Occam’s razorKeep it simple stupid – Occam of razorville
I must admit to being so very interested in minimalist style, ethic, ethos or whatever you want to call it.

The reason I wanted to talk about this right now probably has a lot to do with moving.

We have so many boxes to unload, in box, reset up in a new home. And I can’t help realise how much stuff we accumulated throughout the years. There are things we never use, things we wish we used, things that are sentimental and the things that are completely required.

About 6 months ago we did do a fair amount of paring down. We are now looking at repeating the process again, culling the objects we rarely use, or the crap that slid by the first round.

In my work I like to keep the work simple, yet effective. By removing those layers of unnecessary you end up with a pure version of what you want to create. This minimalist approach to vision actually is very effective. When a story gets complicated and could be lost within the frame, we remove layers of unnecessary, making the viewer aware of what they are to see.

By questioning elements within the frame we can remove questions that have no pertinent need to be there. This process can be heart breaking, as we can lose things we were truly excited to share. The story is king.

For technical approaches we are constantly asking if we can do the same with less! This is both practical (less time setting up) and smart (less time wrangling gear). A few years ago we switched our main kit lights to wireless transmission lights (no more cable tied to the camera) and then the lights went off the cable. Removing this was really a step forward and allowed for us to refine the location kit to the point where we can create a full studio on location easily and with minimal drawbacks. Have studio will travel!

Using a minimalist approach on as much as we can to make our work more effective was really a key in being able to be the artists we are today. Now back to unboxing!