My approach is abstraction-first: I identify structural invariants within a system before engaging with tools, formats or industry conventions. This allows rapid transfer of competence across domains — from film production and cinematography to product design, CNC fabrication, and software engineering.
Rather than specializing in a single vertical, I specialize in structural understanding: modelling constraints, optimizing systems, and building coherent artefacts across technical and artistic environments.
29 years of my work combines aesthetic coherence with engineering discipline, integrating artistic intent and technical constraint into durable artefacts: feature films, branding systems, multilingual websites, products lines, and international companies.
I value professionalism, non-conformism and commitment to quality. I learn every day and work on constant self-betterment. I prefer frankness, honesty, trust and the win-win approach. I was born in an international family where we mix Russian, French, Swiss and American — cultures and languages. I speak and write informal, business, technical, legal and lyrical English, French and Russian. As decades passed, I’ve amassed thoughts and experiences I’m always happy to share.
I wrote, found financing, co-produced, invented unique cinema gear, developed unorthodox filming techniques, directed, shot, recorded on-location and ADR sound, edited and post-produced 2 features and several shorts in a span of 3 years without any prior training or experience in filmmaking.
I specialize in realistic, thought-provoking, emotional and artistic vision that breaks free from mass-entertainment trends and canons, with emphasis on color, minimalism, aesthetics, experimental editing and music.
Technically, I operate the A-camera, whether on steadicam, hand-held rig, dolly, Technocrane or Russian Arm. And while I prefer a minimalist approach, I know when to add an HMI or hide several RGB+W LED fresnels on-set for a 360° setup.
I enjoy new challenges, subjects and themes.
Read more about my film services and watch some of my films. A bit more than just a showreel. 😀
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER / ANATOLYIVANOV.COM / PARIS, FRANCE / 1997 - 2026
I specialize in creative and artistic vision with emphasis on color, minimalism, aesthetics, elegance, precision and efficient visual communication.
I enjoy new challenges, subjects and themes.
I was published in numerous press editions, shot major advertising campaigns.
I designed and sewed various unique carrying solutions (pouches, bags, backpacks) for cinema, bike and computer gear using ultra-light, ultra-strong, high-tech materials.
I designed and built new cinema rig elements such as handles, padding, monitor hoods, using both hand-tools and CNC machinery.
I created the concept, identity and web design of ANATOLYIVANOV.COM, a site selected and published in TASCHEN’S 1000 FAVORITE WEB SITES. Translated into 3 languages (by me), il contains more than 4 300 pages, and continues to evolve since its inception in 1999.
JOURNALIST AND WRITER / ANATOLYIVANOV.COM / PARIS, FRANCE / 2001 - 2026
I have published articles in various print and web magazines on the themes of photography and outdoor sports: Photographer.Ru / Russia (premier photography web-portal), Trail Attitude / France (first printed magazine dedicated to trail running in France), BackpackingLight.com / USA (world leading web-magazine about lightweight backpacking).
I self-publish essays, technical articles and interviews on the subjects of art theory, film, photography, 2D and 3D art, literature, music, design, ego and society, sport, technology, business and logistics.
SENIOR WEB DESIGNER / RAZORFISH WEB AGENCY / PARIS, FRANCE / 2001
I designed new websites for Biogaran (French pharmaceutical company specialized in generic drugs), Dane-Elec (second largest computer memory manufacturer in the world).
I maintained and created additional web pages for L’Oréal (leading world cosmetics company), Danone (leading world foods company), Marie Claire Maison Magazine (leading home decoration magazine in France).
I developed a banner-based web marketing campaign for Leclerc (largest supermarkets chain in France).
I actively participated in direct mail campaigns, advertising campaigns, sales meetings.
I carried out operational procedures.
I contributed to database marketing and management.
ASSISTANT TO DIRECTORS OF SIPA ICONO AND SIPA IMAGE (INTERNSHIP) / SIPA PRESS PHOTO AGENCY / PARIS, FRANCE / 1998
I initiated and carried out marketing research and then created a new database of potential clients for SIPA ICONO department.
I phone-marketed the Corbis Collections (distributed in those days by the SIPA IMAGE department) to advertising agencies in Paris.
ASSISTANT TO DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE PHOTOGRAPHY (INTERNSHIP) / MAGNUM PHOTOS AGENCY / PARIS, FRANCE / 1998
I grew and updated prospective clients’ database by merging existing data, buying and sourcing new data.
I participated in corporate clients prospecting.
I created photographers’ portfolios.
I helped with stock photography sales to corporate clients.
I participated in advertising shoots for clients like France Telecom.
ASSISTANT TO MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BERLITZ PARIS (INTERNSHIP) / BERLITZ LANGUAGE SCHOOL / PARIS, FRANCE / 1997
I managed clients database of Berlitz Paris.
I carried out a direct mail marketing campaign “Cours spécial vacances”.
VISA OFFICER / TOURTRANS VOYAGE TOURIST AGENCY / MOSCOW, RUSSIA / 1996 - 1997
I was responsible for French visa delivery to tourist groups (over 60 tourists per day).
