Dennis Grishnin Shows off Cinematography Skills on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
When Dennis Grishnin purchased his first video camera in his early twenties, he was just looking for a hobby. He was curious about how cameras work and willing to try something new, thinking it could be fun to shoot some things in his daily life. However, this hobby slowly turned into a passion he could not shake.
“I was keen to learn everything I could about image making and how to help tell stories. I think a part of me was always interested in this, even if I wasn’t consciously aware of it at the time. All I know is, even at a young age, there was never a time where my eyes weren’t fixated on a screen,” said Grishnin.
That fateful decision to purchase a camera turned into an industry-leading career in cinematography for Grishnin. Known around his home country of Canada for his intricate artistry and innate talent, Grishnin has worked on acclaimed films such as Good Morning, which has been accepted into two renowned film festivals, Blood in the Snow 2021 and the Hamilton Film Festival 2021, viral music videos including Night Lovell’s “Alone”, which has over 15 million views on YouTube, and commercials for major international brands, including Buick’s Encore GX with Olympic Gold Medalist Tessa Virtue.
Grishnin’s work has also been shown on many major North American Television networks. Last year, his talent was broadcast on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! when award-winning musician Tate McRae performed her hit song “slower”.
Grishnin had previously worked with McRae several times, shooting her Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and 2020 VMA performances of her chart-topping song “You Broke Me First” and her music video “r u ok”. The performance however was a change of pace from previous videos, with a more restrained and stripped-down song rather than one with immense build up and energy.
“It was almost ballad-like, opening with nothing but a piano at the beginning of the performance. Then a slow rise-up to the climax of the song that subtly releases the tension that had been building throughout. This complemented our creative very well, as we didn’t go so much for flash and pop, but more so a tasteful depiction of Tate’s evolution as an artist, symbolized by the ascension of the glowing rings above her,” said Grishnin.
This performance video involved a set of large rings that elaborately light up in a variety of ways throughout the show. With all of the varying design elements involved, it was essential for Grishnin to have an understanding of how all of this would be captured on camera. He studied the ring sizes and movements to understand just how to capture every shot. He also had to make recommendations to the lighting designer’s layout on where certain lights would play based on McRae’s movement, especially during her long walk to and from the ring world. This meant ensuring that the levels on camera would complement one another in color and contrast, as well as keeping the background fully black.
“It was a fun process witnessing how all of the visual elements would come together. The director had built a miniature model of the ring tunnel, which gave us a great reference to figure out how our lighting could play across each ring. This was one of the most design heavy projects I had undertaken at the time regarding lighting,” Grishnin described. “It was also a fun challenge to see how we could establish Tate in one space, only to break the illusion and reveal to the audience that she would be leaving her room and making her way to our ring world. Cohesion across all departments was paramount for this creative. It was vital that every crew member, in their respective role, understood how each section would be filmed. It was amazing to see them all come together in a collaborative effort.”
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance aired on March 30th, 2021, and was then uploaded to YouTube where it has over a million views. For Grishnin, who played such a large role in the project’s success, the reception the video has received is just incredible.
“I’m still being asked about it after all this time, which is always a good thing I suppose. To have it go live on ABC via Jimmy Kimmel’s show was all the more exciting, and knowing that millions of people had watched it live when it aired, what more could you ask for. It played really well with Tate’s fanbase too, as the opening scene was an ode to her early days where she would perform her music in her own bedroom where she grew up. Showing her audience the full circle moment of her growth in just a few short years,” he said.
Be sure to watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance to see Grishnin’s hard work.
