Meet Lucius James IV: Videographer & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lucius James IV and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lucius, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Honestly, I really think some people are just extremely creative and passionate and follow their dreams or what they see in their head at all costs. I don’t feel it was one direct reason I chose a creative path, it just kinda happened from life and experiences, jobs, and finding what drives you to wanna get out of bed in the morning. My mother was in the military and I was a military brat, living in 15 different cities and going to 13 schools before graduating high school. I was always learning to adapt to change, meet new friends, and create ways to stay busy and active in these new places. Even living in Madrid Spain, twice by the time I was 12 years old. School was always challenging for me since I moved so much and I mostly used the school as a place to socialize and meet new people. I did well in math, science, art, and shop classes and hated history, reading but loved writing. My biggest thing was I beat to my own drum and did well in things that I was interested in and did terribly in subjects or tasks that I was interested in. Basically, if I was creating stuff I would do really well at it. I started my creative journey making beats in high school in San Antonio, TX. After about a year or two I moved to St. Louis to live with my dad since he had the full studio in the basement. In St. Louis I met a really talented artist named Thumbz Up, I would make beats and record for him in my pops basement. Once I got relatively good at music, I decided to hit the road again to Atlanta, GA.  Down in Atlanta, I went to audio engineering school at SAE Institute. There I learned everything from miking up drums, mixing and recording music, sound design, and sound to picture.  Sound to picture really peaked my interest and in addition to my sister letting me borrow her camera as she attended her college courses. I started to transition from music to photo and then finally photos to videos where I use both my audio background and passion for framing into one thing.  I currently reside in Los Angeles after moving here from Atlanta, then to Vegas for a couple of years, and finally back in sunny southern California.  I shoot music videos for dope recording artists, in-studio videos for music producers, and promotional videos for brands and influencers.  I guess the most amazing thing about pursuing an artistic or creative career is the journey, the people you meet along the way, and the forever changing of scenery and environments to get to your end destination. I saw so much, learned even more, and wouldn’t trade the creative career path and the journey for anything else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am super passionate about storytelling and capturing pictures and videos and re-sharing them with the world. I think what sets me apart is I create everything from the heart, with a pure passion for sharing my gift with others. I am very honest and don’t have hidden motives while working with my peers and clients. I just wanna work on the craft, work hard and deliver a quality product. Everything else is just a distraction and noise that will ruin your brand or reputation faster than it took to build it all up. I am most proud of working hard at my craft and people willing to pay for my art and creative vision. Years ago it was all a dream and it was a very difficult road along the way. Learning to adapt, taking no for an answer but still going, getting better at your craft and networking, and being great to your peers all play a role in your success or you as an individual and your brand. I learned to never give up on your dreams, you may have to pivot but never stop. Also, you have to work hard at it so when it’s your time to shine you will be well prepared and ready for the spotlight and the workload that comes along with working with really successful people. It’s been an amazing journey and now being published 8 or 9 times it does prove if you work hard enough people will notice and people will want to know more. I have a lot coming down the pipeline, shooting many more music videos and working on producing my first short film sometime this year. So much in store and can’t wait to share it all with the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That one is easy, I always exploring and up for an adventure. So a week in LA, we’d visit the Broad and Getty Museums, go to Santa Monica Pier, Point Dume in Malibu, Korean friendship bell in San Pedro, the view from there is insane. Hollywood walk of fame. Also, go explore the SS Dominator in Ranchos Palos Verdes. I would eat at Freida in Glendale, Stop by the Wings N Waffles and Middle Feast food trucks, my favorite spot is the Butcher Baker And Cappuccino maker in west Hollywood. My favorite things there are the seafood omelet and the starburst cappuccino. I would get ice cream at Little Damage in DTLA and also Dala Lama Ice cream in Sherman Oaks. Another dope spot in Sherman Oaks in Crave Cafe. If you want a restaurant with a view I’d go to Yamashiro Hollywood or Nobu in Malibu. For Drinks, I’d go to the Grove or Beverly Hills Rodeo is a great place for a drink, or Spire 73 on top of the Intercontinental if you wanna see all of Los Angeles. My favorites three spots to just chill and see the views are Jerome C. Daniel Overlook above the Hollywood Bowl, Point Dume, and Redondo Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely have a few people in mind that helped me along my journey. My mother and sister, my pops, my cousins and family and a bunch of friends and even old bosses who told me I had a gift and I shouldn’t work there too long. My buddy Pascal Knoke always mentioned I was really good at framing and showed me how to set my camera to produce the best results. A few friends in the music industry helped a ton, like Guitar boy, J Winans and BMW Kenny, other artists and models, Like Natalie Romo, Mego Street Art, and Shlome Art. I’ve been blessed to met and been introduced to good people by good people. I also have to thank you all at Shoutout LA for reaching out to me to be featured in your publication. Thanks a ton for that!

Website: https://www.lavasastudios.com/

Instagram: @Luciusjamesiv

Facebook: Lucius James IV

Image Credits
Lucius James IV