I managed extremely tight deadlines, difficult negotiations with the French Embassy in Moscow officials, and permanent financial danger in case the visas were not delivered (agencies bought transportation tickets before visa delivery, without possibility of exchange or reimbursement).
LANGUAGES
Perfectly trilingual Russian - English - French. Professional speaking and writing in all three. Basics of German.
LEADERSHIP & TEAM MANAGEMENT
I’ve been leading multicultural teams of up to 150 people (within the Dunbar number) in 3 languages across the globe (except Antarctica).
27 YEARS of teaching & mentoring others a wide spectrum of skills and systems: branding, financing, negotiation, sales, logistics, stress management, languages & vocalization (voice acting), drawing, cinematography, sound engineering, photography, programming, fabrication & construction, running, climbing, yachting, strength training, yoga (hatha, pranayama, mantra, Vedic philosophy), history, macroeconomics, physics…
My main management principles since 1999 have remained: to lead by my own example, to give others maximum creative freedom within a well-defined vision corridor, to invest in people’s idiosyncrasies (results over processes), to re-use the best tools and practices from other industries and sciences, to push for excellence, minimalism and precision (Made in Switzerland).
PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION
In addition to my artistic legacy, I’ve had numerous opportunities to contribute in other ways:
As a Kodak Pro and Canon Professional Club member since 1998, I have been influencing their film and camera development and subsequent switch to digital (in 2003 for Canon).
As an early beta-tester and advocate of Adobe-led color management in Photoshop 4.5 and InDesign 0.5 back in 1999, when Bruce FRASER was still alive.
In Open Source code projects, first as a designer, helping with Linux-run Cyrus IMAP, later as a bug reporter-fixer in the OpenDCP, LanguageTool, and Node.js ecosystem (yes, I first met Richard STALLMAN and the various American and French factions of Linux and FreeBSD teams, IRL, in 2002).
As an early adopter, critic and evangelist of Mac OS X releases in 2001, working with Apple’s dev team of the time (when Steve JOBS was still alive… I miss him).
In the early days of Wikipedia, mostly behind the scenes in 2002 and later as a contributor since 2006 — although the community has since changed beyond recognition and I ran into COI battles with “Anonymous Experts”.
In local politics (Paris FR and Geneva CH) for cycling infrastructure development since 2008, long before those cities transformed into the current bike-friendly places.
As an active mediator in the transnational cinema production, between the US, France, and Russia, since 2015 (through various professional guilds like PGA (Producers Guild of America) and UPC (Union des Producteurs de Cinéma), CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie), Unifrance, Institut Français, Creative Europe, Eurimages…).
And in quite a few other big-name companies and organizations which, sadly, prefer to operate under NDAs (but I keep my promises).
Recording in challenging situations (jet engines, strong wind, night clubs, low level voice far away from mic…), music and on-location-sound editing, ADR and sound design, EQ, compression, noise reduction and spectral repair, mixing and mastering.
I have developed and use custom DAM solutions for aggregated audio over 200 hours.
COMPUTER SKILLS / CODE / INTERNATIONALIZATION AND LOCALIZATION
Being a trilingual EN/FR/RU, I naturally gravitate towards multicultural, global projects.
Even my own site is such a project, available in 3 languages4 300 pages.
Things got better with almost universal support of Unicode (we used all sorts of hacks before that… like accented Latin letters in Russian KOI8 encoding 🤦🏻♂️), but even today the infrastructure to provide “better than AI translation” involves quite a bit of thinking, from SQL schemas to icons’ choice.
Throughout the decades, I continue to prefer minimal (bare-metal) Linux installs, using Git and Unison for deployment, although I use hypervisors and app containers from time to time.
I have a polarized, love-hate relationship with AI, especially LLMs, which have appropriated human knowledge, especially the arts, science and code — the essence of what sets our creative species apart — without fair compensation.
Nevertheless, I remain actively informed since the early days of GPT-2 (2019). We extensively use OpenAI’s voice-to-text API in my custom-written utilities.
Despite being on a paid corporate plan, some of ChatGPT’s code suggestions have been bug-ridden if not disastrous, like wiping a local Git repo and files. Worse than a junior dev.
However, it’s proven invaluable as a research assistant and conversationalist, facilitating deep discussions on topics like economics, behavioral psychology, cognitive biases, and game theory.
COMPUTER SKILLS / CODE / KEEPING AN EYE
I prefer the durable simplicity of “vanilla” solutions whenever possible, but I do keep an eye on the myriad of new and begone abstraction layers and transpiling tools out there: SASS, LESS, Bootstrap, Tailwind, Next, Angular, Ruby on Rails, Laravel, Redis, MongoDB…
Sewing high-tech fabrics (polyester, nylon, silnylon, Dyneema…), advanced elements (YKK waterproof zippers…), foams, into objects with stress loads over 15 kg (33 lbs).
