Meet Rowdy Stephens | Director, Editor, and Aerial Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rowdy Stephens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rowdy, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
There are two factors most responsible for propelling me to where I am today: forming valuable relationships and embracing the latest technologies and innovations. I am fortunate to be surrounded by so many passionate and hardworking people whom I get to call friends. Having many friends in my life with whom I’m able to grow and develop as a creative alongside, is an immense privilege. Having a community of people that fosters your growth and you theirs is essential to success in any area, especially in our industry where collaboration is so pivotal to the commercial and creative success of every endeavor. Secondly, I have always housed an innate desire to explore technology and innovation, which has been very defining in the way I approach my career. The industry and the world we live in are evolving more rapidly than ever, which is a major advantage for my generation. While most areas of the entertainment business are run by people with decades of experience in that area, we have seen several technologies come to fruition in the last few years that will go on to revolutionize the way we create and enjoy films in the future. As we are entering and learning the industry at the same time as these technologies and methods evolve, we are placed much more even playing field. Knowing this and being determined to engage with such innovation, exploring and equipping myself with as much knowledge and experience regarding virtual production, integrating AI workflows, and what’s to come after is of ultimate importance to me and steers my current creative projects and education. I began my interest in filmmaking through aerial cinematography which offered a completely new perspective at the time and now with these technologies, new and ambitious ideas are becoming more accessible and I’m extremely excited to push into and explore this frontier.

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’m currently pursuing primarily directing, however, as the culmination of years of learning and enjoying all aspects of the filmmaking process, where it takes me is still to be determined. I began my love for film when I first began learning how to fly drones and edit videos with them around 2014. Growing up with plenty of physical space this allowed me to capture so much of it at once and from a completely new perspective.

Today this has led me to tell stories in a variety of formats but all with a focus on unique perspectives and authenticity. From my beginnings with drones until today, I’ve always remained passionate about using modern and unique ways to capture and present places, people, and stories with others. I think the unique place I fall is powering my art with techniques new enough that they often aren’t widely adapted but focusing on remaining as true as possible to what I’m capturing with these techniques. This does prove to be more difficult in some ways, as technology evolves with tools, especially such as AI, where it’s incredibly easy to let the computer do the heavy lifting for you. So for me, the focus is always on creating a purposeful and authentic vision beforehand. Then maintaining strict adherence to it while using these tools, so that the art benefits from the technology rather than be lost through it.

I’m currently in the early stages of a project that will be a culmination of this, telling a story that relates strongly to many of the issues of our planet and society that we face today. But doing so using a variety of new technologies: virtual production, VFX, generative AI, and complete CGI sequences. The leveraging of these technologies opens the doors to much larger storytelling and working to tell those stories with authenticity and resonance is my prerogative.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Though now living in Orange County, my hometown is quite different from most. I grew up on a farm on the outskirts of a town of only eight thousand people. So naturally, I would first highlight its unique beauty to anyone I bring. An adventure around the farm on any number of off-road vehicles would be the first activity, one so freeing from the normal constraints of urban living. Given good weather, camping one night in our woods would be the next step into the natural surroundings, accompanied by dinner straight from our fields and my grandmother’s garden. Once we stepped out of my actual home, a drive up to the lookout of the nearest mountain would contextualize this small world, followed by a downtown visit to the main pizza joint and historic theater. The following days would be filled with drives down the country road to my favorite cafe with a contemporary menu, however, every bit of it is grown and made within a few miles. The afternoons filled with hikes overlooking the town and swims in the local lakes and spring-fed swim holes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
While there are numerous people to thank for their help and care which has benefitted me, even in just the last year, my parents and uncle, Jamie, are to thank for supporting me in this world from the very beginning. I feel so fortunate to have been raised in an environment where any and all interests were allowed and supported. As a kid I explored numerous hobbies and interests that led me to want to pursue film and had my parents not always catered to that freedom, I would never be where I am today. Even to this day, whenever I’m shooting something and they’re around they always go above and beyond to help and out and are always passionate about discussing with me projects I’m looking forward to or submerged in the middle of. Additionally, my uncle has always been there for me and pushing my creative ambitions in any way he can. Often going well out of his way to enable me to explore and learn about filmmaking, ever since I’ve expressed interest in it. While many kids are steered away from creative industries due to their difficulty, he always made it clear to me that it wasn’t a far-fetched dream that was out of reach but rather a real career that people pursued and succeeded in and a passion worth fueling.

Website: https://www.rowdystephens.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.rowdy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowdystephens

Other: https://vimeo.com/user184126548

Image Credits
Ana Matei