Meet Nigel Dick of Dickfilms in Golden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nigel Dick.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Nigel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was trained as an architect and, when I couldn’t find work, followed my love of music into the record business in London for nine years, starting out at Punk / New Wave label Stiff Records, and then graduating to a major label which was the ‘Gram’ part of Polygram. By the mid 80’s I was producing and commissioning music videos and had started directing and was subsequently persuaded to move to Los Angeles to start directing full time. I worked hard and got lucky and now have shot over 700 productions in 28 countries working with Britney Spears, Guns N’ Roses, Nickelback, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Elton John, Oasis, Cher amongst others. As the business has changed I now also shoot and edit all my films and,with all the experience I have, I now also lecture about film and all the different levels of production.

Has it been a smooth road?
No. I’m always asked by young film-makers “What’s the best advice you can give me?” And I respond, “Show up.” I mean this both literally and figuratively. If call time is 5 am, be there at 4.45am – even if you’ve had no sleep the night before because you’re dealing with ten hours of jet-lag. If your client is aggressive, abusive and indecisive – deal with it. If the storyboards show blue skies and sunshine and you’re blessed with a thunderstorm, don’t back-light the rain. If one of your artists gets arrested overnight, put on his hat, take his place and direct while you’re filling in for him. If your producer tells you that no such location exists spend your day off walking the streets till you find it. These may all sound like fictional scenarios but they’ve all happened to me. Tantrums won’t get you anywhere, but taking a deep breath and finding a solution while the mud hits the fan gets you a long way. I’m happy to say that the above examples are not the norm and I’ve been blessed to work with many clients who’ve come back and hired me time and time again. Having clients like that is the best sign you’re doing something right.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m in a gun-for-hire business and you never know what you’ll be asked to do next…or where. At the large end I’ve shot the Hollywood bowl with ten cameras, a helicopter and 120 people on my crew – at the other end I’ve shot for a week in Indonesia entirely on my own, lugging all my own gear. Whatever the situation calls for you have to go all in – I do my level best to make it happen – unless it’s sky-diving or swimming with sharks – though I have rolled camera while bungy-jumping off a 200 metre high pylon in France. What I’m known for is shooting music, commercials, bike races and dealing with stars and difficult situations. I’ve worked with graceful Oscar winners and also prima donnas and drunks who could hardly stand-up. Making film is sometimes like going to war but, as a producer I worked with used to say when things got difficult, “If we’re going to laugh about this later, we might as well laugh about it now!”

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Denver is good for starting out – and also good for later on when you’ve gained a lot of experience but, sadly, there’s a lot to be said for moving to a film center like Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto or New York where there’s a shoot happening somewhere in town every day and you can get lots of experience. However, there’s stunning scenery in this area from the mountains in the West to the flats East of the city and with the sport, lifestyle and business work here there’s lots of potential for growth. Earlier this year I shot for two days down in Victor and the local people could not have been more helpful and friendly and the work turned out great. Also Denver airport is excellent  (much less stressful than LA for example) and I’ve flown from here to do work in Denmark, Germany, Iceland and the UK without any problems.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nigeldick.com
• Email: nigel@nigeldick.com
• Instagram: @dickfilm

 
Image Credit:
Black and white shot with hands in front of my face and also shot of me with camera please credit Erick Anderson.
Tour De France picture (Garmin car) credit Bonnie Ford.
Chad Kroeger pic by Russ Swanson.
Thank-you. All other pictures are from my own collection.

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