DESIGN / CONSTRUCTION SKILLS
36 years of construction / renovation experience and invention of tools, methods and finished builds, both to live / work in and to film on soundstage: reinforced concrete, timber, thermal / sound insulation, drywall, electrical / lighting, HVAC (including compressor / ventilator units’ tuning), water / sewer, plastering, tiling, painting.
LOGISTICS SKILLS
28 years of logistics experience, especially with high-value, low volume goods such as photography film, custom cinema gear prototypes (from incoming required materials and components to outgoing finished devices), dangerous goods transport (lithium batteries), permanent and temporary (ATA carnet) import / export from / to the EU, Switzerland, USA, Russia, China… Any size, custom packaging design (from envelopes to palletized goods shipping in containers), partnerships with UPS, FedEx / TNT, DPD, DHL, GLS, Kuehne+Nagel, DB Schenker, Geodis, national postal and customs services.
MUSICAL SKILLS
I used to play piano, I now mostly play acoustic rhythm guitar, with emphasis on improvisation and pre-existing music re-arrangement for film.
FIRST PRINCIPLES / MATH, LOGIC, PHYSICS, BIOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY
The breadth and depth of my skills may seem exaggerated or improbable for a "creative type," but the explanation is straightforward. You’re looking at the combination of:
In-born curiosity (I score high on openness to new experiences).
Soviet educational system’s emphasis on Popperian epistemology and hard sciences. I was lucky to catch a wide curriculum of math, physics, chemistry and logic before the fall of the USSR. That communist symbol hammered a coherent corpus of matrix operations, non-euclidean geometry, multidimensional vector spaces, Newtonian and relativistic physics, particle-wave functions and polymers… became my foundational knowledge to sickle the harvest of applied subjects such as programming, LLMs, material science, electrical circuits and Carnot pumps.
French educational system’s emphasis on complex socio-political processes, structured rhetoric, statistical analysis, and rational reasoning
Time — I’m not a 9to5, weekend & vacations type of person, which allowed me to shave off a year here, 2 years there and “live” several lives and careers…
Parallelization — I went through the Soviet/Russian and French education systems simultaneously — although I lost on the carefree days of childhood, I turned pro at age 17.
everything else is just the logical intersection of those factors
examples: TIG welding to me isn’t “metal glue” but plasma, oxidation, crystalline metal deformation, electron flow, and amps. A programming language isn’t a “boot camp routine” but a mathematical abstraction flavored with syntax sugar.
EDUCATION
ACTION COMMERCIALE APPLIQUÉE À LA PHOTOGRAPHIE / ESCP Europe / PARIS, FRANCE / 1997 - 1999
Specialized, condensed and accelerated marketing and management program applied to photography at a leading business school of the Paris Chamber of Commerce (originally established in 1819).
Disciplines included, among others: marketing, management, macroeconomics, international trade, negotiation, business law, statistics, accounting and financial analysis.
Works published: “Increase in Complexity and Opaqueness of High-Risk Derivative Instruments as a Precursor to Financial Market Collapse” (forecasting the 2008 financial crisis), “Artistic Production as Instrumentum Collocationis Aeternum: Perpetuating Cultural and Economic Utility Beyond the Finis Vitae of Patrons, Producers, and Financiers” (causa sui projects and pricing mechanics within the macroeconomic framework of transgenerational value, expanding Ernest Becker’s theory of “immortality projects”).
TOEFL (TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE) / PARIS, FRANCE / 1998
Score 277 (computer test; max. score: 300).
DALF (DIPLÔME APPROFONDI DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE) / MOSCOW, RUSSIA / 1997
One of the best Moscow schools specialized in English language; it has initiated active cultural exchanges with English-speaking countries in 1989. A UNESCO associated school visited by Queen Elizabeth II and featured in Russian media.
I represented the school in painting and drawing competitions.
I ran sprints in Moscow as a member of youth sprint running team at the Bratiev Znamenskih athletics stadium.
I now run long distance (over 15 km / 10 mi).
Instead of organized competitions, I prefer solo, self-sufficient, timed long runs over unknown terrain (day and night).
SPORT / CYCLING
Fast and long road cycling for fun and transportation, urban and intercity, with a preference for folding bikes.
Instead of organized competitions, I prefer solo, timed rides and ultra-light self-sufficient touring.
Bike assembly, redesign and repair.
SPORT / CLIMBING
I prefer outdoor bouldering and waterfall ice climbing, but also climb one-pitch outdoor sport routes and multi-pitch sport and trad routes in the Alps, as well as some alpinism routes (light and fast alpine style).
I have knowledge and experience of rope access and big-wall techniques for photography shoots.
SPORT / BACKPACKING
Lightweight and fast backpacking in any season and any terrain.
Ocean and land-locked experience since childhood ranging from trapezing the Formula 16 class to months-long fast-cruising / new boat delivery in various weather. Solo 8+ hour watch specialist, day and night, slicing at the edge of weather systems optimal to the boat’s sail inventory and wave patterns.
Theoretical and practical knowledge of fluid dynamics since 1989, rigging customization, on-board systems maintenance and repair.
TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Extensive travel experience in the Former-USSR, Europe and USA. Have worked on all continents, except Antarctica.