Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Quinn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Devin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Sometimes it surprises even me that “Cinematographer” is the career I’ve chosen for myself. I don’t have any “creatives” in my ancestry (that I know of). My paternal grandpa was a carpenter, but that’s really as close as I get to “artistic” in my lineage. However, when I really look back at my childhood and adolescence, the pieces were there.
In grade school, a few friends and I would go to my friend’s house across the street and spend hours making videos on her family’s VHS camcorder. Back then I was on-screen talent. We did SNL-esque sketch comedy. Everything was shot from one angle and was mildly funny at best, but we sure thought it was hilarious. I suppose this is where the seed was planted, though, I never really associated this with a desire to go into filmmaking until I was in grad school. All of my memories of this time are fond. We would decide on a sketch, roll the camera, and see what happened. It was an essential course in creativity.
Later on in grade school and into middle school, I was always the chick with a camera in her hand. I really enjoyed documenting people. I didn’t do much with angles, but you could count on me to be there capturing my classmates, holding on to the memories via my Kodak point and shoot, first with film then digitally.
I begged my parents for a DSLR. “You don’t have to get me anything else for Christmas or my birthday for this whole year. Everyone could pitch in!” It was the only thing I wanted. I never got it. To be fair, I was a kid with many creative hobbies, and couldn’t quite stick to one. It was an expensive gamble for my parents to make.
Fast forward to college. I entered my freshmen year at the University of Dayton (UD) as an “Undecided” major, with NO idea where I’d land. After my freshmen year, I met with my advisor and said, “I’m just going to declare Business as my major.” He politely asked why, and I responded with some B.S. answer about how everyone was deciding and I felt like I had to pick something. Fortunately, he said, “I don’t really see you in a suit every day. Is that the life you want? Take some time, think on it over the summer, and you can decide when you come back.” I am forever grateful for his honest assessment of where he saw my academic career going, or rather, where he DIDN’T see it going.
After the summer, I decided on Communication with a concentration in Electronic Media. It was the closest thing UD had to a film degree. We mostly filmed sporting events and operated a Tricaster. I soon found every time I was behind a camera or learning about how they worked, I was excited and eager to learn more. Every time I talked with the other Electronic Media students, I felt understood. Everyone was stoked about visual storytelling and took it seriously.
In 2014, I graduated from UD, and moved home with mom and pop. I did a year-of-service with AmeriCorps, working with homeless families and individuals in emergency overnight shelters. Once I was away from the constant go-go-go of college and spent some time with myself, really soul searching about my future, I realized I wanted to pursue filmmaking, but I didn’t really know how, and I certainly wasn’t confident in my skills. The next logical step: film school.
I started at DePaul University in September of 2015. I had no idea what I was doing. Each class I took and classmate I befriended was a wealth of knowledge. Putting my pride aside, I dove head first into a field I knew little about. I had never heard the terms Best Boy Electrician or a Dolly Grip before I started, but I finally decided I would never know if I was too afraid to be vulnerable. Eventually, I had my first true “on-set” experience, and things snowballed from there.
I entered grad school thinking I wanted to be an editor, and I left knowing I had to be a cinematographer. I am a visual learner. Even my emotions present themselves visually to me. I was never a huge film nerd, but over the past few years I’ve taken a deep dive into cinematic language, and I’ve loved every second of it.
There are still an embarrassing amount of “classic” films I have yet to see, and I have so much yet to learn, but I think that’s what I love about the film industry and visual storytelling, there’s so much to excavate. I look forward to the discovering.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I told my parents I wanted to move to the city and go to grad school for film, they said, “That’s fine. You just have to pay for it.” Therefore, via my one year of savings from living at home and student loans, I set foot on my path toward filmmaking. Loans are a very real burden, but the financial stress and awareness has humbled me and made me grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded.
However, truly the biggest struggle for me was allowing myself to lean in. I can be my own worst enemy. I had to give myself a pep talk and say, “This is the thing you’ve been wanting to do. Sure, you feel behind, Sure, you’re intimidated, but there’s only one way to change that – start DOING.” I also heard a quote from Jim Carey, and it genuinely changed my perspective. He said, “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” So I figured, hey, it’s worth a shot.
Please tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As a cinematographer, I am just beginning my freelance career. I most enjoy narrative pieces. However, I am also hoping to do documentary cinematography and directing. I am looking forward to doing wedding and corporate videography as well. I enjoy collaborating, whether it be with a director, business owner, or bride and groom to-be. I love asking questions, it allows me to get at the core of what the client or director is trying to achieve. Once I have that information, I’m able to offer my technical recommendations to achieve the look, feel, and message of the piece. One of the best parts of film is each project is vastly different, allowing me to pull from all different corners of inspiration. The more I do, the more I learn, the deeper my toolbox gets. Nothing excites me more!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the immediate future, I am shooting a short Sci-Fi/Drama called “Wake Me Up”. It’s a primarily woman-run set. I am so excited and grateful to be a part of this project. It’s a story about queer human beings, mental health, and relationships. We have been in pre-production for several months now, and production is only a month away. It’s been challenging and exciting in all the right ways. I’m anxious to see our planning come to life!
Aside from “Wake Me Up”, I plan to continue to build my brand and network. Filming weddings and creating content for small businesses feels like the next right step for me. I also have a dream of making a documentary about Food Deserts on the South Side of Chicago. I am a big advocate for food education, and the lack of resources and accessibility to healthy, whole food in Chicago’s southern neighborhoods pains me. I hope to make the dream of telling that story a reality in the near future.
Contact Info:
- Phone: (708) 744-7517
- Email: quinn.c.devin@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinntellect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devin.quinn.94
Image Credit:
Images 1 & 2 – “Sangría Sundays or Bottoms Up, Mr. Toby” directed by Jesús Feliciano
Images 3 & 4 – “Génesis” directed by Fabiola Ferral
Image 5 – behind the scenes “Génesis” photo by Fabiola Ferral
Image 6 – behind the scenes “Sangría Sundays or Bottoms Up, Mr. Toby” photo by Adam Santiago
Image 7 – behind the scenes “Pointe Work” directed by Sydney O’Haire photo by Anna Zorn
Image 8 – behind the scenes “Génesis” selfie by Devin Quinn
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
