Renata Isopo
Christopher James Giannini grew up in a traditional Italian-Canadian family surrounded by music from a very young age, with homegrown Italian melodies weaving through that atmosphere.
He would listen to his father’s vinyls – Bee Gees, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson among others. A rambunctious kid, Chris would run around the house, strumming his red toy guitar singing his favorite songs, gifted with an instinctive sense of rhythm and passion to match.
No wallflower, he often performed for family and friends on a makeshift stage his father built for him and his brother, laying the foundation for love of music. Later, at Laval Catholic High School, he entertained full houses as mad scientist “Professor Cheesewhiz” in the school’s renowned annual Blue and Gold production. Shortly after, at 19, swept away by inspiration, he bought his first guitar. Self-taught, he learned mainly by ear, with the help of YouTube tutorials.
In Cinema and Communications at Dawson College, his passion for music was ever- present in classes, song-writing, piano-playing, and best of all – spontaneously impromptu performances in the atrium. Heart-breaking, pop rock-n-rolling and smooth crooning constitute this musical and lyrical phenomenon.
First discovered on Battle of the Bands, he was then signed by record label and recorded his first track “If It’s Me”. Released in Quebec in 2010, it scored over 30,000 downloads on I iTunes Canada, with TV appearances on Musique Plus/Much, Affaires des Stars, TVA Salut Bonjour, and CTV-Canada iTunes song of the week. Invited by Gregory Charles of Laval’s International Mondial Choral Festival, he joined Aerosmith, and Sarah Mclachlan & LMFAO on stage.
With rapidly evolving technical knowledge and growing love for filmmaking, he dove into cinematography. An entrepreneur at the tender age of 20, he created Dekade Productions, a multi-media production company.
The love story of Lavaller Chris Giannini’s life lies between music and acting. But there’s trouble in musical paradise when opportunity knocks to make his wildest career dreams come true – no contracts, no negotiations, no lawyers, and, above all, nothing about the great taboo, money.
However, there’s an artistic manifesto embedded in Chris which he delivers and embodies – the passion of super song-writer instrumentalist. His singing is dominant, his performance fascinating. He doesn’t so much deliver a single feeling on cue as command the screen and gradually unfold a complex range of emotion, in pursuit of self-expression in sharing space of performance in inherently collaborative art forms with other reinvigorating artistic collaborators.
Recently, TLN spoke with this talented Montreal-born, Laval-raised singer, writer, videographer, and actor at his beautiful ultra-modern downtown Laval pad. The visit prompted an intimate look into his extraordinary life and career. Articulately charismatic, he spared no enthusiasm answering a few questions.
How would you describe yourself and your multi-talents?
“I’m a photographer, singer, song-writer, videographer, aspiring actor, working, documenting, and playing through a camera, always pushing the limit of what’s possible. I don’t always achieve it, but the reward is in the trying, and when I do achieve it, there’s an enormous depth of satisfaction and gratification that comes with it.
“I love experiences working on everything from singing to film sets, and live events to studio and location photography, videography, using various techniques and genres. The possibilities are endless as long as long as you work hard and remain grounded in pleasing the people who’ve entrusted you with the precious episodes of their lives. It makes you both proud and humble to be able to serve in this very special way. ”
What do you say when people ask you
what you do for work?
“I say I work with love and light. I’m lucky to work with these raw materials every day. I shoot in photojournalistic style with a traditional touch and love to capture the true beautiful moments.
Having traveled extensively bringing his many talents far and wide, he is highly requested in the United Stated, particularly San Francisco, Hollywood, and Miami to shoot weddings.
“We offer creative edits and documentary style edits of a client’s main events. Storytelling is important, music is intertwined with natural audio to emphasize the emotional highlights of the day. And, I may also be the singer at the event which completes the artistic package. The end result is a unique creation, and that’s what the customer wants which I offer,” he said proudly and with a wide smile.
What makes you stand out from others?
“Our love for capturing each couple’s unique story drives us to create not just a wedding video but a work of art. We push the limits of our craft and combine narrative film, documentary, and music video style to craft a video that is truly unique. “The great thing about my life is the wide variety of stories and clients” – he answered when asked about the greatest thrill he experiences in his work. “For me, collaboration has always been an integral part of turning out an excellent product. I strive to continuously expand story-telling and camera work to create memorable mementos in ever-changing environments.
