’re gonna take that as the biggest compliment. Yeah. And to your point, like I said, the exact same thing, like I said, I’ll teach you exactly how to pull off the shot. But you can’t use it until after my project releases. So that’s one good deal. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Great. We’re gonna have to work that question into the lightning round. I guess. That’s pretty good. Bill.

Bill Cornelius  1:17:34

The Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Corey Allen  1:17:37

I never thought about that. Yeah, that’s a good one. All right. Favorite director. Oh, it sounds like GMO.

Barrett Dennison  1:17:47

He just directs commercial. He’s directed films yet. Um, can I just give a list of like people like have to see when there’s Okay. Take what Ed? He’s Ross’s Yes. Man, Tarantino gotta watch first. I’m just thinking like, he’s only got one more. What he’s only got people that like when their film goes to theaters like I have to go that opening night. But he Nolan he just turned to you know, not to like, sidetrack again. He

Corey Allen  1:18:21

just bought a one of the theaters. Yeah, I think Well, I think he just bought a second one too. Nice to revitalize. That’s great. All right, Nolan, Nolan. Oh, man.

Barrett Dennison  1:18:37

I just, I just I think when we watch as much as we watch, it’s hard to pick one. I think it’s great. And we’ve got one director. Yeah. I think that’s I mean, because like, like a mood. I mean, I love like the Todd Phillips stuff like, you know, comedy. Oh, man, that’s so hard.

Bill Cornelius  1:18:54

For me. It’s like who were the favorites I grew up with and who are my favorites? Yeah, most influential on you. Right. And that’s how I think.

Barrett Dennison  1:19:02

Yeah, then you do what? Ghostbusters reitman right. Ivan Reitman. Those guys. Too tough. I’m sorry. That’s not what you that’s.

Bill Cornelius  1:19:13

That’s a good list of names.

Barrett Dennison  1:19:15

You go john Ford. You go, friend. copra. You know, I’m not a huge Scorsese guy. I can say that. I guess. I mean, I’m just not like, I like his work, but like it. Yeah, yeah. Not a huge Coppola guy. I mean, I like George Lucas one those guys and I don’t think that’s fair critically. But like return to the Jetta has more of an impact on me than the Godfather. I hear that and i don’t i think that’s a hard thing to say is, it’s hard to say. Like,

Bill Cornelius  1:19:41

not in this circle.

Barrett Dennison  1:19:42

Yeah, I’m with you. That I mean, I was such as Star Wars kid. I was such a you know, still am I just openly critical of some of the movie lovers. I

Bill Cornelius  1:19:51

mean, I had a hard time being a Spielberg guy in school. Just you know, how dare you like Spielberg pretentious hack, you know?

Barrett Dennison  1:19:59

I think people do that. But like they don’t respect the just man. What an art like some of his Dali pushed shot was like the one you talked about the show the matte box. Yeah, some of that is so well done. It’s so yeah, it’s like when you see it like you see like the stranger things when they cop like they’re copying that Oh yeah, they’re copying that. Yeah

Bill Cornelius  1:20:18

so Stranger Things is a tribute to 80s Spielberg Yeah,

Corey Allen  1:20:23

for sure. Hands down. All right, most underrated or slept on cinematographer,

Barrett Dennison  1:20:30

I think I think Natasha is getting her do now. I think she’s incredible. I think I thought honey Borden was one of the films when I came out. I love Bradford young I just like that style. You know, I read all of his stuff where he basically will go keylight no feel he’ll nega the whole room which, you know, as a genie guy, I’m like, Oh, that’s so sick. Like you’re putting black everywhere. Yeah. And it’s like, so I worked with, you know, some of my favorite DPS I’ve worked with. Don’t use Phil like, I just think, you know, Argentinian guy worked with smoking a cigarette holding a matte box on easy rig holding the back of the batteries. And he’s yelling. You know, we’re like, hey, do you want to feel like that’s how I feel? And he’s just yelling the whole days which are the translation you want? He’s gone. He’s gone. And I just love that look. I love the aggressiveness. I think it’s it’s something you can only do in certain like, you know, you need mood you need like it has to fit the vibe. And yeah, you could never do it for commercial work. You know, maybe something like the European like BMW commercials you could do but very rarely you can see that on on TV, but films music videos go home. So nice. Yeah, so you’ll hear me alcohol news every now. I’m probably the only one who understands what I’m saying.

