XANTHE BERKELEY

Music: Camille Saint Saens - Carnaval des animaux - VII Aquarium by Aitua via FMA

XANTHE BERKELEY

FILMMAKER/ PHOTOGRAPHER

Vietnam

Xanthe Berkeley fascinates me. She’s able to make anybody’s life look like a dream with a simple phone and an editing app. After a successful career in photography she started to teach how to make day-in-the-life mini movies to people who want to create precious family keepsakes. I booked one of her first classes and absolutely loved it. So I hired her. Read More

A few photos…

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I used to organise epic photography workshops in Europe (as you’ll see in the gallery of photos I took of Xanthe, above). When I created the concept, I wanted participants to rotate in groups of 3 with different teachers: fashion photographer, lifestyle photographer, floral artist/stylist, and moving image maker. Xanthe came to teach the latter in all of them, over 3 years, in France and in Greece.

She brought a whirlwind of bright colours, infectious laughter, flower petals and… cans of diet coke! It’s her only sin. She taught filmmaking with a simple phone, using an editing app and a few clever tricks. She showed us how to create stop motions that make people smile. Within the 5 days of teaching, we all created incredible little films to keep forever. It inspired me to start making mini-movies and the rest is history as they say!

All these years, Xanthe has unrelentingly made the world more beautiful for all her students, allowing them to focus on beauty even if the rest can be so hard. I was very excited when she accepted to be part of my 30 people who make the world a better place and replied to my questions below.

Connect with Xanthe

@xantheb | xantheberkeley.com

INTERVIEW

My name has a Greek origin, but my parents mainly chose it for the uniqueness of having the initial X. Growing up, I found it challenging because people often struggled to pronounce or spell it, especially since I was surrounded by more common names like Clare and Jane. However, as time went on, I grew to love my name.
I was born in Mallorca, Spain, but my family moved back to the UK when I was a baby.
I grew up in London, spending my childhood and teenage years there.
In my 20s, I lived in Southeast Asia for some time before returning to London in my 30s and 40s to raise our boys.
Now that they have flown the nest, my partner and I have decided to make our way back to Asia, and we are currently living in Vietnam.
Our plan for the next few years is to split our time between Vietnam and London.
Unfortunately, I only speak English. I have tried to learn other languages, but I find them really difficult. Mostly I lack confidence. I wish I could just implant a chip into my brain giving me the ability to learn or speak any language.
I am a photographer, video creator, and educator. I teach online courses and share my passion for creating videos, aiming to inspire others to start their own creative journeys.
This is a tricky question. It's difficult to choose just one piece. I find inspiration in various forms of art and different things resonate with me at different stages of my life. A painting, poem, movie, or book can hold significant meaning in one chapter of my life and take on a completely different interpretation in another. That's the beauty of art—it can connect with us on countless levels.
I always wanted to be photographer. Ever since I got my first camera when I was around 11. I fell in love with capturing moments and documenting my experiences with friends.
Unfortunately, my parents viewed it as a hobby and pushed me towards more academic subjects, which resulted in me failing my exams.
It wasn't until I turned 18 that they finally allowed me to pursue an art foundation and I haven't looked back since.
Taking a month-long trip to Southeast Asia with the boys when they were 8 and 10 years old. It was an incredible experience, and one of the best things we ever did with them, so the expense was worth every penny as we made memories for life.
When you’re in that creative flow where everything just falls into place. That could be in golden hour when the light is so beautiful, it almost makes you cry when you look at it through the lens. Or when I'm in a field of flowers or on the beach with a magical sky. Or collaborating with other creatives who just understand the process. Or when you start to put a video edit together and the footage and story synchronise beautifully.
I don’t think there was just one moment or one big break. I think it’s been a series of moments that come together after hard work and the continual conversation you have as a creative to believe in yourself, have dreams and try and make them happen.
The self doubt that crops up regularly as a creative is an interesting cycle. It's an ongoing hurdle that requires constant self-awareness, sitting with those doubts and then finding the strength to let go and move through them. Believing in oneself and the creative work being produced can be one of the toughest parts of being a creative.
Empathy, it is everything about everyone.
Be kind
Be grateful
Be curious
I recently realised I had accumulated far too many possessions while packing up my house to move abroad. It was a wake-up call to decide what to keep and what to let go of.
However, I do have a soft spot for items with the initial "X" on them. It harks back to my childhood when finding anything with an "X" was nearly impossible. So whenever I come across something with that initial, I feel compelled to keep it.
Another impossible question, surely?! Food is so amazing and dishes hold so many memories. I’m currently obsessed with Vietnamese food of course!
I must admit, I don't read books very often, which may be shocking to some.
I loved the TV show "Shrinking".
Since the pandemic, I haven't been back to the cinema. However, I did watch "Aftersun" recently and absolutely adored it. The story was moving and I particularly appreciated the direction and storytelling techniques, such as the use of handheld VHS footage and the locked off wide, lingering shots.
I love music and enjoy a wide variety of it, especially anything that makes me want to dance. I love having impromptu solo dance parties in my kitchen—it's a great way to feel good.
I’m launching an online membership which is a mix of all my previous courses into a community space with monthly projects, inspiration and guidance to encourage participants to create videos of their lives, to treasure for years to come.
And a dream project would be to paid create video content while I’m living in Vietnam. Not the usual glamorous travel content you see online, something with more of a story and based around the everyday moments I experience.