Profile Series:
Danny Firpo
"Never stop learning."
Danny Firpo
Role: Creative Technologist
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Fifth Element (1997)
Directed by Luc Besson
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
How did you first get into filmmaking?
Both of my parents are independent filmmakers, so my brother and I were practically raised on film sets. But even without being raised around film, the narrative and transformational quality of film, and the moving image in general, has always attracted me. The ability to create immersive worlds, characters and stories is not unique to film, but it's the medium that has done it best.
I will always want to be part of the community that creates artificial realities, explores moments the human experience that can be difficult to express, engaging the senses, and developing meaning - it's the closest thing to magic that exists in this world.
"The narrative and transformational quality of film, and the moving image in general has always attracted me."
What is your favorite on-set story?
Working with the people you love is a special gift, and being able to work with my brother on a fashion film for Suitcase magazine is still one of my favorite and proudest moments on-set. We had just wrapped up 2 days of back to back 16 hour days, bringing projection mapping to Battery Spencer in San Francisco.
Battery Spencer is one of the most iconic places in San Francisco, with one of the most majestic views of the city. We had just wrapped at about 5 in the morning, and the sun was just coming up. Everyone was exhausted, but watching the sunrise gave everyone a moment to reflect on what we just did, and it's still one of my favorite projects that I've worked on.
"Feeling like we're part of something bigger than ourselves is a universal human quality."
The heart of the Film Pin Society is community and camaraderie. Can you talk a little about that?
One of the things that I love about film is its ability to focus a group of people on a singular task. Honestly, I'm extremely cynical about being and society in general, but when on-set, that cynicism is temporarily suspended.
Feeling like we're part of something bigger than ourselves is a universal human quality, it's what allowed us to build the society we have today, and nothing brings me closer to that feeling than being on-set with a team of talented and intelligent people with a common goal.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone looking into going into your field?
Never stop learning.
What pin from our collection speaks to you and why?
One of my earliest memories is playing with the SMPTE slate that my mom had. The sound of the slate clapping means a lot to me personally, but it's also the sound that you hear right before the scene begins, it has a tribal, ritualistic quality that brings every person on set together for that brief moment.