Corey Allen  1:21:55

That’s funny. Alright, a little lighter here. Coffee or tea coffee, man,

Barrett Dennison  1:22:01

but Okay, so this is production, production influence. So I was drinking so much coffee on set. You know, I don’t know if you’ve studied your sleep cycles. I’ve studied my sleep cycle. I’m a bear sleep cycle. Imagine that. But basically you need coffee in the morning need coffee in the afternoon, like around 1pm after lunch, and that is your best part of the day. But I drink too much coffee in the afternoon that I was having a hard time. Shut it down. So I switched to tea in the afternoon because it’s a little lighter caffeine. And that really kind of helped balance my Alright,

Corey Allen  1:22:32

so coffee in the morning tea in the afternoon. Depends I’d

Barrett Dennison  1:22:34

like a tea after like for working. I’ll do herbal tea, though. I get the experience but not the caffeine. Yeah.

Corey Allen  1:22:43

Good pro tip there. Yep. All right. Pineapple on your pizza.

Barrett Dennison  1:22:47

I don’t mind I do like the Canadian ham in that version. I like barbecue sauce as the as the sauce. I’m a big big last last year I was making pizza like pretty regularly. We had pizza oven. Yeah. So I learned how to make beats and yeah, definitely did a problem with pizza.

Bill Cornelius  1:23:05

Corey, it has its place it has it someplace. Corey, you are outnumbered at this point.

Corey Allen  1:23:09

At this point. I feel like I just got to give it a shot. But to me you can’t

Barrett Dennison  1:23:12

beat like a margarita pizza. swarm. I love brick oven. Like a true Neapolitan style pizza.

Corey Allen  1:23:21

What kind of pizza oven Yeah,

Barrett Dennison  1:23:23

we just sold my parents who sold their house. My mom’s house and they had just like a freestanding pizza and they got to

Corey Allen  1:23:31

i wanted to i want to get one of their degrees. Is it Bumi prop is or is it fire? Yeah, it’s a wood pellet. Oh, looks like a little freestanding.

Barrett Dennison  1:23:42

Nice. Yeah, they’re they’re awesome but be able to cook a pizza in a minute is just get better crust

Corey Allen  1:23:50

like that would be dangerous for me. Yeah,

Barrett Dennison  1:23:52

I was I was a lot of carbs. But it was COVID we were all sad You know? That’s that’s how I dealt with it. I cooked all the time. That’s a good thing to break it down a little bit. Yeah,

Corey Allen  1:24:03

it’s picking up a little

Barrett Dennison  1:24:04

I’ve got enough thickness now. Alright, favorite camera? Oh, the five Can I just walk through like my camera history?

Bill Cornelius  1:24:13

Never gonna give you a straight answer. IP five. Yes. I love those early Panasonic’s dv x 100

Barrett Dennison  1:24:20

yeah dv tapes I love those yes and then the seven D like really changed the game for me as far as like having depth field got a five D when I got to grad school and then we just started seeing stuff on like we read epics love to read epic but I mean my favorite is probably the area mini love the Mini. Yeah, I love the mini elf. I just think it’s such a this the colorscience of that cameras so great. I think you do a lot of stuff with the other cameras. I just think that one is the easiest. To get a cinema quality image got really good

Corey Allen  1:24:54

buttery skin.

Bill Cornelius  1:24:56

I was gonna say the highlight like striker said buttery.

Barrett Dennison  1:24:59

Yeah, roll offers nice and I just, I just think what it does for people’s faces is crazy. Yeah, it may as a gaffer, it made my job easy. And made my job. Easy. Big soft light. Yeah. Little bit of back edge and go nice. Oh, nice.

Corey Allen  1:25:15

I’ll see Joe moto.

