From a young age, Cole Walliser fell in love with the magic of filmmaking. Since he was 14, he was constantly filming, whether it was making skateboarding videos or chronicling the first day of school at Hugh McRoberts High School.
Since 2008, Walliser has directed music and tour videos for A-listers like P!nk, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Joe Cocker, and Brittney Spears, just to name a few. Like many filmmakers, Walliser is a bit of a multi-hyphenate, being the operator and director behind GlamBOT, the captivating slo-mo camera that captures red carpet celebs from unique and entertaining perspectives. He’s compiled his best as part of a massively popular TikTok with more than 12 million followers.
Walliser sat down with us recently to discuss how filmmaking captivated him from a young age, rolling with the punches on set, and even advice for the next generation of visual artists.
Playboy: You started filmmaking at a fairly young age. What originally drew you to it?
Cole Walliser: Originally, I realized the power of films. Watching things and noticing visceral reactions I could get from consuming something. Growing up, my parents had video cameras and I started playing around with them. I realized that I could have that same effect as the films I watched. I could take two shots and put them together and it could be surprising, or fun, or insightful. And I enjoyed figuring out how to get reactions out of people, or how to elicit thoughts and feelings, based on what I was doing.
I personally sort of gravitated towards filmmaking because I thought that was the most effective way to get what’s exactly in my head out. I’m a poor artist, I can play guitar, play music a little bit, but communicating what was in my brain? The most effective thing for me was to shoot at something.
Playboy: What inspires you?
Walliser: I think seeing other people come up with cool ideas, concepts things that I didn’t think of. This often inspires me to dig a little deeper. Try something new and to push forward and put that extra effort in. But also, just sort of experiencing life. If I go out and experience something new, inspiration and motivation are tied to that.
Playboy: You’ve worked with A-listers including P!nk and Katy Perry. Is there a day in your career or perhaps even a moment where everything just kind of clicked and you knew you were part of something special?
Walliser: It’s tricky, especially with filmmaking, because you never really know how something’s gonna be received. So you’re doing your best effort to make something cool and to create something new and effective to serve the purpose at which you’re intending. But you could execute something and it’s exactly as you envisioned and then people just don’t respond to it.
I do feel that my project with Katy Perry, for her first big arena California Dreams tour…this was a large undertaking from a creative standpoint, I had more control and input than I thought I would. More responsibility on my shoulders. And it was just one of those things where I felt like in order to execute it properly, I really had to rise to the occasion, both creatively and professionally.
We’re shooting and editing for and prepping the show for a month. And it was just one of those things that as we were doing it…it just felt special and unique and really personal. Both from her perspective, and from my perspective. That was a project that always stands out as special.
Playboy: Conversely were there any days where stuff just didn’t work out the way you planned, and you had to fly by the seat of your pants?
Walliser: Literally every day on set, to varying degrees. Any day you go out to create something, there’s always something that doesn’t go to plan. And now maybe it’s an inconsequential thing. The shirt is the wrong color, or whatever… it’s not a big deal, that’s on one side. And then on the other side, it’s just an absolute disaster on all fronts. Like, the location’s light is not working, talents this or that and it is an absolute disaster, for lack of a better explanation.
But I think a part of what makes those magic moments come from is being restricted in some way and coming up with the creative solution that you otherwise wouldn’t have thought of. When you’re forced to come up with new creative solutions by your restrictions on set. And I think that actually adds to the depth of what you’re doing because it’s just something that you wouldn’t have thought of.
Playboy: Are there any dream collaborations on your vision board?
Walliser: I did work with Rihanna, recently. Got a really small project which was fun for the launch of her hair line. I guess maybe in some version that can be ticked off. But in a more directorial capacity, I think I’d love to work with Beyonce and Rihanna because they’re icons. Other than that, anybody that I grew up watching or idolizing.
When I shot Brad Pitt for the GlamBOT, this was such an iconic moment for me, because I grew up watching his films. And to have this small moment directing him, telling him what to do…it was a really cool moment for me.
Playboy: What advice do you have for aspiring visual artists and content creators?
Walliser: My advice is to not be too precious with your content, especially with the way content works now. When I started filmmaking, you would make a short film or a music video or something. And you would put all your eggs in one basket. You put all your effort into this one piece of content, trying to make it sort of perfect.
Now, everybody’s producing things at such a high volume, which I think is a good thing for someone who’s aspiring. Because it benefits you to not be so precious to do one thing. Because if it’s not perfect, that’s fine. Put it out there, get the reception, get the feedback on it, and then tomorrow, you’re gonna make another one. And then the next day, you’re gonna make another one. You get a lot of reps in per se, and that is a thing that really can help you grow and improve.
Playboy: What’s next for Cole Walliser?
Walliser: The big goal has always been into moving to narrative filmmaking. Feature-length films and serialized television. I’ve been writing and working on developing sort of larger scale products. In addition, I am starting a coffee company.
Playboy: Under ideal circumstances, how do you take your coffee?
Walliser: A perfect two to one grind to brew, Black Americano every morning. That’s how we do it.