The Beginning One
My mentor, friend, and future business partner, Anders, is a recent graduate from UT. For his thesis film, he and artist Jeremiah Sweat wrote, “But I’m Letting Go.” Anders invited me to be a part of the production, which turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. I became the co-cinematographer, key grip, gaffer, boom operator, and sound mixer. The film premiered at UT’s 2024 senior showcase with thunderes applause. Since we are preparing to enter the film into the festival circet, it is not available to view online. However, clips may be provided at a later time. This is the beginning of something great.
The College Ones
During my time at “The University of Tampa,” I was involved in a few notable class projects. I was also a crew member for a variety of things. Classes that these projects are from include:
Cinematography
Producing Motion Pict & Digital Media
Narrative Production
In each project, I was the camera operator (except for the Steadicam shot in “The Shining Scene Remake”). I also worked on lighting and grip. In debt questions about my roles can be found at the end credits in each video, or directly asked.
Uncredited: Cinematographer
The Breakout Ones
Filmmaking is a long process. To make something good, you need to have the time, patience, and mindset to dive into a project to make it one of a kind. These are two films in which I did so with the help of my friends. I wrote both films, and both have won awards. Papers and PowerPoints has won Scholastic gold awards, while Rupture won best film at the Academy of Entertainment Arts (AEA) high school program award show. These two projects are ones that I considered to be the ones where I found my footing as to what kind of stories I like to tell.
The Music One
My friend and roommate at the time, Trey, is an up-and-coming music producer and artist. After hearing his song, “telling myself”, I instantly knew it would be a hit. We discussed collaborating to make a music video for the song. I became the co-director, cinematographer, and grip for the video. We utilized a vintage camcorder, two green screens, and smart LED lights. After we wrapped up the shoot, Trey sent a rough edited version to a VFX artist. I am incredibly proud of this project and equally grateful to Trey for the opportunity to work on it.
The Magical One
R.A.T.S was a film project that took much of my 2020-2021 film class to make. It’s set in the world of Harry Potter, where three magical students are sent to a foreign exchange program in Detroit due to their prior actions. The story was made by me and another friend, while I edited and acted in it as well. Despite the glaring camera issues, I am proud of the project and what my group and I were able to accomplish. The film also won an award for Young Filmmaker in the Best Shorts Competition.
The Short Ones
These are simple skits that were made in a relatively short amount of time. The first one, “Wildest Dreams Skit”, was created in my TV Production class. As an assignment, I and my friend Luca had to make a 2-minute skit to be put on the afternoon show. We had to make this in an hour and the teacher plus the class all loved the video. The second one is a different story. Every year, the music production program at my school puts on an event called, "The Show". In 2021, the film program collaborated with them and we were told to make a 30-second ad, based on a product that already exists. We were also told to make it bad intentionally. This ad was voted as the best one out of three others. Idea by me, as well as acting and editing.
The Long One
One More Minute was my first (and so far only) film to be shot entirely in one take. It follows the story of a student stuck in time, confused as to why this has happened. Only to discover that only one other person is free from the unexplained. To be frank, the film has many issues. But it was a massive milestone for me as an artist. It is a project I’ll never forget.