Barrett Dennison  1:25:16

I do man, I’ve really enjoyed that. Again, the commode I think that’s that was, you know, you know, I worked on your your beta shoot. And once I saw it, I saw the practicality of it. But to have that much camera for that price. And that form factor. And that form factor really allows me to do more quality work. And like I said, I’ve had a five D for seven years, it’s paid itself off 40 times at this point. And so it was time for me to step up my game with a camera and especially if I want to continue to shoot and like I said, no one’s gonna put a camera in my hands and let me shoot unless I start shooting. So I think it gives me good advantage as a producer shooter to have a package for that quality.

Corey Allen  1:25:59

Yeah. And it makes it easy for us to do a nice three camera for sure.

Bill Cornelius  1:26:05

So you have a Komodo? Yeah, it’s his fault. I guess it would be it would be

Barrett Dennison  1:26:14

Yeah, man. It was in LA it rented, you know, several times. So I think it was a good decision.

Corey Allen  1:26:21

Yeah. Do you can write yours? Well, not here. Because you’ll compete because I’ll compete with you. We’ll just run them together.

Bill Cornelius  1:26:29

Corey. Corey owns share grid in Nashville basically. That’s good. I Well, I don’t want I don’t want it humblebrag I went on shared grid recently and all I saw was you Yeah, didn’t see anybody else.

Corey Allen  1:26:43

with Korea’s we’ll just compete together. Yeah, we’ll just it’s a two camera package teams if you need a multi cam. If one is not available, we go with you. That’s actually that’s what we talked about. Like if mines out and I need another rental. I’ll just send it to him.

Bill Cornelius  1:26:57

And if you need some old tungsten for nails, I’m your guy.

Barrett Dennison  1:26:59

That’s what’s up. All right. He talks to for no I love them. I think they’re great. Yeah, I just think that the Burstow that cameras crazy the stuff you can do with it?

Corey Allen  1:27:11

Yeah, love it. Alright, last question. three films everyone should see before they die.

Barrett Dennison  1:27:19

Oh, goodness. And only three. I mean, it’s a wonderful life I think is a solid choice. I think it is a great story of human like the human experience. It may be a little dated for some people, but I still I really like the performances and like the story and influential movies. I’m trying to say I’ve just seen so many.

Corey Allen  1:27:44

This one’s a hard one. Look my daughter sitting in the control room over there if you watch she was there if you had to recommend three movies to her.

Barrett Dennison  1:27:54

Oh, man. No Country for Old Man I think is a masterpiece. My daughter’s only 12 Yes. You can’t watch that. I’m just getting that. That’s a good one. Yeah, yes. Intense movie.

Corey Allen  1:28:04

Yeah. Alright. In your all over the board here. Now. I’m just trying to think of movie. It’s a wonderful Country for Old Men. Like really? Like, it was good.

Barrett Dennison  1:28:14

One more. Oh, man. I would love to just go all of Nolan. But like, I love inception. Yes. I mean, I think I’m just trying to think of like cinematic things that like so good. Like when I walked out, like, that’s, that’s my favorite feeling when you walk out of a theater, and you can’t speak cuz you’re just all blown away. And just so like, just continue to replay it. Yeah, like inception, I had to watch multiple times. And like the conversation I was actually working Gov Scholar Program at the time. So I was with surrounded by all these like, really smart people. And I got it, like just watching the movie with the guys. And there’s this great picture of us after we watched it. Or we’re all kind of doing this and holding our head trying to converse with each other what we just saw on the depth of it. And you know, I just think Nolan has a great ability of just taking you to a place in your brain where Oh, yeah. And and he doesn’t give you all the answers, which I like, like you have to form your own choices on what what you just saw. I mean, and like that movie is a good example of that. Even still today. Like the ending like you don’t, you don’t know.

Corey Allen  1:29:16

There’s all kinds of

Bill Cornelius  1:29:18

I rarely go back and see a movie more than once in the thesame Yeah, it was Inception and the dark night. Yeah, both movies. I went back multiple times to the theater, and you get killed in film school for saying that someone would kill I know, but it’s just like it’s such an experience. inception, craftsmanship and everything. Yes. Like

Corey Allen  1:29:37

Inception is one of the movies like if there’s nothing going on, I just need to watch something like that’s a

Barrett Dennison  1:29:44

go to watchable, extremely watchable. Yeah. Which for like, the quality movie does. I think it’s as well. Yeah, I don’t I don’t believe in this gilded view of cinema and it has to be like you have to love the Bicycle Thief and you have to love COPPA adult, film school. I grew up in southern Kentucky. We didn’t have access to some of the movies. And so the movies that shaped me were the return of the john. Yeah, Indiana Jones is the

1:30:09

we like to say

Corey Allen  1:30:13

Air Force One. Yeah.

