Visual Intonation

Timothy Savage-Finch is a director who doesn’t just frame a shot. He listens for its heartbeat. Based in Brooklyn with his wife and their dog, Timothy brings a documentarian’s ear to the commercial world, finding the pulse beneath polished surfaces. His work, whether for Champion or Square, feels less like an ad and more like a quiet confession caught on camera. In this episode, Timothy talks about the rhythm of honesty in visual storytelling. From branded campaigns to music videos, he ...

Hannelore Williams doesn’t just sit in the edit bay. She listens to the heartbeat of a story. Whether she’s cutting scenes from a CNN docuseries or capturing the quiet power of a Hulu campaign, Hannelore uses rhythm and instinct to bring truth forward. Her hands shape images, but it’s her ear that makes the story sing. She understands where a beat belongs and where silence says more than sound. In this episode, we step inside Hannelore’s creative mind. We talk about what it means to wor...

Some filmmakers chase trends. Eddie Musa chases truth. Born to Sierra Leonean parents and raised on the beats of hip hop, the grit of 90s Black cinema, and the shadows of Italian neorealism, Eddie doesn’t just capture stories — he conjures them. This episode of Visual Intonation Podcast brings you deep into the mind of a filmmaker who sees the world in frames, colors, and feeling. He built his own lane. From student activist to CEO of Musa Majic TV, Eddie turned vision into vocation. You’ll h...

In this episode, we sit down with London-based cinematographer Jerry Amadi-Pradon, whose eye for visual storytelling was shaped on the sunlit sets of Guadeloupe and sharpened through years behind the camera across Europe and beyond. From painting and photography to the world of moving images, Jerry’s path has always followed the light. He began with TV dramas for France Télévisions and has since grown into a bold visual artist with a unique signature. We explore Jerry’s transition from assist...

In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with Rickey Larke, a filmmaker whose work pulses with heart, hustle, and an unshakable sense of purpose. From a childhood of sneaking candy into the AMC Showplace 12 in Bolingbrook, Illinois, to helming his most ambitious short film The Black Bart of Taco King #17, Rickey’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and community. This is a conversation about the grind behind the glamour, the ten-year climb from unpaid PA gigs to prod...

This week on Visual Intonation, we sit down with Max-Arthur Mantle, a Jamaican-born artist whose lens, pen, and voice challenge silence. As a writer, photographer, and filmmaker, Mantle builds bridges between the Caribbean and the diaspora, between queerness and culture, between pain and power. His debut novel Batty Bwoy didn’t just tell a story. It reclaimed one. In this conversation, Mantle takes us behind the scenes of his boldest work yet: BATTY BWOY!, the feature film adaptation th...

Visual Intonation Podcast steps into the world of Raj Debah, a New York-born artist whose work tells stories others have left untold. Raised in the Bronx by first-generation West Indian parents, Raj uses the lens of mixed media to illuminate the silenced voices of indentured and indigenous peoples connected to the Caribbean. His images speak in layers—photos, found footage, artifacts—woven into a visual language that bridges memory, migration, and resistance. Debah's journey is not just artis...

In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with writer-director Kennard Blackwell, a DC-based filmmaker whose work glides between narrative, commercial, and music video. His films are shaped by contrast, beauty, and the unflinching search for emotional truth. Whether crafting campaigns for nonprofits or framing fashion on film, Kennard brings a sharp eye and a quiet confidence to every project he touches. From his years as Creative Director at 522 Productions to his freelance dir...

Rohan Blair-Mangat brings a sharp, painter’s eye to filmmaking, shaped by his roots in Jamaica, India, and London. With a degree in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, his work vibrates with bold visuals and layered storytelling. This episode of Visual Intonation dives into the early influences that shaped his creative voice and the moments that first sparked his passion behind the lens. From award-winning music videos to global commercial campaigns, Rohan’s portfolio reads like a cultural m...

Kabelo Thathe didn’t set out to become a cinematographer. Raised in South Africa, he felt the pressure so many young creatives do—to pursue a "real" career. But behind closed doors, his walls were a riot of movie posters and cinematic dreams. A high school year in Minnesota cracked the world open for him. When he returned home, he knew he had a calling: to tell stories with light, movement, and meaning. In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with Kabelo to trace the journey f...

In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with cinematographer Allysa Lisbon, a compelling visual storyteller whose work is grounded in both intellectual rigor and emotional depth. Based in Los Angeles and originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Allysa holds degrees from Georgetown University and the American Film Institute, where she earned her MFA in cinematography. Her visual language is thoughtful and precise, shaped by a commitment to telling nuanced stories across film, media, an...

In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with filmmaker Abdul Kassamali, a Seattle-based director and producer whose path into film was anything but traditional. Born in the U.S. and raised in Kenya, Abdul originally trained as an electrical engineer before making a bold leap into filmmaking during the pandemic. Since then, he’s built a career rooted in intentional storytelling and high-stakes production, collaborating with major clients like REI, HOKA, and The North Face. His work s...

In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with director and cultural provocateur Giselle Bailey, a Jamaican-American filmmaker whose boundary-pushing work blends documentary, narrative, and contemporary art. Giselle’s artistry isn’t just about creating films—it’s about sparking cultural transformation. Her lens explores the power of Black imagination, reshaping narratives and championing revolutionary perspectives. From directing the HBO documentary The Legend of the Underground to he...

Jabari Canada brings an architect’s eye and a documentarian’s heart to the Visual Intonation Podcast. Studying at MIT by day and telling human stories through a lens by night, Canada traces his path from interning for Congressman Elijah Cummings to filming JPEGMAFIA for MoMA PS1. His work spans political campaigns, Les Blank, experimental art, and commercial sets, but always returns to one core principle: people over policy, and the stories they carry. In this conversation, Canada talks about...

On this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with Jamaican-American filmmaker Justice Silvera, a director whose eye is as grounded in real life as it is pulled toward the surreal. Raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Justice has forged a voice that is uniquely his own, shaped by experience, heritage, and a gift for weaving dreamlike tension into everyday moments. Justice’s work has lit up screens in videos for artists like Polo G, Mustard, and 808 Mafia. But behind the lens is a man who once ...