Filming enthusiast turned internet sensation Zach Scheiwiller tells Chloe Rowe what he hopes being good with a camera will get him and how his videos can inspire you
Armed with his camera and a couple of friends, Zach scours the bare and windy Icelandic scenery. He’s looking for a shot. The hills are rolling, and the views are vast. Zach Scheiwiller is here to do what he does best: capture the most beautiful moments in life.
“Iceland was beautiful. It’s such a unique country, and their culture is very relaxing. All the people that I met are very down to Earth and calm. Life there is very slow paced, and the views were beautiful. No matter where I was on the island, I was blown away by the views,” Zach says.
This trip to Iceland was a chance to create something refreshing and natural, foreign to the scenery in his hometown Bourbonnais, a small village in Illinois in the United States.
And Zach, also known as schyguyy on social media, is only 19 years old. With his youthful and thoughtful perspective on the world, he is quickly becoming an internet sensation, but numbers aren’t important to Zach.
Regardless of whether people see his art, his persistence and passion to create comes first, picking up a camera for the first time when he was 13 years old is evidence of that.
“I’ve always been interested in filming things. I used my parent’s camera when I was younger to make YouTube videos on iMovie when I was around 13. Since then, I’ve always been filming everything and making short videos out of them,” Zach says.
The atmosphere of Zach’s cinematography is moody and dull but comforting. It feels relatable, whether it is videos that include his friends and laughter, or if it is Zach wandering alone in a foggy street, it all resonates.
“I love to capture moody and dark scenes. One thing I have noticed from posting my videos is that people love scenes that capture lots of emotion,” Zach says, “people seem to resonate with my darker moody videos, and I love that I’m able to capture emotions that people are able to relate to.”
But how does he capture such moody scenes, in which no one is around, and the atmosphere is foggy and mysterious and how does he capture the nighttime scenes in which he gets up to mischief with his friends.
His process starts with the music. Finding a sound that matches what vibe he is after. The song choices are always compelling and contain just as much feeling as his cinematography. Flitting from echoed synth to slow and nostalgic instrumental in the next, Zach’s range in music is easy listening for everybody.
“I get a lot of inspiration from music. When I hear a song that I really like, I’m able to vision scenes in my head. Music is the main motivator for my ideas and creativity. I also love the style of old films, especially that analog film look that I try to emulate in my videos,” Zach says.
Within those moody videos in which Zach wanders in an empty public space, it seems as if these shots are planned to perfection, the area is always void of people and shot in spooky nightfall, but with photography getting the perfect shot isn’t easy.
Music, location, mood, colouring and editing need to be blended together, so careful consideration is needed when shooting, Zach says. Planning is key.
“Sometimes you have to get really lucky and sometimes everything just falls into place to make the perfect shot. My ideas are never set in stone and my envisioned final product is always different from the actual final product.”
Though Zach can pick out the flaws in his own creations, his fans know how to appreciate his work. His film aesthetic he puts out on social media has gained a following that praises him for his ability to create relatable content and put emotions into something visual.
Zach’s following is now at 110k on TikTok, and it is steadily rising. And this increase in followers is a chance for Zach to inspire and to motivate others to do exactly what they want and just create.
“I think the best thing about having so many followers is how much support I get from them. I’ve gotten a bunch of DMs from people saying how much I inspire them to start creating videos and messages like that really keep me going,” Zach says.
With rising popularity, a personality that inspires others and content that has thousands of people feeling that they are finally understood, it is with high hopes that Zach’s road to success is near. With his plans for his film career, he can go far and create content that expands further than social media can.
“I definitely want to create my own short film in the future,” Zach says, “I also want to really get into the music industry and start making more music videos for people. I believe that music videos are some of the most creative forms of videography and there aren’t many boundaries when it comes to making music videos so I would love to do more.”
And more is definitely coming on his social media.
For a young creator who has been perfecting his craft for only six years, he wishes to share his wisdom with those who feel restricted and held back from their passion.
“If you’re someone who wants to create art or start getting into film, just start,” Zach says, “film or create something every day and do not care what other people think. Understand that anything you create is beautiful and your opinion is all that matters. So get out and create!”
Follow Zach on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok @schyguyy to keep up to date with content from his Iceland trip and his many videos.
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