Artist Profile: Brent Lambert-Zaffino

Inside The Head of Filmaker Brent Lambert-Zaffino

By Maria Klouda

North Georgias Brent Lambert-Zaffino was always the kid with the camcorder, spending a lot of time playing around with iMovie. Now, Brent is an independent, freelance director and videographer for music videos, short films and corporate videos. However, what originally began as Brents third-grade hobby has recently led to his first feature-length film.

Brents film, The Head, is a dark comedy that addresses the millennial generation, the stereotypes they face, the economy and self-expression. Hes both the writer and the director of the film. Brent enjoyed working with a team of professionals who shared a common objective for the script, which was shot almost entirely in Smyrna, GA. His goal is to release the film this summer, and he has launched a crowdfunding campaign to seek investors for this original, creative project. The Head is currently in the editing process.

Brent watched a lot of movies growing up. His favorite is Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey. When he was a pre-teen, he watched Lord of the Rings with his father and was virtually transported to another world. He was completely invested in the characters and simply accepted the story as it was presented on the big screenimmersed into the fantasy as if it were real.

Brent was lucky to have parents who frequently took him to see movies. He was also encouraged early on by his English teacher, Mr. Turnbaugh (Chicago), who shared his affection for movies. Brent quickly became aware that he wanted to do more than just create films as a hobby. With that realization, he decided to attend Kennesaw State University and pursue a degree in communications, focusing on media and entertainment, with a minor in film studies.

At age 26, Brent continues to develop his voice through film. Hes comfortable with the medium and finds it easier to communicate his message behind the camera. Hes using The Head to tackle challenges faced by millennials. Additionally, Brent recognizes the cultural dichotomy of the south, and it shows in his work. Overall, he finds it interesting and fulfilling to take an idea and make it come to life visually.

Brents advice to other filmmakers is to be willing to find your own way. Realizing there are a million ways to be successful in a video career, artists should follow their gut instinct to build on the craft. He advises, Go where life takes you; never say no; keep rolling with it; dont manipulate the environment. Find your way. From that, moments of artistic (and hopefully financial) success will follow.

As many people already know, Atlanta has become quite the hot bed for film and television productions. Brent is active in the film community, and hes excited to see what lies ahead for the region. He realizes it is a great time to be on the ground floor and that new talent has plenty of opportunity to succeed.

The movie trailer for The Head and more of Brents work can be found on his website, BrentLZFilms.com/. Brent also blogs for ShareGrid Atlanta (Blog.ShareGrid.com).