Cinematographer Sean Taylor on Why He Started a Video Production Business

What is the first movie you remember seeing in a movie theater? For Philadelphia based videographer and editor Sean Taylor, Superman rings the bell. “I never forgot the scene when baby girl fell over the GIGANTIC waterfall and Superman saved her,” he says. Ever since those early days of visits to the cinema with his dad, Sean has worked on several short films as a director, camera operator, sound mixer and producer throughout his 20+ year career as a production specialist. 

Originally from Connecticut, Sean prides himself on exercising professionalism and creativity to produce quality content in high pressure environments while honing his craft at major companies including ESPN, ABC News and NASCAR. “I know how it feels to go live with no room for error,” adds this Janet Jackson fan who watches Kung Fu movies when he needs a pick-me-up. 

Unable to find another job after being laid off in the summer of 2013, Sean created Visual Jedi, a video production service that gives him the opportunity to work on films, music videos, commercials and corporate videos for a wide range of clients. “I never wanted to feel like the rug was pulled from under my feet again!” says Sean.  

Despite having challenges finding good people to hire, he always wanted to work in a professional production house that allowed him to work on many different projects and meet people from all walks of life. Sean cites Catch Me If You Can, the crime drama about a skilled forger who passes as a doctor, lawyer and pilot while being chased by an obsessed FBI agent, as a movie that would help you understand his experiences as a business owner. 

“I feel like it's me alone against the world,” he says while adding that this film -- starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken – has the best lessons that can be applied to running a small business. “If you don't believe in yourself...no one else will.”

Sean travels to many cities such as Miami, Florida and Memphis, Tennessee, using Visual Jedi’s production services to help people achieve their dreams from concept to completion. 

Within the last year, he’s also brought his love for the art of storytelling to the Short Film Slam’s 2020-2021 season as our new jury president.  

He attributes his long career to a natural ability to produce content out of thin air, being tech savvy and “keeping up to date with today's technology and software in a never-ending changing world.”

In the meantime, he’s enjoying watching films with a good plot and training the next generation of video professionals while looking to add more 4K cameras to his production arsenal. 

Short Film Slam is on with Zombie Apocalypse, Soldiers in Turmoil and Wild Zoom Meetings

16 year-old Mia Tretta was shot when her classmate opened fire at Saugus High School in 2019, killing two of her friends. Just when Mia's life was returning to normal, the first wave of Los Angeles County's COVID-19 lockdown brought on intense isolation. During the summer, a creative family project helped channel Mia's energy into honing her skills as a film actress. 

Two young siblings must take care of their dangerously ill parent and protect each other from the outside world during a pandemic in "Day 14."She currently stars in Day 14, a short film centered around the strength of family during dark and uncertain times. Two young siblings must take care of their dangerously ill parent and protect each other from the outside world during a pandemic in this zombie apocalypse movie directed by Sean Tretta (Mayans M.C.; 12 Monkeys).

Day 14 is now showing in our virtual screening room alongside one dozen short films including In Your Arms Tonight, a University of Texas drama about a young maid who contemplates her future after having an affair with her rich employer.

From a deputy in a small town on the hunt for a missing child in the thriller Sidewinder, to an Iranian drama about a soldier caught in a dilemma between ethics and duty, Round III of The Madlab Post's Short Film Slam features multicultural perspectives on several themes including parenting, family drama, self-identity and the complexities of war, crime and punishment, and John Gray's (CBS' Ghost Whisperer) dark comedy about a Zoom meeting that goes off the rails.

Visit tix.madlabpost.com for a virtual screening ticket to see all these short films and cast your vote for your favorite among our eclectic mix of live action, thriller, animation and star studded comedy from several countries including U.S., Canada, Nepal, UK, India and more!

Introducing The William Penn Project, A Home Movie Day Exhibit

To mark the World Day of Audiovisual Heritage, as part of of American Archives Month, I'm here to announce The William Penn Project, my Home Movie Day exhibit sponsored by the Leeway Foundation. Featuring home videos that document traditions, triumphs and tribulations that make up the cultural heritage of what began as a state-of-the-art educational facility in Yorktown, this project will be on view through March 31, 2021 at The Madlab Post studio in Philadelphia's historic BOK building. 

Come see exclusive, never before seen digital and VHS video footage, 35mm film photographs, mementos and firsthand accounts illustrating the promise, carefully orchestrated negligence, and destruction of student life at William Penn High School on North Broad street from the 1990s through 2009.

As a former member of the Coalition for the Revitalization of William Penn High School, who testified in favor of redevelopment of the building -- before the School Reform Commission and then superintendent Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman -- I am appalled that the City of Philadelphia abandoned this school building and the students it served; only to later profit from it's demolition to make way for Temple University's athletics field expansion, using 9 acres of land formerly occupied by William Penn High School.

In this modern age of short attention spans and digital obsolescence, this Home Movie Day exhibit aims to teach Philadelphia residents why media preservation is a vital way to document our history, culture and lived experiences.

Through the memory of a school that was once a valuable educational resource for African-American children, I also want local parents, teachers and the "leaders" of this city, to understand how their actions, ignorance and/or negligent behavior toward the condition of William Penn High School contributed to the demise of access to quality education for African-American children in North Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

Tours of The William Penn Project are Free. At this time, all visitors must register online in advance for timed entry to see the exhibit. For more information or to register for this exhibit, send your request here.