AFH STUDIO SPOTLIGHT: VIDEO!

Meet the AFH Video Team!

Did you know that AFH has its own in-house Video Studio? While AFH teens have been creating paintings since 1991, the Video Studio is the newest addition to the AFH Studio roster. What began with a single camera, bought with funds from our first-ever commission from Google in 2008, is now a bustling studio, creating videos not only for AFH, but also for new clients like the Boston Landmark Orchestra and the Free For All Concert Fund.

This year, AFH co-founder and original Video Mentor Jason Talbot expanded his horizons to assume the role of Studio Director, and Greg Maxim Burdett, aka MRNVR, has joined the AFH team as Video Mentor, leading our young videographers through the wild world of video shooting, editing, directing, and marketing!

Get to know our talented Video Mentor in the interview below, and check out all of our AFH videos on our special YOUTUBE channel and Facebook page!

Meet our Video Mentor, Greg Maxim Burdett, aka MRNVR!

AFH: Hi Greg! How did you hear about AFH?

GMB: I've known AFH founder Jason Talbot for about 15 years and  founder Rob Gibbs for about 10. We all met though the various trials and tribulations of living in Boston. They've always spoken very highly of the organization and over the years I've gotten to know a number of mentors and participants.     

AFH: What first got you interested in art?

GMB: The thing that initially got me interested in art was comic books, but the thing that really pushed me to pursue a career in the arts was graffiti.  

Nice work, Gabriela!

AFH: Where did you go to school and what did you study?

GMB: I went to the Bunker Hill Community College and eventually to  the Massachusetts College of Art. I went to Bunker Hill because I didn't have any kind of formal portfolio and really wanted to go to art school. After a few years of working full time and taking art classes part time, my portfolio was ready to go, and I got into Mass Art where I received my BFA in Interrelated Media. 

AFH: What's your favorite part about working here?

GMB: Being surrounded by artists! Outside of art school you rarely spend your whole day with other artists. Working at AFH is awesome because every day you have contact with creative people both young and old.

Nate and Carlson make sure they get the right shots!

AFH: Who or what inspires you?

GMB: My friends and my crew inspire me a lot. I'm part of an art collective called Project Super Friends and we always share opportunities and experiences. When one of us succeeds it makes the rest of us work harder... a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, right?

AFH: What do you do when you're not at AFH?

GMB: I watch cartoons, draw, paint murals, curate shows... eat donuts. Outside of AFH, I have a career as an artist and I'm usually working on new pieces for exhibitions or commissioned murals. I also just opened up a gallery space in South Boston so I've got my hands in a lot of pots.  

Sculpture Mentor Andrea Vilanova being captured on film by Gabriela!

Assistant mentor, Amy (front), works on some new projects.

AFH: What is one challenge about Videography that people may not know about?

GMB: Video has a lot of the same challenges as photography, such as light and composition. Additionally, you need to consider time as well as sound. The thing most people don't know about video are all the technical specifications that exist. There are different time codes, pixel aspect ratios, and codecs you have to deal with before completing a project. Did you know that television signals are traditionally interlaced (which means every second line is a section of the next frame) while computer monitors are not? There are a lot of technical considerations when working with video.

AFH: How many teens work in the Video studio with you?

GMB: Right now we have four teens working with me in the studio: Nathan Allen, Carlson Guillet, Gabriela Catagena, and Darius Watford, and two assistant mentors Amy Zahlaway, and Reggie Pinckney Jr. who also attend college. 

Carlson reviews the footage. 

Reggie checks the angles. 

AFH: What can we expect from AFH's Video studio next year?

GMB: You can expect more videos... a lot more videos. 

AFH: Finally, where does your pseudonym, MRNVR come from?

GMB: MRNVR is short for Mister Never. When I was a teenager I started writing Never as my graffiti name. Over the course of my time at Mass Art I gradually drifted away from graffiti and into more of a fine art direction. I suppose Mister Never is the grownup version of Never.   

Editing the footage and making the video come to life!

Want to meet Greg and his team of teen-videographers? Then mark your calendar for our Greatest Gifts on Earth Holiday Sale and Party on Dec. 12th! More info to come! Stay tuned!

AND...Check out the AFH newest Video Reel!