Meet Jon Combs | Cinematographer & Head of Production – Honest Films

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Combs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I prioritize my family over production and I think that’s naturally shifted as my family has grown. If I can’t be a present father and husband, then I’m doing it wrong. That focus for me has really shifted in the last 5 years with the birth of our first daughter – that certainly brought perspective on what’s important.

I find my balance in having a fairly strict schedule with being “off” when I’m home. Of course, there are crazy weeks when the workload ramps up, but I want that to be an outlier and not the norm. In my role, I can prioritize our shoot schedules to shoot during the week (when possible) and keep weekends as off-time, and that’s helped bring our family some structure.

It also helps working with others in the industry who prioritize the same balance, both on the production crew side as well as our clients. Don’t get me wrong, when we’re on the job, we’re pouring everything into it, and succeeding on our projects is a huge priority. Working directly with clients, we’ve built rapport and trust which helps keep a solid balance to the workload and expectations.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I got started in the film industry about 15 years ago by making ads for small businesses in my college town – it all started with a local bike shop video. I shot weddings for many years, music videos for friend’s bands, worked with my local church on their content. I worked on anything I could get my hands on and I really found a love for telling real people’s stories.

I love the challenges that the doc-commercial space brings. How do you connect with someone who’s not trained as ‘talent’ for being on camera? How do you set up an environment in production that lends itself to authenticity (even when the scene is set up and scheduled)? How do you schedule a production day with enough space for some magical moments to happen? It’s all a continual learning experience. I’ve found that working with the right director and crew in those moments makes or breaks the projects.

I certainly love my larger production days that we get to bring on all the crew and toys, but there’s something special about going small and bringing more of a raw approach to filmmaking. I’m constantly learning how to hone that in, but I know what drives me is telling real stories that people can connect with.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d take them on a brewery hop in Rino – hitting Ratio, OMF, and some other hits. We’d have to make a stop at Run for the Roses as well for a Negroni or Old Fashioned during the week.

The week would be built around a great concert at Red Rocks, it’s such an iconic venue!

I’d do some trips into smaller towns like Nederland to have some local meals and jump on short hikes, and also make a trip out to Ouray or Telluride area for the scenic experience.

My racing buds would definitely be making the rounds to all the karting tracks – Action Karting in Morrison and IMI in Dacono for starters. Colorado has some great outdoor tracks to ‘bang doors’ on.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m so thankful for my close friend and Director, Riley Hanlon, who partnered with me early in our careers to pour energy into projects together. We grew our skills as a duo-production company, finding our way in the commercial space of film. Riley and I have been through the ringer! From no-budgets to low-budgets, and we learned so much grinding away on countless projects – those are some of my fondest memories and they helped develop my cinematography and production skills. I’m thankful for their trust, kindness, and energy along the way. So shoutout to Riley, one of the most talented Directors I know!

I’ve also got to shoutout the folks on the team at Honest Films – from the Producers to the Post Production team, they’ve all made miracles happen on projects and bring such a passion to their work. It helps drive me to be a better filmmaker and pushes me to pour in as much love into our work.

Website: www.joncombs.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/joncombs

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncombs/

Other: If possible, could I include 2 links for website? www.joncombs.com www.honestfilms.com