Hideous Mink's Grassroots Spotlight: Dylan Friese-Greene

Words by Celia Hackford

“There’s something quite special about plodding out at the crack of dawn with just a DSLR and a tripod with a couple mates up some hill to get the shot you want”

The ladder is getting shorter and shorter for London based up-and-coming filmmaker Dylan. After graduating from Kingston School of Art, Dylan has been working for Intergalactic Studios and making music videos for artists such as Just Mustard and Becky Hill. In this interview he tells us about the realities of freelance work, jumping from DIY sets to large budget sets and what’s coming next.

You are working your way up quick in the visual world, particularly in music vids… do you find they’re decreasing in economic value and necessity? What do you think is the future of music videos? Are they dying?

No not at all. Music videos are still the most accessible and widely consumed short form out there besides commercials. As long as labels are promoting artists and their music there will be a demand for music videos.

What’s exciting though is that we’re living in an age where everyone has the means to make stuff, and if you’re resourceful you can make a £500 video look like a £5k video. Everyone everywhere is churning things out at record speeds and throwing it into the mixer. New and refreshing video concepts are being thought up everyday. The challenge is to deliver something original every time.

What is the meaning of grassroots productions to you… do you aim to get out of DIY projects asap or would you like to keep a foot in the door?

I have a big soft spot for the DIY projects I’ve worked on in the last 5 years. There’s something quite special about plodding out at the crack of dawn with just a DSLR and a tripod with a couple mates up some hill to get the shot you want. It’s way more labour intensive and it didn’t always deliver the best results, but if you’re creative and aware of your means you will just try and execute really simple ideas well and sometimes it pays off. I’ll be honest it has been nice to start to move into crewed projects where responsibilities are split and I can be supported by others, but those grassroots days were where I learnt what I like to make and it’s arguably the time you’re the most free to make what you want. If I really liked an artist or a track I’d still be up for plodding up that hill.

Still from 'Welcome To The Sidelines' by Amy Michelle

On larger sets, do you find you loose control? Or do you find it less of an intimate, creative environment?

It really depends. If the label and artist trust me then I tend to find I can fight my corner on most ideas. Picking your collaborators is also pretty key. The guys behind Intergalactic Studios who I’ve been running all my recent stuff through are super supportive of my ideas and always push for as few compromises as possible. I’m also quite on it with pre-production. I storyboard thoroughly and make animatics with the track just to make sure the client and I are on the same page about what’s being made from the get go. At the end of the day though it’s for them and they get the last word haha.

Do you find working freelance can be stressful? How do you pick your projects, is it based on the band, the song, or an inspiration?

When I first started freelancing it was a bit stressful. If you’re trying to make video work your soul source of income you can’t really be selective about what you make. You kind of have to just take on anything you’re offered, and naturally a lot of that could not really be your thing. I ended up juggling other freelance jobs initially to balance it out. I did a lot of storyboarding for people as well as working as an art department assistant on commercials, which was super helpful for learning how larger sets worked.

Now I’m pretty much just freelance directing which is pretty special. I can now be a bit more selective about briefs I’m offered and I can also manage my time to fit in some passion projects. Dream, really.

Still from 'Mirrors' by Just Mustard

Has there been any occasions in your career that have made you rethink your path? Or maybe a slap in the face for the reality of up and coming filmmakers?

There were definitely one or two moments where I thought, oh maybe I’ll just be a full-time editor or storyboard artist, directing isn’t going to happen. But I’m glad I was patient because sometimes all it takes is meeting the right person and being offered the right project to pitch on. I’d say just don’t rush. Working your way up is the only way you learn. If I was offered some of the projects I’ve done this year 18 months ago I would have absolutely bottled them.

Plug us… whats coming up?

Not sure how much I’m allowed to say but I’ve been working on some things for an emerging rapper called Felixthe1st which should be out some time in June. I’m also working on a passion project short film which we’re looking to shoot next month. Exciting times!

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More from Dylan here

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