Golnaz Taherian | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Mendis notes that aspiring photographers must keep on shooting until they find their style. | Rividu Mendis
Rividu Mendis, a third-year York film production student, is a professional photographer, filmmaker and actor. He is also co-founder of ACE Entertainment, an event service company.
Mendis’ passion for performance and creation impelled him to start his own company when he was 13. ACE began as a DJ company, but evolved to offer other services, such as photography and videography. Mendis continues to manage the operation of the company, while his cousin runs the business side of it.
Mendis has been directing and finalizing a short comedy series called Stunt Club. The show is about a stunt man engaged in the arts from a young age, who decides that he wants to teach a university class on stunt-craft. Although he is rejected, he is offered the opportunity to run a club. The show’s theme explores the idea of trying to fit in at school, and discovering a club where you can start building friendships.
The series is filmed exclusively at York, with only York students involved. Mendis says: “We just built the characters together, so it became really easy for the actors to get into their minds.”
Two of his favourite types of photography are portrait and landscape. Mendis notes that it’s very hard to get a good portrait photo. He explains: “You have to build a relationship with the person you’re taking the photo with to be able to get them to the necessary comfort level. It’s a lot of test shooting to truly get it perfect.”
Mendis engaged heavily in landscape photography when he was travelling between Vancouver and Alberta. He was astonished by the splendorous grandeur of the western mountains and prairies. He describes how in the eastern part of Alberta, near Saskatchewan, the land is rocky and flatter. However, as you approach BC, the earth rises up dramatically, showcasing the Rocky Mountains.
Mendis mentions that the ideal time to shoot landscapes is at sunset or dusk. He describes that when you’re in the mountains, the sun sets faster because the mountains are so high. It becomes possible to see a rich, blue glow behind the mountains. This is sunlight hitting the peaks, setting the stage for wonderful photos.
When asked about the most challenging factor in his profession, he replies: “My age has been my biggest hurdle. People often underestimate my abilities because I’m younger than they would expect someone in my position to be.”
Mendis notes that York University has made a huge impact on his profession. “The biggest thing is networking and community. Stunt Club wouldn’t be possible without the people who are passionate about acting, creating, editing, sound and cinematography, and that’s the best part about film,” he says.
Mendis offers some advice for aspiring photographers. He mentions young photographers must persevere shooting until they find their unique style, and mode of composition. Additionally, he explains that, as long as one is efficient and skilled, they can produce excellent photos with a moderately priced camera. A photographer can have a $30,000 camera or a $1,000, but if one is talented and disciplined enough, they can use the cheaper camera to produce masterpieces.
