With now two significant awards on his resume, Windsor filmmaker, Matt Bendo thinks it might be time to get an agent.
Bendo won for the second year in a row at the Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards in Toronto, again in the category of Best Cinematography for Branded Content.
Filmmaker Matt Bendo with his award from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. (Photo courtesy of Matt Bendo)
"It was a really big surprise especially because I was nominated alongside Kris Belchevski, Daniel Grant, and Gho Iromoto which are three really big cinematographers in Toronto, and three guys who's work I really admire," says Bendo on the phone after his win last Saturday. "I can't really tell you what it's going to do for my career. I'll let you know when some cool stuff starts happening."
Already some "cool stuff" is happening in Bendo's career. He hopes to start work soon on a feature film and recently finished a music video for Toronto artist Sickick.
This year's entry, "Legacy" was produced for a boxing academy in Toronto called Kombat Arts. The moody piece depicts a father and boxer preparing for the next big match.
Photo from "Legacy" courtesy of Matt Bendo.
His entry last year, "Storm", produced for a company that builds exhaust systems for supercars also won.
The University of Windsor graduate's career may be in transition, and he has some advice for young filmmakers just starting out.
"I think it's really, really important to take risks with your art," he advises. "You shouldn't be too, too subtle with the projects that you do and with your style. A lot of people are too safe. They don't want to take risks, but the reason I've been so successful lately is because I have been taking risks, and its been paying off."
"Not so much with who you're working with because I think it's important to be strategic and be smart about that. You might work with the wrong people, and it might be counterproductive," Bendo continues. "I think networking is super, super important too. You have to be a social butterfly. Put yourself in a state where you are very scared, and you are very uncomfortable because then you're going to grow."
As for next year, Bendo is looking ahead and hopes to have a few projects that might be nominated in a few different categories.