Fine Grain Pictures is the brainchild of Lauren Veen and Vincent Tremblay, two independent video producers who met in the Bay Area and bonded over a shared passion for conservation, Lionel Messi, and psychedelic rock. Lauren’s background as an educator and Vincent’s experience as a musician creates a compelling synergy and lends our storytelling a unique emotional impact. Working collaboratively with clients, we identify the strongest grain of an idea and tease out the off-beat, humorous, and poignant moments that make for impactful and memorable visual stories.
Lauren Veen
Lauren’s first foray into film came at the age of 11 when she used her dad’s camcorder to create the narrative short, “Brothers and Sisters on the Run!” about a misfit nun and monk running for their lives. In the three decades since, mission-driven adventure has remained a trademark of her cinematography and editing, with films focusing on teen survivalists in the Santa Ynez mountains, a collaborative performance between Klamath drummers and classical musicians at the edge of Crater Lake, and the first Immigrant Workers' Freedom Ride. She roots her work in emotional connection, using moments of honesty and intimacy to get to the heart of the story. Lauren served as co-editor of the PBS web series Music Makes a City Now and recently co-directed the documentary short, The Girl That Got Away. She lives in Berkeley with her partner and their two constantly on-the-run kids. You can check out her work here.
Vincent Tremblay
Vincent is a filmmaker and musician based in Oakland. His interest in taking on projects that reflect an experimental approach to the outdoors and the arts has been prevalent since his first homemade videos in the woods of New Hampshire. His work has found him working alongside guitar virtuoso Steve Vai in his studio, filming on rooftops in Hawaii, and being pulled by dogs in carts down the streets of suburban Los Angeles.
His personal work can be found at Skeletal Productions.
Collaborators
Karl Mollohan
Karl Mollohan is an Emmy-nominated director of photography who lives in San Francisco. After graduating with a BA in International Studies, Karl spent two years in the Peace Corps in El Salvador. While serving there he began documenting everyday life in El Volcan, Morazan. After leaving the Peace Corps he continued his love of shooting and working on creative projects. You can find his work here.
Evan Henkel
Evan makes videos of all sorts. After starting out in the music industry, he made the shift to motion graphics, cinematography and editing, and has since captured and created sports, news, and corporate content all with a documentarian approach. He does whatever is needed to bring stories to life onscreen. You can find his work here.
Casey Johnson
Prior to his work in Hollywood, Casey lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo, where he cut his teeth shooting documentaries and producing current affairs television, having produced over 200 episodes of the syndicated show LIFE IN KOSOVO. An alum of the American Film Institute, Johnson has produced and directed dozens of docs, short films, digital and corporate projects, and recently produced a feature film in Eastern Europe. His film work has taken him all over the world to shoot in places like South Africa, Madrid, and Mexico. He is the founder of the movie company Crossing Bridges Films, and is a longtime production partner of Fine Grain Pictures. He is based in Los Angeles
Antoneta Kastrati
Antoneta Kastrati is a Kosovo-born filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After surviving the war in the late 1990s, she picked up a camera and began making award-winning documentary films and shorts that addressed unexplored issues of post-war society. She went on to receive a Master’s degree in journalism and was one of the 8 female directors selected for the prestigious directing DWW program at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Her award winning first narrative feature film project, ZANA, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated as Kosovo's entry for the 2020 Oscars. Zana was selected as one of 10 films “Europe, Voice of Women in Film” at Sydney Film Festival 2020.
Sevdije Kastrati
Sevdije is the first female cinematographer from her home country, Kosovo. A resident of Los Angeles and graduate of American Film Institute, Sevdije’s work includes narrative feature films, documentaries, shorts and TV series. Her films have been screened at the Sundance Film Festival, AFI Fest, the Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and others.
Taj Jenkins Musco
Taj is a filmmaker/musician from a tiny New England hamlet who was homeschooled by his writer mother and craftsman father. He has lived in Alaska, Singapore, Vietnam, and Kuwait; experiences that helped shape his multicultural perspective and inform his work as an award-winning visual storyteller. When he’s not behind the camera or writing scripts, Taj can be found toiling in the kitchen trying to create the ultimate banh mi sandwich—or playing with his calico kitty Dorothy B. Hughes.