Hidden Gems: Meet Everett Jones of CineDirektor Films

Today we’d like to introduce you to Everett Jones.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Through the influence of a popular syndicated news magazine show that showed behind the scenes of blockbuster movies, I knew I wanted to become a filmmaker. By the time I was 13, I thought of the idea of buying a $600 video camera. We lived just outside an American Air Force base in England. My dad was in the Air Force.

Video cameras were extremely expensive and popular in the base exchange print catalogue at the time. I went through it with a marker and starred every camera I was interested in and crossed out the ones that I didn’t care to have. I asked my dad for the one that I eventually identified as being mine. He quickly had a suggestion, which was for me to save my money and buy it. Well, I wasn’t working at the time. Actually, I may have been too young to get hired anywhere. It pretty much seemed like I was at a roadblock and wouldn’t have a video camera for the movie ideas I had since I was ten years old in the Philippines at another Air Force base.

The idea came up to start a lawn cutting service since it was a requirement for all yards to be groomed. Again, I didn’t consume my thoughts with who wouldn’t want their grass cut. I only had one chief aim and that was to focus on those that wanted their grass cut for a nominal fee. I quickly deployed by getting on the computer and designing some flyers. I had them on everyone’s door that I wanted to do business with within a few hours. I’ll be honest. Some yards didn’t get my flyer. Those yards looked like they were from hell.

I forgot to mention we didn’t have a gas lawnmower. It was a rusty, dull, manual push lawnmower. I didn’t care though. My chief aim was to have a video camera and film movies. I kept the picture of the camera I wanted in my room.

Let’s just say I earned $300 that summer just cutting grass with a rusty manual lawnmower. However, $600 wasn’t earned on my hoped for timeline. Sometimes our timing desires aren’t met because we aren’t always in control of that. I felt a little discouraged, however, there was another lesson to be learned. My dad reminded me of something called delayed gratification. You may not get something when you want it, but you will still be excited when it finally comes your way. It is just delayed. He was essentially stating that It is better to have it at some point than to not have it at all.

Months and months passed. We were back in school and I put the lawn business to the side. However, I did not spend the $300 earned that Summer. Money discipline at the age of thirteen? Yes. In about the 4th grade, my dad explained that through earning money completing chores, I should buy my own action figures instead of him. I had a choice. Earn chore money and spend it on candy. Or earn money, save and get what I really wanted. This is where the programming of delayed gratification began.

It was Fall and I felt as if I would have to wait until the following Summer to earn the last $300 for the video camera. The base exchange did not charge a sales tax so I was aware of the exact cost. To me, next Summer was like two years away. More like ten years away. I had guessed the camera wouldn’t be mine anytime soon. I doubted myself.

That Christmas, I realized I didn’t get a lot of gifts. A bunch of tiny stocking stuffer type gifts. Got down to my last gift and started the routine unwrapping process. I couldn’t hear anything shaking or baking inside. Sounded air tight. It was my last gift I thought. Time to fill the trash bags with wrapping paper and take the gifts upstairs, I thought. It was routine.

My Pops then handed me a large gift that was unnamed. It was square in shape and had no apparent sound inside. When I tore off several pieces of that shiny wrapping paper and it exposed a glossy baby blue type color, I became more curious. What the heck is this? I thought to myself. I was able to make out in white font CCD-F365PAK. I didn’t recognize it. As the shiny blue paper with patterns of yellow stars fell to the floor, the large square box stood naked. I read in black text SONY Handycam. My dad took my $300 and put another $300 with it to buy the video camera. Delayed gratification was in effect. I was thankful while dancing around the living room. My brother and I immediately unboxed the camera. After plugging in the power cord, we recorded some videos and made some stop motion animations.

The following year, I was hired to film a huge Christmas choir concert at another Air Force base. I’ve been paid to film ever since.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has definitely not been smooth for CineDirektor FILMS, however, I wouldn’t have it any other way. For every bumpy road always came an opportunity that was well worth it.

One of the largest opportunities missed was when we ran a successful Facebook advertisement and we were messaged with opportunity to provide production for a web series and separately called for a TV show pilot. At the time, I knew I could fulfill the role of directing or shooting the projects, however, I didn’t have a team that could support a production schedule consistently for days to weeks. Furthermore, I didn’t quite know where to source studios nor grip and electric equipment for productions of that magnitude.

The producers reached out to CineDirektor FILMS because of the quality of the footage in the advertisement, however, we hadn’t scaled to the level of taking on what we perceived medium to large productions. The opportunities unfortunately for us had to be passed up.

What was learned was our professionalism, campaign strategy and footage quality were in alignment with a decent-sized production house. It was encouraging. Since then, we’ve learned how to source the masterminds that are good at what they do for a win-win situation. That is the key.

As you know, we’re big fans of CineDirektor Films, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Throughout our journey, fifty percent of our work has been covering events or being part of documentary teams where celebrities, influencers or music artists were involved. Have filmed: Daymond John, John Legend, The late Representative John Lewis, NBA Young Boy, DJ Nasty, Common, PJ, Lil Zane, Mardy Price, Ms. Juicy, Sevyn Streeter, YelloPain, Lamar Odom, Final Draft, Steven Key, and Desmond Meade.

With other projects or opportunities, we’ve filmed: Boosie Badazz, the late Kayla Galvin (Golden Poppin), Brandon Vee, Mario Fabbri, DJ Flex, Spoken Reasons, Big Homie Arii, Official NEHS, Hurricane Chris, Ginger Zee, Paula Ferris, Ross Lynch, Rene Martinez, Ruben Saldana, David “D1” Grant Jr, Tara Kasey.

When not filming celebrity/influencer content, we are writing and deploying effective video campaigns for local small businesses with Facebook advertising. If not that, then either acting as Boom Pole Operator for feature films or as Director of Photography on feature films.

I am most proud of directing a music video with Mardy Price featuring Boosie Badazz aired on BET JAMZ.

We also rent our RED Dragon Cinema Camera, Easy Rig and Sigma Cine Lens set (18-35mm and 50-100mm). Recently, we rented our RED kit to a Director of Photography from San Francisco for the SpaceX’s Inspiration4 launch from Kennedy Space Center. He is the same DP for the NETFLIX docuseries Last Dance with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. The camera’s footage can be seen on the Netflix docuseries Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, Episode 5. More specifically, the Control Room and the Dress Tower.

Most of our renters are from LA, NYC, Atlanta and Miami. They are usual in Orlando to work and need industry standard gear. So they rent from us.

What matters most to you?
What matters most is seeing and understanding the vision that is brought to us by a client. When the client wins, we win as a team. Some clients don’t have a vision and that’s where we build a project from the ground up. The client walks away with a sense of now being able to finally be able to compete against their competitors.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@cinedirektor.com and cinedirektor@gmail.com
• Website: www.cinedirektor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinedirektorfilms
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cinedirektorfilms

Image Credits:
Image credits: CineDirektor FILMS, LLC