A couple years ago, I got a random e-mail that said Roy Wagner, ASC would be revealing the placings for a photo contest he had judged for Student Filmmakers Magazine. I was available so I tuned in. Roy gave his picks and at the end of the webinar, he stated there were far too many filmmakers who had come to Hollywood to become “Hollywood filmmakers”. He said everybody in town thought too much alike and was making the same types of films as everyone else there. Of course you don’t have to take Roy’s word for it. Audiences have seen Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy take place before their own eyes. Roy went on to say that what the world needed was for filmmakers to rise up from all over the world and create cinema informed by their own unique perspectives and background.
After leaving film school at Scottsdale Community College, I never planned to move to Los Angeles like many of my classmates. I had always planned to stay in Arizona and work as a director of photography, director and editor on films, music videos and commercials here. Now as Hollywood has crumbled and the industry is in shambles (production jobs are down 40% since 2019) it turns out my decision was prescient. I’m proud to be an independent filmmaker in Arizona, free to bring my own perspective that is not influenced or controlled, whether consciously or sub-consciously, by the Hollywood groupthink system. And this year I got to work on the best, most numerous and most profitable projects in my career to date.
by Jason Ryan
January
I had no work in the first month of the year, so here’s a black and white 35mm film photo I took of Jerome’s Holy Family Catholic Church looking up County Road.
February
You know what? I lied about January. I had a one-day shoot of a branded cinematic short film for Bajaribba Tequila in the middle of the month. After taking the footage back to the edit bay, the director decided to add to the story so we did another shoot day in mid-February.
We shot with horses, motorcycles, a Rolls Royce with suicide doors, a gang of fun actors and even on a yacht while sailing the most scenic lake in all of Arizona, Canyon Lake.
I want to give a big thanks to Director Chaz Lee and Rico Austin for bringing me on this project to direct photography, as well as my crew Joe Becker and Mike Hamilton and our BTS photographer Steven Fellheimer for their great help. Also thanks to Rico and Chaz for holding a killer wrap party and for gifting me multiple bottles of their incredible reposado!
You can learn more about Bajaribba’s excellent tequila at https://bajarriba.com/
Here’s the short film:
March
On March 20th, A RAD Documentary premiered along with a screening of the 1986 BMX movie RAD. The films screened as a double feature on 700 screens across North America. It came in #5 overall at the N. American box office and was #1 on the per-screen average – an incredible feat as it was up against multiple major studio films.
Jose Yanez (the subject of our film The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down, going into production in spring of 2026) and his backflip were talked about in A RAD Documentary for over 7 minutes! There was virtually no BTS footage or photos of Jose during that section, and Jose was not interviewed for the documentary himself. But that’s great news for our film proving a ravenous audience for RAD and all things RAD related. The Producers already have plenty of interview footage with Jose talking about his experience as a stuntman on RAD, working for one of the most famous stuntmen and stunt coordinators of all time, Hal Needham, who directed RAD.
Last year I was invited by Larry Altherr, owner of the Jerome Grand Hotel, to exhibit prints of my photographs in Jerome’s most famous hostelry. I was happy to do so and in mid-March I finally I hung my first prints on the main floor which connects to the Asylum Restaurant.
It’s an honor to have my prints hang among the 1908 timeclock miners used to punch in/out of work, a jukebox from 1928, and a pair of records given by Thomas Edison himself to Henry Ford. And within 2 weeks one of my canvas prints sold!
Next time you’re in Jerome, make sure to swing by the Jerome Grand Hotel and peep my work!
June
I had the pleasure of attending Cine Gear LA as I have done for the last 3 years, this time on the Universal Studios lot. I was lucky enough to find Mark Irwin, ASC, CSC and the aforementioned Roy Wagner, ASC at the American Society of Cinematographers booth at the same time. I had been corresponding with Roy and Mark since meeting them through the Student Filmmakers Magazine Winter Photo Contest, which they judged (Roy in 2023, Mark in 2024). I bought Roy’s book at the booth and enjoyed it thoroughly in the ensuing weeks. I even went back and watched some of Roy’s earlier feature film work, Witchboard and Return to Horror High.
Later in the month I was talking with a relatively novice filmmaker about my documentary The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down, and he told me he didn’t think docs should have great cinematography. His reasoning was that when the cinematography looks too good, it comes off as inauthentic. I heartily disagreed, except in the case of shooting a war doc or some kind of hardcore journalism-style doc.
I also believe cinematographers Adam Beckman and Nathan Ray Salter would disagree, both who shot Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain. Those interviews had the most stunning cinematography I’ve ever seen in documentaries. And this filmmaker should mention his opinion to Buddy Squires, ASC, whose excellent lighting for interviews in Ken Burn’s Country Music and many other docs has been seen by hundreds of millions of people all over this country and the world. I’d be interested to get Buddy’s take on this subject.
