Chris Boyes

How did you get into film? What particularly attracted you to become part of this industry?

Well, I’d like the answer to this to be somewhat romantic, but it’s not.

I was a horribly lazy student who scraped through university in London with the most mediocre of success. I loved the outdoors and the sea and the mountains and disliked everything that had anything to do with the word’s office or job. After a year or so of aimless travelling, delivering yachts and finding my inner ‚whatever‘ on the beaches of the Caribbean, I had this niggly feeling I should think about my future… so I bought a 35mm still’s camera and joined a rather dubious conservation project in Cuba as an unpaid photographer.

After they stole all my slides, I decided they must have been ok, and I knew then I was going to be a wildlife cameraman and hang out with David Attenborough.

Well, I did meet David a few times and he is as charming as you think, however after a great deal of persuasion at the BBC my first job was in 1999 carrying heavy bags in the heat of the African sun as a camera assistant for the Natural History Unit. On the next trip I was 2nd Unit cameraman with my own ARRI SR2 super 16mm film camera.

What distinguishes Tirol as film region for you?

It’s just the best office anyone could ever hope for. The sea could be a bit closer but I’m certainly not complaining.

We are curious: Tell us your favourite location in Tirol!

As miserable as this may sound my favourite place is everywhere where everybody else isn’t. I do have a special connection with the Wipptal’s side valleys Vals, Schmirn and especially the Gschnitz, where I spent my first months ever in Austria monitoring the behaviour of mountain badgers at night, which is of course a completely normal thing to do.

And now: The stage is yours! Please introduce yourselves and your cinematic field of activity.

Well, if you’ve got this far, I guess you’re going to read this to the end…

I still work as a DP on the ground but my big passion is Aerial Cinematography. With partner & friend Peter Rösner at 5kdigitalfilm we offer specialized aerial filming for feature and commercial film production.

I still believe after more than 20 years in the film business that creating moving images is one of the most privileged jobs there is. I have been lucky enough to witness some of the most wonderful humbling moments in some of the most unbelievable corners of our planet, while doing something I love. Why wouldn’t you be passionate about it?

I still don’t mind getting up at dawn or even forfeiting my breakfast for it…

Aerial Showreel:

Contact:

5kdigitalfilm
Chris Boyes
Speckbacherstrasse 2
6020 Innsbruck
Mob.: +43 699 11305123
Mail: chris@5kdigitalfilm.com
www.5kdigitalfilm.com
www.aerial-footage.com