Face to Face with... Ryan Reichenfeld

It’s always good to hear about a success story and last week, when we caught wind that Caviar Los Angeles was to announce the signing of young VFX artist and director Ryan Reichenfeld, we were especially pleased.

The aspiring talent featured in our Evolution Los Angeles new director showcase back in June and, having held initial meetings with the production company, got reacquainted with them on the night, paving the way to a new signing deal for worldwide representation.

Originally with dreams of becoming a pro skater, Reichenfeld was forced off the board through injury and picked up a camera in an attempt to fill the void. Shooting, editing, adding VFX and titles to his personal short film projects, he has since worked as VFX artist at both Universal Studios and Ghost Town Media, collaborating with directors and artists such as Michel Gondry, Tyler the Creator, Usher, Frank Ocean and Zooey Deschanel.

Describing himself as “a skateboarder-turned-visual-FX artist-turned-director,” and having just wrapped a job through BBH London (due out in early September), below Reichenfeld reveals more about his new whisky-inspired partnership with Caviar, his Stay with Me video (above, which featured at the Evolution event) and what he’s been taking inspiration from recently.

We like to think shots gave a little helping hand matchmaking you and Caviar; tell us how the deal came about…

I had a general meeting with Jasper Thomlinson and Michael Sagol (the EPs of Caviar LA) after my NO Stay With Me video came out. We were mutually stoked on each other but they still wanted to see what direction my work was headed in and some other companies had asked for meetings with me so we left things kind of open.

Then I found out my videos were selected to screen at the shots Evolution LA showcase. My friend AG Rojas (who’s repped by Caviar) was also selected so we rolled to the screening together. Jasper and a few others from Caviar were at the event and I just kind of naturally fell in with them. We all went out afterwards and bonded over some whiskies. It all felt super comfortable, we weren’t even talking about production stuff really, it just felt like I was hanging out with friends.

After shots Evolution LA I booked a commercial through BBH London and while I was out in the UK I met the Caviar London crew and that solidified things even further. Shortly after that Jasper hit me up asking me if I was interested in officially joining up with Caviar.

So yeah, thanks shots for setting me up on the whisky date with Caviar, next time drinks are on me.

What made Caviar the right company for you?

It was a combination of stuff, but probably the biggest things were their focus on making good work a priority over everything else, their commitment to helping grow new directors, and just the overall good vibe I got from the EP’s and production staff. They made me feel more like I was becoming a member of the family rather than joining up with a ‘company’.

The other thing is that Caviar is just slaying the game right now and the fact that they were recently named fourth best production company in the world at Cannes didn’t make my decision any harder.

What have you been up to over the summer since shots Evolution LA?

It’s been pretty busy. I released a music video for RAC that features Rose McGowan and I just got back from the UK and Spain where I was directing my first commercial for Robinson’s via BBH London – overall a pretty tasty summer thus far.

Now that you have new representation in the US, what type of projects are you hoping to get your teeth into?

I still love and want to make music videos, but I had such a good experience with the team at BBH London I’m looking forward to jumping into directing more TV spots, especially the creative/narrative/action/challenging/striking/unexpected/thought provoking kind.

The prospect of making more short films and eventually a feature is something I’m also psyched on.

What have been your favourite commercials and music videos that you’ve seen lately?

I gravitate toward directors like Spike Jonze and Patrick Daughters’ work the most. But to be honest what’s been the most inspiring is the work my friends have been putting out lately. AG Rojas, Keith Schofield and DANIELS have all been killing it large on a regular basis. 

What have you been reading/watching/listening to recently that you would recommend to shots readers?

Reading/re-reading:

Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises

Hemingway - A Moveable Feast

Hemingway - To Have and To Have Not

Thrasher Magazine

Watching:

The teaser trailer for P.T. Anderson’s The Master

Listening:

At the moment it’s been Beach House on repeat, a healthy dose of Fleetwood Mac, a bit of Smith Westerns and some episodes of the Radiolab podcast for good measure.