BIG AQE

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK          BIG AQE

VALIDATED: PLEASE GIVE US A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO?

BIG AQE: I AM A VIDEOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHER WHO CREATES CONTENT ACCORDING TO MEDIA MATERIAL I CAPTURE. I HAVE CREATED / CO-DIRECT MUSIC VIDEOS, SHORT FILMS, DOCUMENTARIES, WEB-SERIES, PROMOTIONAL CLIPS, ADVERTISEMENTS, ETC.

VALIDATED: DO YOU HAVE ANY PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OR ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT?

BIG AQE: NO, PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, JUST EXPERIENCE SO YES, I CAN SAY I’M SELF-TAUGHT.

VALIDATED: WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED, WHICH INFLUENCES YOUR WORK ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS?

BIG AQE: I LEARNED THAT THE CLIENT SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A SAY SO, A VOICE. THEY’RE ALWAYS RIGHT, I LIKE TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. I CAN OFFER MY PROFESSIONAL ADVICE (ONLY WHEN ASKED) BUT MOST OF THE TIME I LET THE CLIENT TELL ME WHAT THEIR VISION CONSIST OF AND I BRING IT TO LIFE ON SCREEN.

VALIDATED: WHO WOULD YOU SAY ARE YOUR TOP 2 INFLUENCES AS A PRODUCER AND VIDEOGRAPHER? WHAT IF ANYTHING HAVE YOU BORROWED FROM THEM?

BIG AQE: I  WAS INFLUENCED BY TWO BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS WHO INSPIRED ME TREMENDOUSLY WHEN I STARTED IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY. SUPREME FILMS AND MAZI O. THEY GAVE ME THE MENTAL JEWELS I NEEDED TO GROW WITHIN THE INDUSTRY AND TO BECOME MORE SUCCESSFUL. THEY ALSO GAVE ME THE INSPIRATION I NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO PRODUCE QUALITY WORK. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS AND PEOPLE WHO INFLUENCED ME ALONG MY JOURNEY BUT I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE KNOWLEDGE I GAINED AND THE PEOPLE I MET IN THE PROCESS.

VALIDATED: WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU MADE IN ORDER TO INVEST IN YOUR CRAFT?

BIG AQE: I STOPPED PROCRASTINATING AND GOT SERIOUS. I QUIT MY 9 TO 5 TO PURSUE MY PASSION. MAKE MY VISION COME TO LIFE AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I DID. SO FAR SO GOOD. STAY TUNED, THERE’S MORE.

VALIDATED: DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

BIG AQE: YES, I HAVE A FEW PROJECTS IN THE WORKS. "THE OTHER SIDE OF BROOKLYN", CREATED BY JUNE MILLER, IS AN URBAN WEB SERIES YOU CAN FIND ON YOUTUBE AND OTHER PLATFORMS. IT HAS A NEW SEASON TO FILM, WHICH I WILL BE CO-DIRECTING AS WELL AS STARRING IN IT. SO, CHECK IT OUT. I ALSO HAVE A SEQUEL TO A SHORT FILM I CO -DIRECTED AS WELL. "RECOGNITION" CREATED BY TAMAR WAUL WAS RELEASED THIS JANUARY AND FILMING FOR "RECOGNITION 2" WILL RESUME FILMING THIS SUMMER. ANOTHER SHORT FILM THAT I CO-DIRECTED "TRUST NO ONE", CREATED BY RASHID SAID. WE'LL START FILMING THE SECOND PART OF HIS TRILOGY MOVIE COMING SOON. THERE IS ALSO OTHER PROJECTS BEING PRODUCED, I'M JUST STILL WORKING OUT THE DETAILS FOR SOME OF THEM BEFORE EVERYTHING IS CONFIRMED.

VALIDATED: WHICH QUALITIES SHOULD A GOOD PRODUCER/VIDEOGRAPHER POSSESS?

BIG AQE: YOU HAVE TO BE OPEN MINDED, CREATIVE, PROFESSIONAL, PATIENCE, POSSESS GREAT TIME MANAGEMENT, FOCUS DRIVEN, ORGANIZED, AND BE A TEAM PLAYER.

VALIDATED: HOW HAVE YOU EVOLVED AS A PRODUCER/VIDEOGRAPHER FROM YOUR FIRST DAYS AT THIS CRAFT?

BIG AQE: I GAINED MORE SUBSTANTIAL CONNECTIONS IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY, IMPROVED MY EDITS AND VISUALS ALONG WITH MY PARTNER JOSHUA HAWKINS. OUR VISION IS MUCH BIGGER THAN WHAT IT WAS FROM WHEN I FIRST STARTED FILMING. I GAINED BETTER NETWORKING SKILLS WHICH ARE NOW MORE EFFECTIVE AND IT'S ALLOWED ME TO GAIN MORE CLIENTELE.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR CHOICE OF CAMERA AND FAVORITE LENS? WHY?

BIG AQE: RED RAVEN CAMERA WITH ANY L-SERIES LENS. AMAZING CAMERA! IT GIVES THAT CLEAN CRISP CINEMA VISUAL THAT WE ALL LOVE.

VALIDATED: WHAT ABOUT A SCRIPT MAKES YOU WANT TO BRING IT TO LIFE? WHAT CERTAIN QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR BEFORE COMMITTING TO A PROJECT?

BIG AQE: THE STORY LINE, PLOT, MESSAGE, CHARACTER DETAILS, SETTING OR LOCATION, AND THE PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT.

VALIDATED: DO YOU FEEL FILMMAKERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO CULTURE? PLEASE EXPLAIN.

BIG AQE: YES, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT WE PUT OUT THERE FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE VISUALLY.

VALIDATED: AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I SEE THAT YOU'VE WORKED WITH A FEW POPULAR ARTISTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES IN WORKING WITH MORE FAMILIAR ARTISTS COMPARED TO UP AND COMING UNDERGROUND ARTIST?

BIG AQE: MORE ESTABLISHED ARTIST ALREADY COME WITH A FORESEEN VISION AND WHAT THEY WANT VERSUS WORKING WITH UP AND COMING ARTIST THAT ARE STILL DEVELOPING THEIR CRAFT, WHO MAY NEED A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE DISPLAYING THEIR IDEAS MORE VISUALLY. SOMETIMES ONE IS JUST MORE CHALLENGING THAN THE OTHER.

VALIDATED: TELL US ABOUT OTHER VENTURES YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.

BIG AQE: I CURRENTLY HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER VENTURES SUCH AS CLOTHING BRAND AMBASSADOR, BEING AN ACTOR, RADIO PERSONALITY AND MEDIA CONSULTANT. THESE ALL CAME ALONG AFTER I STARTED BRANDING MYSELF AS A VIDEOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHER.

VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE READER SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR MOVEMENT ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA?

BIG AQE: THROUGH ALL MY SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: BIGAQE_TV OR BIGAQETV_PROMO., MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL, TWITTER: BIGAQE_TV AND SNAPCHAT: BIGAQETV