In late spring we completed principal photography on a new documentary, Models on the Move: Men in Modeling. The trend over the last many years to step up the quality of cinematography in documentaries has been very inspiring to me, and motivated me to shoot any documentary on whch I direct photography to the best of my ability and the budget. And if any doc should look good, it’s a doc about models, right?
Here’s the Official Trailer for Models on the Move: Men in Modeling
Executive Producer: Pamela Young
Director: James Bessinas
DP & Editor: Jason Ryan
July
In July a music video on which I directed photography and co-directed earlier in the year was released. The video was for the song “Ya Dalaak” by Hisham el Hajj. The music video garnered over 1.2 million views in just 11 weeks and is still climbing.
Co-directors: Khuloud Kelly Rabadi & Jason Ryan
Director of Photography: Jason Ryan
AD: Safiya Stephenson-Andrews
Gaffer: Joseph Mbah
Key Grip: Alexander Nunn
G&E Swing: Joe Becker
Set Photographer: Steven Fellheimer
HMU: Moni Barret
Catering and Crafty: Toni Ross & Taylor Cheyenne Roper
Later in the month an article was published about the plans for my documentary The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down in the internationally-renowned Mountain Bike Action, written by legendary BMX, mountain bike, surf and action sports photographer John Ker! Check the article out here:
August
I’ve never created a promo for a music video prior to shooting the full music video before, but KREGG recently hired me to direct, DP and edit a promo for the music video for his killer cover of “The Letter”, originally by The Boxtops. We decided to shoot around Tempe Town Lake, and knowing that EVERYBODY has shot EVERYTHING in that location from engagement photos to music videos to features, I made it my mission to get an original look there.
Thanks to Craig Hanson for bringing Psychicflyingmonkey Productions aboard! Also huge thanks to the cast and crew for their excellent work and for braving the heat, and we’ll get after that full music video shoot soon!
Director/DP/Editor: Jason Ryan
Artist: KREGG
Actress: Katrina Delafonte
SFX Makeup Artist: Rob Cobasky
PA: Ruthie Renteria Hanson
September
Early in the month I attended the first fine art exhibition opening that included a piece I created. My photograph County Road was selected as part of the Portland on the Park Collection Exhibition: Cycle 18. Each exhibition cycle chooses 20 pieces from hundreds of submitted paintings, photography prints and 3D artwork (sculpture, etc.) to be displayed at the Downtown Phoenix luxury condo complex Portland on the Park for a 4 month period. It was shweet to see my work in the largest print I’ve ever had made!
I had many people come up to me and compliment my photo, including other artists and even a judge. It’s hilarious to look back some 23-odd years ago to when I was shooting video of Josh Small fighting with a bum in the shadow of this place (Margaret T. Hance Park) and see how far my career behind the lens has taken me. I’ve been told many times that my photos have a cinematic style to them, and it’s interesting to think how my cinematography has affected my still photography. It seems that my experience shooting films, music videos, TV shows and commercials has given my photography a unique look that sets it apart from work by photographers that only shoot stills.
Thanks to Artlink Phoenix for hosting an excellent opening night! To kick off the exhibition they displayed a slideshow in the lobby while an emcee introduced each artist and their work of art. They had plenty of tasty wine and great food and they made my first fine art show a thoroughly enjoyable experience. And thanks to Taylor Cheyenne Roper for the pic of my lovely fiancee Toni Ross and I kickin’ it with County Road!
On September 10th, Charlie Kirk was brutally assassinated on a Utah college campus. Just 5 days later, Katie Von Kral asked me to shoot her as she painted a portrait of Charlie Kirk. I directed, shot and edited this video of her paying tribute to a great man. It has garnered many thousands of views on her other social media outlets, but I’m posting the YouTube version so you can see it in the original format in which it was shot.
October
I held my workshop “Lighting for Emotion” at the Show Low Film Festival in the middle of the month. I combined a Power Point presentation along with practical examples to demonstrate how I had accomplished certain lighting setups for films I’d shot. The audience was engaged and asked excellent questions during the Q&A portion of the workshop, and I received positive feedback from multiple attendees afterwards.
I want to thank Roman Aguirre for coming up to Show Low early and assisting me in holding “Lighting for Emotion”, as well as SLFF Director Martina Beate Webster for asking me to hold a lighting workshop again this year. Thank you also to Taylor Cheyenne Roper for taking photos during my workshop as well as the audience for their attendance and participation.
If any other film festivals, film schools or filmmaking groups would like me to hold a cinematography workshop, please contact me and we’ll see if we can make it happen!
November
Four of my photo prints were accepted into the September Nights professional photography competition at the Arizona State Fair this year. When I went to pick them up after the fair ended, I was stoked to discover that two of my prints had sold!
