Michael Aaron

When I was a kid, I used to draw spaceships engaged in dogfights over the heads of my family in the photo albums. Then I would build model kits and close one eye (the open one being the lens), and fly them past me in movie-like angles. My friends and I used to build prop guns and convert our forts in the backyard into space shuttles and various cockpits. After “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” I was obsessed with all things special effects. The one thing missing was the ability to try those passions out on film; it was simply too expensive a hobby and the equipment to do it was unattainable to me. As I entered my teens, the music bug bit me and I decided to follow that to the Berklee College of Music. I became a singer/songwriter.

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Then came digital cameras and computers. Suddenly, things that I’d always wanted try were becoming affordable. I bought a Sony Camcorder in 2000 and as soon as I got home, I set it up and did a classic split-screen shot of me and me on the couch talking to each other. Then came lightsabers and laser beams and transporters effects a la “Star Trek.” After that I began shooting my Tae Kwon Do school’s Demo Team performing martial arts kicks and forms in glorious slow motion. Opening credit sequences were made for movies that didn’t exist. I was itching for a real project to sink my teeth into.

I began Shibboleth Pictures informally in 2002, after completing my first music video for the group All About Buford. They were willing to let me put on the Director’s hat and have a go at it. We tried a little of everything: variable speeds, special effects, location shooting, and a lot of compositing using do-it-yourself bluescreens painted in a basement. Lighting was nothing but halogen work lights from a hardware store. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun too. Compositing got me hooked. That video led to a fairly steady stream of others – mostly musicians and music videos, all done with a “make it look good for as little as possible” mentality. Since then the equipment has improved, the skills are more refined, and the scope has expanded to include photography into the available services. I’ve done live concerts, comedy troupes, and graphic design. No matter what the project, I try to keep things as fresh and fun as that first one was. Visit my website.