Shoot,
direct,
cut.
I’m Max. Most people call me a cameraman, editor or videographer. All of that is true, but none of it is the whole story.
Often I come up with the concept or help shape it, fly the drone, move lights like a gaffer, and then put the whole thing together in the edit. One title does not really cover that, so I call myself an allround creative.
Film was there early. When my parents filmed me as a small kid, I was far more interested in what was happening behind the camera than in front of it. That curiosity never went away.
In 2017 I made the call. I stopped organising events and went all in on video. But how do you do that from nothing, without a finished media degree? With a small portfolio and a healthy dose of nerve, I applied to a hospitality group on Aruba who were looking for a videographer. From that moment it moved fast. When National Geographic needed a Dutch camera journalist on Aruba, I was there. That is where I learned how a big programme gets made, and above all how you tell a story.
Back in the Netherlands I started freelancing for all kinds of production houses, and I still do, with a lot of pleasure. I like variety: a commercial one day, a documentary or a quick social the next. That switching is what keeps me sharp, and what makes me good across very different productions.
For me a good video does not start with the camera, but with a question: what should the viewer feel? Only after that do I choose the light, the movement and the frame. A beautiful shot is nice, but a shot that tells you something is better. I use light to build a mood, not just to make things visible.
And often the strongest moment is the one nobody planned. A laugh between two takes, a glance, light that happens to fall the right way. That is where I like to keep my camera pointed.
Because I know every side of a production, from the first idea to the last round of feedback, I already know on set how something is going to work in the edit. That saves time, and it makes the result better.