Barrett Dennison  1:30:14

Love those movies. Movie Independence Day. Yeah. I love those movies. Oh, yeah. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with I think you should know critically. What to watch. And you should test yourself with different stuff. But nothing wrong with temples. There’s nothing wrong. I love that. We’ve

Bill Cornelius  1:30:32

had so many people on this show that appreciate great commercial film, love commercial filmmaking.

Corey Allen  1:30:38

Yeah,

Bill Cornelius  1:30:38

I’m all about that.

Corey Allen  1:30:40

What do you think about Tennant? Oh, I

Barrett Dennison  1:30:42

can’t swear my God. I just think, and I think this happens with really good directors. I think sometimes I think it happened with George Lucas. Sometimes you get to a point where you’re so successful that people can’t tell, you know, right, you know, and so I think it’s really like, I think, for Lucas, it was really healthy when his ex wife was the editor. And she did a lot of legwork on those movies of telling him like, hey, this isn’t gonna work. Yeah. And so and some of the writers and some directors they brought on like, we’re really good. But yeah, I think I will see what Nolan does next. But you know, I thought you think he needs to you need to know person honesty, you need someone to guide someone. Yeah, put friction against your creative process. And, you know, I don’t know if maybe I don’t know what the process was within it. But I know his brother Jonathan’s doing other stuff. And, you know, maybe that was his guy for a long time. And his wife, his producer, I just don’t I don’t know. But I thought there were just some questionable decisions. I thought that acting was May I think, john David Washington. I was so fun to watch. But you know, I did the I had problems with the audio and the story. Yeah. You know, but still, I mean, it’s still fun moot, like you didn’t want you didn’t watch it in a premium

Corey Allen  1:31:51

theater. I did watch

Bill Cornelius  1:31:56

subtitles on it, because I heard the audio was really tough.

Corey Allen  1:31:59

It was tough. Yeah, the excuse was, it was only tough if you didn’t see it in a premium theater said it’s

Barrett Dennison  1:32:04

not a premium theater. And I was like, I have no idea what’s happening. which I’d experienced, like with Interstellar like you’re like, Oh, sure. But then you you know you work your way through it. But tonight, I was like, I have no clue what’s going on. Yeah, I was three great ones. Have Nolan, though. You can make a bad movie could be a great director. Yeah, it’s okay. Just it’s really hard to make that size of a bad movie. That’s what I don’t think a lot of people appreciate. Like, how much work goes into a bad movie? Yeah.

Bill Cornelius  1:32:32

No, it’s good. I love Spielberg, but I can name a lot of films. He’s done. He said some messes like right, whatever, you know. How dare you? Hey, I’m his biggest fan, but I can I can criticize it. But I guarantee you they’re just like on to the next one.

Corey Allen  1:32:48

Yeah. Yeah, got got that one out. Put it out in the world. They know their process works. Moving on. So Baird has been so great having you here today. Absolutely. enjoyed it.

Barrett Dennison  1:32:59

It’s been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to the next little chapter of my life and because it’s gonna be a fun one killing it in Nashville. Yeah,

Corey Allen  1:33:07

we’ll definitely have to get you back on it. We’d love to get more technical with you and some fresh episodes. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, we’ll leave links to all of your stuff in the in the show notes. So everybody can find you put this man to work regional filmmaker, bear demson keep him busy. For all of our listeners. We know you have a lot of podcast options. We appreciate you choosing us if you like what you heard today. Go ahead and subscribe. If you’re on Apple podcast, please leave us a rating would help us out a ton.

Bill Cornelius  1:33:39

Five stars. Five stars preferably.

Corey Allen  1:33:41

Nice words also go a long way. Yes. And until next time. Feed your crew something delicious.