My prints are currently on display and available for purchase at the Jerome Heritage Shop and at the Jerome Grand Hotel, both located in the mining-turned-art town of Jerome, Arizona.
I directed photography and co-directed the music video for Coppe Cantrell’s music video for “Wicked” at the beginning of November and spent a big chunk of the month editing it. Big thanks to Alexander Nunn for doing an excellent job as my gaffer/key grip and to Yip Tse for helping out as grip. Also thanks to Coppe Cantrell, Charo Cantrell, Klock Work Entertainment and the cast and crew for doing an excellent job in helping me get so much killer footage in just a 10-hour day.
I was saddened to hear that legendary Tempe musician Kevin Daly passed away from brain cancer just before Thanksgiving. Thankfully I got the chance to talk to him a couple times in the months before he passed.
Kevin was always generous in letting me use his music in my films, and I used quite a bit of it in my BMX videos, short films and more. He granted me permission to use a Grave Danger song in my short film “Johnny’s Good Year” which can be viewed in the Short Films & Trailers section. Another time when I was writing the treatment for the music video for “Fishing for Love”, as soon as I realized I needed a fishing shack as one of my locations in the Phoenix area, I thought of Kevin’s swamp shack in Tempe. He was very accommodating and let me shoot at his house. It was perfect for the music video, which can be viewed in the Music Video section.
Kevin was also super supportive of our Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival. He brought Kevin Daly’s Chicken & Waffles up to the festival many times and they always put on a killer show. Kevin and the band appear in this 2016 festival promo multiple times.
Below is a performance music video I directed for Kevin’s band Grave Danger while I was still attending The Film School at SCC. Kevin’s blistering guitar solos in this vid are perfect representations of his artistry and skill as a musician.
Thank you for your killer music and great support of my art, Kevin. We’ll miss you massively.
December
On a working vacation to St. Petersburg, Florida last week, I was walking downtown with my fiancee and her kids and noticed banners outside the Museum of Fine Art touting an exhibition entitled “Baroque Continuum | Caravaggio and the Caravaggisti Over Time”. I was STOKED! The chance to see Caravaggio’s original works in person don’t come along often, and had not come along for me until that moment because there are only a couple in the U.S., with most residing in Europe.
I first discovered Michaelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio’s work in a humanities class I took at Scottsdale Community College. I was attending SCC’s film school at the time but to round out my education I sojourned to the art school side of the campus to learn the history of art, music and literature from the Renaissance period to modern day. When we came to the Baroque period in our textbook Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Caravaggio’s work was so cinematic and so poignant, with his compositions, his chiaroscuro lighting, and the themes of his work that it drew me in and made me an instant fan. I was so inspired by his work that I decided to make my main production design class project a motion-picture rendering of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus. It was only later I discovered that the Boroque master’s work had inspired and influenced many filmmakers, most notably director Martin Scorcese and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.
A couple days after stumbling upon the existence of the exhibition we went to the museum. Of course we made a beeline for the two original Caravaggio paintings first. There were also many paintings by the Caravaggisti, so named because they were heavily influenced by Caravaggio’s style. The two original Caravaggio paintings were Boy Bitten by a Lizard and Boy Peeling Fruit, the latter being his earliest known painting still in existence. Both are owned by the Fondazione Roberto Longhi.
On my initial examination of Boy Bitten By a Lizard, I was fascinated by the expression on the boy’s visage. On his face and in his twisting body language, the master painter has captured the exact moment when joy at discovering the little reptile has turned to shock and pain. The young lad looks at the viewer like he’s looking at a parent, almost as if to say, in the timeless words of the Pet Shop Boys, “What have I done to deserve this?”. The chiaroscuro lighting perfectly augments the drama of the moment, and the painter almost hides the aggressor in the dark, playing upon our most human fears of the dark and the unknown. There were no brush marks, and upon close examination the artist’s rendering of the boy’s hair is other-worldly. Again with the cinematic comparisons, there was focus fall-off on the parts of the boy’s body furthest from the camera, ahem, I mean viewer.
This was my first time viewing the work of a true master in person, up close, for as long as I wished. I would highly recommend that every filmmaker study the work of master painters, as they were the world’s filmmakers before the invention of film. This exhibition also featured two small etchings by Rembrandt Van Rijn, providing the extra treat of experiencing the work of two masters at once.
Here’s a 35mm film still photo I took during my motion-picture rendering of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus.
Thanks for checking out our 2025 Year End Wrap-Up! If you’re looking for high-quality commercial, music video, documentary, short or feature film production, please don’t hesitate to contact Jason Ryan at Psychicflyingmonkey Productions here.
Because essential liberty is more important than safety, I won’t give you the tired old, “Stay safe”.
Have an outstanding 2026, and stay free.
