Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Corbin.
Leah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania with a population of about 600 people. From the very beginning, I felt a little bigger than my surroundings. While still in high school, I was lucky enough to get involved with some dark room photo classes at the local college. This is where I met one of my greatest mentors: Photographer Jim Sheen. I can still see traces of his influence as well as my analog photo background in my work today.
I moved to Chicago in 2013 to get my BFA in film at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During this time, I work quite a bit as a freelance cinematographer and director. However, I soon got tired of working for others and got anxious to spend more energy on my own work. Inspired by the works of Werner Herzog, Patricio Guzman, and even mainstream shows like Chef’s Table, I became increasingly curious about the documentary genre. I saw a lot of correlations between my specific skills as a filmmaker and what was required of a documentarian.
This is what led me to my current project: a documentary about a 26-acre farm in Pennsylvania called Spoutwood. Of course, the film is about so much more than that, but I don’t want to spoil anything before its release at the end of the summer!
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never smooth and honestly, it shouldn’t be. If you have white knuckles that’s a pretty good indication that you’re doing something worthwhile. I think the greatest challenge for most artists is fighting cynicism. You will constantly have people tell you that having faith in your own success is a delusion. They will use your optimism as an opportunity to patronize you. But if you look closely at those people, they are always the ones that stopped trying at some point and develop this toxic outlook in order to repress goals they once had. To stop trying is far more painful than a life full of rejection. Things will never be easy, so I have stopped expecting it to be. As a result, I have found that it is the labor itself that brings meaning to my life. That’s really what defines successful people from the others; when you hit a roadblock, are you willing to stay focused and keep pushing, even when you’re blind to what the future will bring?
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am an independent filmmaker. I got my start producing highly visceral horror/thriller short films that got recognized for their surreal cinematography and rich scores (I compose my own sound work as well). Since then, I have turned my attention to documentary and (as mentioned before) have just recently finished shooting my first film in that genre.
The main goal of my film work is to get my viewers to think on a more intuitional level rather than a logical one. I have a deep interest in how visuals and sound can evoke an emotional, borderline physical response. The challenge is to operate within my more creative and “artsy” style while also producing work that a general audience (those not familiar in the highly intellectualized world of fine art cinema) can actually access.
The Spoutwood documentary is a perfect example. It is more focused on aesthetics than the politically driven content coming from companies like Vice and the like. I rely heavily on striking imagery to tell the story of the space and the community of characters within it. My intention with this film and future ones to come is always to help my subjects identify poetic themes within their daily lives, and possibly abstract their reality in the process.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is great for emerging artists for the simple fact that it provides big city benefits while being one of the cheapest major cities in the country. Opportunity with somewhat reasonable rent. As a result, it also has a thriving DIY scene that can open a lot of doors. It really is the perfect place to start a career.
Contact Info:
- Website: leahcorbin.com
- Email: leahcorbi@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahcorbin/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnO5Zt9WMpn_20gZ-nHhtvA?view_as=subscriber
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