About Ion Drift Productions

Ion Drift Productions is an independent production company founded by me, Shane Taylor, in 2016 to showcase my filmmaking work and experience, and to facilitate collaboration on new projects with other filmmakers. Although in the works for years, I chose to be making films instead of starting another company (my wife and I already owned one together). But, being hired for a talent role in an international Dell Computer advertisement for their rugged tablet shot on location in Alaska prompted me to create Ion Drift Productions. I also needed a place to showcase my work as it is completed, like my award-winning short film, Dead Run, the culmination of a 3-year personal learning project. My mission is to make high quality films independent of major studios, which allows me the most flexibility in terms of interest and creativity. There is a strong independent filmmaker community in Anchorage, AK, and my goal through Ion Drift is to strengthen my network of friends and colleagues where, together, we can create long-lasting art that many, no, millions, can enjoy.

About Shane

Hi, my name is Shane. My love of photography began as a teenager where I could be found taking pictures of pretty much everything imaginable with my trusted Canon FTb. Yes, it was still film in those days, and instant gratification was not a 'thing' discussed in photography circles. It was about perfecting your technique, and putting something on a negative you wouldn't actually see until a week later.

It required learning the craft deeply, like film properties, shutter speeds, f/stops, depth of field, focal lengths, lighting, and a host of other technical aspects of photography, so that when you left the field or a client left your studio, you were confident you had what you came for. After many years of honing my eye and upgrading both my knowledge of the art, and my equipment, I became comfortable both in the studio and on location in commercial photography.

My current passion is the moving image; filmmaking in particular. Starting in 2007, and in cooperation with a local production company, I produced and directed a couple of commercials for the small business I own jointly with my wife. My interest only grew as digital cameras became more capable and affordable.

I started getting my hands really dirty in 2011 by making several mini-films using timelapse photography. I made several more advertisement short films for our other business, and a music video. I gained extensive experience through personal projects and self-study of all aspects of filmmaking, from pre-production, through production, and post-production. In one such 3-year project which I began in 2014, the goal of which was to learn and experience every aspect of filmmaking, I studied concept development, script/story writing and development, producing, directing, cinematography, steadicam operation, lighting, grip, sound recording, picture editing, sound editing and re-recording, dialog editing, automated dialog replacement (ADR), Foley recording & sound effects creation, 5.1 surround sound design, color correction and grading, final mastering, and creation of DCI-compliant Digital Cinema Packages (DCP) for theatrical presentation, all of which was learned and successfully applied during creation of Dead Run.

I'm passionate about learning, and am happiest when I am challenged to learn something new, or whenever I'm expanding my expertise through intense self-study and hands-on experience. After spending many years working as a scientist, I've learned that, although just doing it can be a successful way of approaching things, attacking any new project with a solid foundation of technical knowledge has served me well.

If you are a creative with an idea, or a project you need help developing or producing, I would love to work with you to bring it to fruition. Get in touch, and let's make some movies!

Cheers,
Shane