Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Coqmard
Hi Marc, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in Miami, Fl to Haitian immigrant parents. Shoutout to all my Haitians !
Growing up in South Florida led to seeing a lot of different range of cultures, and lifestyles. Between Miami and just the music, fashion, video games, shows, books, and movies, I was seeing as a kid really shaped my taste to what I produce visually now and how its curated with a certain level of intricacies. Some of my favorite specific inspirations would include Kanye West, Mirror’s Edge, and even films like a Transformers really pulled me into cinema as a kid to name a few.
My visuals really started because my friend Eliakim Pierre started a clothing brand called Grimace Art Projects in high school about 2018 and I was just helping him in anyway possible whether it be creatively or logistically. Still being that young, we were pretty inexperienced , but tried best with resources at the time and letting ideas push forward. Fast forward to Covid, having all that time during the pandemic this pushed me to wanna start my own creative journey and then I started thinking about clothing designs then how I wanted them to be seen visually leading into a 35mm film rabbit hole where then got into the hot pursuit of needing to get my hands on a camera and some film. I bought my first camera at a pawn shop for $8 dollars, shot one roll and then it broke. Back to square one, Eliakim was able to get me a Nikon N90s from another photographer, Devin whom also broke down the basics of photography for me between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture (shoutout Devin for that one – I was boutta crash out with the way those rolls were coming out). Equipped with this new knowledge , it pushed me to go shoot anything that caught my eye or that I could see an image in my head then execute that idea in real life.
This pushed me forward from simpler run and gun photoshoots to more com[plex shoots that would take weeks to coordinate amongst people. Some of my favorite earlier projects were Bratz and High Risk Behaviors that I did when first started then it also coincided with shooting for different brands such Grimace Art Projects, Alchemist, and the Filthy Project to name a few. Now I have just been working through film/ digital photography, video projects especially music videos , and visual effects to push the boundaries of what I am doing and how far can I breakdown an idea then into actual execution. My friends and I are also curating events throughout Miami and intersecting the different artists and communities (@Burgundy.XYZ on IG). Still could not have done it without my friends that helped me with various projects so shoutout to my family, Akeem, Hazel, Bryson, Doug, Jerry and all the other homies that ever propelled my idea forward, assisted , modeled , or did anything for one my projects.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but at the same time its a journey so I had to be resourceful and be able to adapt to any situation cause when you are planning a project or on set something is always bound to happen. The biggest struggles I probably had as of late is really just among sure to not let anything get really in between me and actually creating the art. Between life obligations, school, and work, there are only 24 hours in a day dealing with all that other stuff can lead to me feeling burnt and not wanting to work on my own projects this can turn into a cycle if I allow it. So balancing even commission work with my personal work, and making sure i set time aside to make sure I am focusing on my own creativity and execute all these ideas I have because I don’t want them to just die without ever being expanded upon and executed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
On a technical side, I am a director between both still photography and video (music videos, commercial , aiming to get into narrative). I would say I am a jack of all trades type where I can shift from film/ digital photography, video, mixed media and editing as well. I would say I specialize within the realm of 35mm photography though that is my bread and butter; I feel like me and that Nikon N90s could take over the world.
I believe people know my work really for my film photography, mixed media animation, and quick-cut Hi8 camcorder edits. Mixed media animation is definitely some of my favorite works to create cause the result is insane even though is it is super tedious and messy- you can manipulate each frame to take the visual to insane places.
I am most proud of just my overall creative process and ability to bring a team together. Leading those individuals to lean into their strengths and how I can push them to be outside of their zone. An actual project that I proud of is this recent Super 8 film I shot in NYC, this music video I just shot for my friend, and this collaboration shirt that Akeem and I released in August displaying imagery from my coverage of A$AP Rocky’s set of Rolling Loud Miami ’23.
I believe focusing on making sure that my project has a touch of innovation to it – it does not have to be some grand new idea, but how do I add some type of spice to it that still remains authenticate to whatever the idea is whether personal or commission. I think the core things that set me apart is that my ego is in the backseat when working on projects because I understand that it is the project before anything else. I focus on creating atmosphere that fun yet efficient when on set as well because all that being up tight and strict on set is not even who I am so think people enjoy working with me which is a key to a making a unit and producing a great end product.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
– Self Care is Key to life
– Can’t control everything
– You have to be able to pivot and adapt to the situation.
– Don’t wait for resources but start with what you have.
– You need money to make anything happen( what i said above still counts)
– Taking time to be in solitude is key to understanding yourself and how you operate in relation to everyone and everything around you.
-Nobody knows what’s best for you besides you and only you can speak up for yourself.
-Going on adventures and just getting lost in exploring.
-Youtube University.
-Having a skillset is key
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marccoqmard.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marccoqmard/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@reconstructvisualartslab
Image Credits
Christopher Lazo Ortiz for Grimace Art Projects ,
Bratz
Nataly
Yara
Sophia
Luanna
Mo for The Filthy project
Kailee Guzman for Wesley Brady
Untitled
Saulo Ramirez for Grimace Art Projects
A$AP Rocky Rolling Loud ’23
Coach Joe
