OUGD502 - SB01 - Chris McClean

OUGD502

SB01

An Interview with Chris McClean

Chris McClean is a photographer, Graphic designer and director. He specialises in short films based around the sea. He also works on the surf magazine Backwash, an independent surf anthology magazine that plants a tree for every sing copy sold. 

This was our interview.


Can you explain what you do in a sentence?
I'm a filmmaker and photographer. 

Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?
I studied landscape design and went down that route for a while before retraining as a graphic designer at the Anglia Polytechnic University in Cambridge I took a role as a junior designer at a small agency in Cambridge before applying and moving to O'Neill's HQ in Amsterdam. 

What have been your highlights since starting out?
I guess the highlights so far have been winning a D&AD as a student and having a film commissioned by Channel4

How would you describe your role at Backwash?
At Backwash I'm the Creative Director, I'm one of the founders and contribute on all levels from designing the magazine, commissioning content to planting the trees we plant for every issue sold.

Where do you gather inspiration?
Inspiration comes from lots of different places, but the one constant in which I've always drawn inspiration from is music, be it film scores or something obscure such as turn of the century Russian bell music.

Do you have any advice for students or recent graduates?
I think looking back it's easy to think the world is against you, but those frustrations just need channeling into positive energy. That might might meant you stay up all night screen printing or in the dark room but the more experience and experimenting you do all add up and feed into more ideas which you never know where they will lead you, and never think you can't do something, if you want it hard enough it will happen.

What would you like to achieve in 2018?

My biggest gripe with life is finding a good balance, family, work and personal projects… I always seem to be teetering on the edge of abyss, I'll like to find that balance.