Director ShaBiron Shockley uses SmallHD's Indie 7 to take more control on-set

ShaBiron S. Shockley is a Director and Screenwriter based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ShaBiron has been known for his projects with his own company, Shockley Films, but has recently transitioned into the role as the Creative Producer for Seven Knots Films.

Here he details how he started his journey in storytelling and filmmaking as well as how the Indie 7 has affected his life on set.

Growing up I have always been the kid who would see something and could write a story about it. My mind would create a beginning, middle and end. Storytelling and writing came naturally to me and the love for it continues to grow everyday.

Directing is something that I had to learn the hard way from making tons of projects, watching others do it. Asking a million questions, making 2 million mistakes (or learning lessons) which is what I like to call them. Film is just something I love and I'm enjoying this journey of becoming the best storyteller I can be. I'm grateful for my career and I have the best support system/family at home that makes my life so much easier and all these long nights worth it. I'm also very grateful for everyone who is a part of my journey. It truly takes a village and means everything to me for all the support.

The Indie 7 fits into my workflow by being a versatile monitor. The option to be an onboard monitor doesn't only give you a viewing capability, it can control cameras completely with a couple simple wires. This monitor can also act as an off camera viewing monitor and can be modified to be completely wireless as a director's monitor. This is why the Indie 7 is one of my favorite monitor's I've used and why it lives on every one of my sets.

My favorite feature is being able to use camera control with my RED® Gemini 5K.

What I love about the RED Camera Control feature on my Indie 7 is how familiar the monitor feels. Being able to completely control the camera from my onboard monitor saves me so much time. The RED settings and menus can sometimes be a lot to look through but SmallHD camera control makes searching through the menus a breeze. One of my favorite things is now I can use a monitor I'm comfortable with and put it on any camera system and it works the same. I can't do that with the onboard RED monitor.

Creative Solutions products are essential on every set for me, it just makes my job easier. On almost every set, whether I'm shooting myself or directing, there's always a Teradek Bolt sending a signal to a monitor for my AC or Client. 90% of the time there is always a Wooden Camera mattebox for ND's or Filtration depending on what the story and look calls for. When using products I'm looking for something that could get my job done efficiently and professionally and CS Products check those boxes. Another big reason why I love Creative Solutions products and why they're on every one of my sets is they're user friendly and it doesn't take a technician to work them.