As we get into the New Year, we’re continuing our series of employee features, in order for you to get a closer look at the Motion Source team! This week, we’re interviewing one of our editors and videographers, Andy Hoffman!
Andy has been with Motion Source since 2013, during which time he has been finishing his Master’s of Fine Arts at DePaul University in Cinema. He is currently completing his thesis, a short film entitled “For Sale: Art.” (You can read about Motion Source’s adventures in working on set for “For Sale: Art” here!) Along with working on his film, Andy teaches at DePaul University as an adjunct professor, teaching several different film classes to undergraduate students. He particularly enjoys teaching a class called Foundations of Cinema. “It’s an introductory course for new film students on film theory, encouraging them to see film in a new light. It helps them analyze why you do something in film, or why a particular scene is shot the way it is.”
Since coming to Motion Source, Andy has worked on a variety of different and exciting projects, but he mentions the fun he had working on a video for World Kitchen, which created a spoof of the show “Undercover Bosses.” He also finds working on videos for not-for-profit groups, such as this video for UCAN, to be extremely fulfilling.
When asked what drives him creatively, Andy responded, “For each client, I always try to look at it from their perspective. Some of our clients are often new to film and creating a video, and might not understand how powerful it can be. I find that something I’m good at is taking an idea that can be very big, and honing it down to a two-minute video that encompasses the core message. Whatever I’m working on, I always try to keep the big picture in mind.”
I also questioned him about a few of his favorite films, and got the standard response I get from most of the editors in our office-that it was impossible to choose just a few. “I could maybe give you my top twenty list! But I’ll say this, my taste in films has definitely changed since I’ve spent the last few years studying it and creating it myself.”
As for any quick quirks about Andy, I was informed that according to Hoffman family legend, he is a direct descendant of Lady Godiva, and he also owns a share of a professional sports franchise.
Our very own Andy Hoffman on a shoot out west for National Beef.