MY ARTISTIC PORTFOLIO

Ever since the start of my journey in the arts, a big portion of my artistic and personal growth has been due to acting. If I had never taken that first acting class back in middle school, you probably wouldn't be reading this. I always spent time redefining who I was as an actor, and I never found a purpose. Until I gave my life to Jesus Christ. Then, it dawned on me what I am meant to do when I act. I am meant to be an example for others, to show that everything is possible with God! The applauses don't matter, the cheers don't matter, and the praises for my great work definitely don't matter. What matters is whether I impacted the world in a good way or a bad way, and whether I followed my divine purpose well. Also, technique is important too. Go Meisner!!

I have done editing here and there sometimes, like for TikTok edits or Movie Reviews on YouTube. But, I wasn't officially introduced to non-linear editing as a legit thing until the start of my college experience, and I LOVE IT!!! The reason I love it is that I treat it like a puzzle game. I am always thinking about questions in my head, like, why does this type of cut work? What do these transitions and effects do to enhance the story? When should I cut to the next frame, and for what artistic reason? How can I make my editing invisible to the audience? These questions always keep me interested and thinking about solutions with artistic purpose. 

Sometimes, as an editor, you might hit a brick wall, and that is where problem-solving skills come into play. Paying attention even before editing can be life-saving. There is nothing worse than framing a shot wrongly or not balancing audio level well with your field recorder to realize it can't be fixed in post. Editing requires a lot of concentration, detail, experimentation, and meaning.

 The other aspect is the fact that editing can be intimidating at first glance since there are a lot of cool edits that you can find online. But the main thing should be challenging yourself and not letting the intimidation make you quit.

Filmmaking is such a vast world that has a lot to explore. I would say the best thing about filming is having a team. I always gotta make sure that I collaborate so that we give every single frame a reason and meaning, but to do that, I need to depend on stellar communication and a healthy social circle! There is nothing better than working on a film with people that you see as family.

 As pretty early on my journey as I am, I've come to realize that in film, a class is not enough. It requires your will to get up and grab a camera, and just shoot. That is how someone genuinely learns, by being curious. And also by watching movies, please, WATCH MOVIES. And also by interacting. Even the bare minimum, like getting onto Letterboxd and reading reviews and reviewing movies, counts as interaction. Exchange ideas, exchange thoughts. 

It is very crazy how every single detail MATTERS. That is why I appreciate and hold so much respect for the design process, because it can't require the bare minimum. When designing, what comes to mind the most is "how can this accompany the text well? What feeling is meant to be evoked?" Without a design, most productions would be actors standing in an empty stage or an empty movie studio; there has to be floor plans, models, renderings, and stuff like that to allow audiences to be immersed in a world. Imagine if Blade Runner 2049 had a terrible design process; glad it didn't. For people like me who love thinking and coming up with ideas, this is one of the most fun steps in the process.

 I get inspired by my creator, who created the universe, the Earth, and humanity. So imagine us, little beings making little creations. It's pretty cute honestlty.