19 Apr Spotlighting Benulisfilm
Introducing one of our very own, Benas Skorupskas, but you can call him Ben. He’s one of the insanely talented creatives that works with Project Fez. Ben spent the majority of his early years in a small town in Norway, moving around quite a bit because of his late parents’ work. He relocated permanently to his native country, Lithuania, at the age of 7 and currently lives there.
At just 23 years old, he has already sharpened his skills in video editing and has become well versed in sound design, VFX, mixed media animations, and is currently expanding his expertise in 3D modeling. He’s undoubtedly a natural talent in this field. Ben’s style is informed by his rather scrappy creative process, the art forms and genres of films he enjoys. And you see that reflecting clearly in his very original style of filmmaking and editing. While one may perceive his style as being edgy with a vintage feel, it is better characterized as a “Benulis” film, reflecting his unique creative approach.
Through a Discord channel where Ben shared his edits with people in his field, he met Fez, who was drawn to his distinct style and reached out to learn more about how he achieved a particular image distortion. Ben generously shared his process with Fez, and since then, they have built a tight friendship in addition to a productive working relationship.
In this interview, he shared what it’s like to work with people across the globe, how he got into editing, and much more.
What are you currently watching?
BS: Well, first of all, I am a big movie fan. I saw the movies “Babylon” and “Avatar” recently. They’re so cool. I also watch anime a lot. I am currently seeing one called Fire Force.
How does the type of media you consume influence your creative direction?
BS: Personally, it’s really motivating for me to watch other people in my field, who are better than me, do what they do. Admittedly, it’s a love-hate relationship because as much as I love nerding out by trying to find out what lens they used to get a shot, I also don’t want to imitate other filmmakers. I still want people to see my work and go, “Oh yeah, that’s a Benulis film.”
But I would say, a lot of my inspiration right now comes from these really old, weird sci-fi Japanese films. My favorite one right now is “Electric Dragon 70,000 Volts.” It’s a really good movie if you’re into weird stuff.
‘Music Video for Lil Skar By @Benulisfilm’
What do you think most informs your style?
BS: Right now, I am at a point where I am trying to combine a lot of mediums into one video. So, like something digital from an editing program, a recording on an old cam-corder, something from my camera, and even prints on paper, just combine everything into one package. I also want to be identified by colorful imagery because I love colors and saturating them. Sometimes, I try something, mess it up, and just make it work. I think that’s a good way to describe my style.
How did you get into editing?
BS: Funny enough, it was anime. When my brother and I would get back from school, we’d watch Naruto or Bleach. When I got older and gained access to a computer and the internet, I’d stream Naruto. I found that people made these anime edits to a Linkin’ Park song or something. They were called AMVs, anime music videos. I saw that and was inspired because the approach reimagined the whole fight sequence. That really opened me up to possibilities. Looking back now, all those AMVs are pretty shitty and cringe but then, they were the coolest things ever. That led to me recording videos of myself playing video games then to eventually editing with this really sketchy software, and 11 years later, all those edits are still there! I then moved on to recording and editing music videos with my friends.
What’s that one project you’re most proud of, and why?
BS: To be honest, it’s the one I’m working on right now with Fez. We’ve been working on this crazy video. It’s going to drop soon. But if I had to narrow it down to my personal projects, It’s literally the third post on my Instagram. It’s really special in my heart even though the colors are pretty funky and I wish it was a little bit longer, but the video is filled with my friends and takes me back to a chapter in my life that made for great stories with lots of adventure. It feels great to look back on it, and I am really proud of it. It’s also the video that made me take editing a lot more seriously.
What’s it like working on cross-continent collaborations?
BS: Honestly, if you like the person, it can be the most amazing experience ever. I really like Fez. We get along really well. I think of him as one of my close friends. We’ve known each other for a while and collaborated on a number of videos together. I think we motivate each other. I wish I could meet more people like him abroad. What’s important when collaborating with people abroad is getting a sense of one another and being understanding, if not, it won’t work. For example, Fez opened my eyes to things about his culture, and I let him in on mine and shared laughs about the differences. It’s been really great.
Which aspect of editing is the most challenging and frequently overlooked by clients?
BS: Sometimes it’s really difficult for me to explain certain technicalities to them, like when I’m asked to change the song. There’s this saying, “The song is the edit,” and clients don’t get that. I joke around with my colleagues about how you have to talk to your clients like they are babies by explaining things in the simplest way possible, just so they know exactly what is going to happen and why. And honestly, it’s not fair to think they’d also understand all the technicalities.
Are there any brands or people you’d like to work with in the future?
BS: I want to do a lot more with Fez and with Powerhorse because they are great clients to work with. Getting a deal with Red Bull would also be awesome, especially because I drink it a lot. Working with a food brand, like a pizza place, would also be really interesting, because I’ve never really done anything with food and I love pizza. I also really like the UK music scene and would love to work with artists like Slow Thai and King Krule.
Vainius Skoruspkas
Posted at 12:05h, 19 AprilVery interesting person! Really good interview. Very cool to find out about a cool person like that