Brandon Kapelow: A Few Of My Favourite Things

It might not be very zen of me to say, but I’ve always been a bit into stuff. 

If I’m being honest, I think what first got me interested in filmmaking as a kid was just as much the gadgets as it was creative expression. Even now, as an adult, I must actively do battle with this inner child who always just wants to play with the latest and greatest toys.

I was at a panel at Sundance nearly a decade ago that introduced me to a concept called “medium resistance”, which has stuck with me ever since. It refers to the limitations or constraints that a given medium imposes on a person as they work – like the way sculpting with marble versus clay completely changes the process, even if the end results look similar.

In my view, this same line of thinking applies to the tools we use, the spaces we occupy, and the influences we absorb. We are all curators of our own lives and, consciously or not, each of these little decisions has an impact on our creative output.

While I don’t always have the benefit of being at home in my own curated environment, I find myself seeking out the same sorts of objects and experiences wherever I go – whether I bring them along with me or discover them somewhere along the road.

The 2013 Chevy Avalanche

This truck is my Millennium Falcon.

It’s a home on wheels, a camera car, a scouting vessel, a camp kitchen and a portable movie theatre.

Whatever you need, it delivers.

I can’t think of any one thing more essential to my creative process.

I’ve logged hundreds of thousands of miles in this stallion, driving dusty roads to find the perfect shooting location, or cooking and sleeping in the back when that location is too far from civilisation.

I am at my most inspired when I’m driving around in this truck, packed to the rafters with gear, blasting music on the radio, chasing daylight and waiting anxiously to find out if that extra detour was worth it or if I’ve just burned my opportunity to shoot another glorious sunset.

The Photo Books

I’m a bit of a photobook addict.

One of my favourite things to do when visiting a place is to spend as much time as possible browsing local art book stores.

I try to avoid the well-known staples and ask for recommendations that feel specific to wherever I am.

While you can’t learn everything about a culture through images alone, I find it a great jumping-off point and a way to spark curiosity.

I love meeting local collectors, talking to bookstore owners and taking home a small memento of that journey in the form of a book.

The Fender Jazzmaster

I am by no means a musician.

Still, I find it incredibly stimulating to pick up an instrument and fumble around until it produces some sort of sound that vaguely resembles the emotion I’m feeling.

I love having a guitar near my desk as a way to productively procrastinate when I’m feeling stuck or tired of staring at a screen.

The tactile experience is incredibly meditative.

When travelling, I crave this feeling, even if I don’t have the discipline to bring instruments with me.

Whenever I stumble upon one, I try to make use of it, even if I’ve never played it before.

The Compact Audio Recorders

I never regret having these in my backpack.

I often regret it when I don’t.

In a pinch, I’ll use my phone, but after losing important recordings to technical glitches, I’ve learned to always roll on two devices at once.

They’re invaluable for capturing everything from background interviews to live music to natural ambience that might find its way into a project someday.

The Board Games

Admittedly, I am not my best self when I play board games.

But I love how they force me to take my mind off whatever is stressing me out that week.

They’re also a great excuse to get a group of friends together.

All that yelling is probably the pressure-release valve I didn’t know I needed.

The Celluloid

Circling back to the idea of medium resistance, my love of film is more about process than how it looks.

I have a hard time focusing at times.

Nothing sharpens your focus like knowing you’re lighting three dollars on fire every time you press the shutter button of a 6x7 film camera.

I didn’t truly engage with photography as a serious medium until I started shooting film.

It gave me a sense of discipline I’ve never been able to replicate digitally.

Every image becomes a physical object you’re forced to confront during shooting, developing and scanning.

The thrill of watching an image come into being in stages is intensely animating.

Without that rush, I find it much harder to get excited about the process.

The Scanning Rig And Repro Table

Whether I’m working with negatives or other print media, this setup bridges the physical and digital worlds.

I love the ritual of darkening my office, putting on music and slipping on lint-free archival gloves.

Re-imaging material late into the night is strangely calming.

I’m always inspired when someone does something unexpected with archival work.

It’s a reminder of how much room there is to reinterpret something we might otherwise see as finished.