MARK VALINO (he/him/they/them)
honesty
authenticity
balance
empathy
sustainability
Valino works toward finding ways to focus his unique approach of lovingly honoring moments through the medium of video with diverse people and their vast experiences. Emphasizing creating more in the moment forces him to connect deeper with his subjects to enrich a moment's potential for authentic & honest stories that are felt through screen. The main intention is to weave rich colourful stories that any audience can connect to. Being behind the camera has taught him so much about life provided so much guidance in finding his purpose. These life changing experiences and stories present him with an open perspective and assist Valino navigate through his own personal challenges. With his work Valino hopes to inspire people to appreciate the moments we have and to continue to explore how to be better to each other and our environment. Very simply put Mark's mission is to offer people an alternative angle at which to see everyday life in all its splendor.
I used to think the only way to live off my art was to get a job at a corporate television station or film studio and make disposable media for corporations. I used to think everything I made had to be over produced, slickly edited, and at the highest level of quality and production standards until I fell back in love with documentary/reality based stories. To be able to work with real people, real characters, real stories rather than manufacturing everything is an alternative and holistic approach to video storytelling. I always gravitated towards showcasing stories of people of colour because I saw more of myself in that community in contrast to how much more white washed the industry was 20+ years ago. It was I started focusing on these real stories that my life began to change. I learned to live differently and move through the industry in a more deliberate manner where I would attract the projects that that spoke to my heart. Yes, I didn't make as much money but my life was much more enriched. I would begin to pass up more and more jobs that were empty high paying commercial content that didn't align with my own mission and focusing on more community based stories that would feed my soul, make positive change and enrich the audience.
ABOUT MARK
MOMENTS OF MOVEMENT
Moments of Movement is an international video dance series promoting the artistic practice of letting go through improvised movement and connection. The series is about trying to honour what we are given in that moment between the dancer, filmmaker, and their environment as they connect and harness all that energy through the music. These one-of-a-kind interpretations are a form of self-expression for both dancer and filmmaker who both react to the music and each other in real time. The goal is to create unique, uplifting, interactive, thought provoking, moving portraits through online programming and live shows/workshops. The project's overall goal is to creating a world wide music, arts, dance and film community. The main themes of the project are based around concepts of freestyle/improv, creating freely in the moment, Letting go, using movement as healing, harnessing the power of music to bring international dance community together while creating a global mindset and greater understanding of diversity through the universal language of music & dance.
