Filmmaking is about controlled chaos-- thinking on your feet, taking what happens, quickly turning it into something BETTER.

For me, filmmaking began when I was 4, on a little ice rink in small-town Ohio. My dad was filming my family skating with his old super 8mm film camera. Later that month, when he played the film back to us, he did something special. He reversed the footage, so I could see myself and my siblings skating backward.
 
It was magical. I don't know why, but a switch turned on in my head, and I liked the idea of manipulating reality. Decades later, I'm doing this every day.

Growing up in Ohio, it was a great place to explore creatively. When I was ten, I started making fun videos with my friends based on old-school action movies. I started "getting serious in high school," building contraptions to capture the images I wanted, fabricating a 20-foot jib out of PVC pipe. I made homemade tracks and Steadicams too-- anything to keep the camera moving.

I was once asked about my directing philosophy, and my mind instantly went back to ice skating. To skate well, you have to be a master at speed, turning, and suddenly stopping on a dime. You must control the chaos.