I have been into film since my earliest memories. I remember watching Curious George in theaters and, of course, being entranced with the funny monkey but also having a thought so constant in my mind, a thought that has never left the imprint of that movie, a thought as simple as “pretty.”
Growing up in a film-focused family, my dad used to be a film journalist, so he would spend countless nights drowning my brothers and me in ‘real’ film or its trivia. While my brothers took most of this and ran with it, I always felt left out—almost as if everything they discussed, though interesting, was missing what I felt connected to the most. Years would go by, and this feeling of being an outcast would continue. It was only when I saw a specific movie that the pieces started to fall into place. I quickly started to become more aware of my passions and soon realized that the medium of film is not the only method to explore my interests in creative storytelling.
I was always drawn to video games and how they could be used to tell stories. I’m sure this comes from growing up with my main three games being Halo 2, MW2, and KOTOR—all three being renowned for their spectacular campaigns and stories. Even to this day, that has stuck—I find myself drawn more toward games with great stories and interesting mechanics rather than pure gameplay. Games like Oxenfree or Furi, for instance, though Furi is primarily gameplay-focused, depict their stories in such compelling ways that they deserve to be mentioned as inspiration. Now, I’m trying to get into the game industry as a stepping stone into writing, directing, and storytelling.
I chose this video quickly because I couldn’t think of a favorite video made in a style I want to emulate in class, but I do find this one beautiful. I still love music videos, and I think this one is great—not only because it was the first one I saw in my liked playlist, but also because its use of visual storytelling to communicate deep emotions is top-notch. I’m also a huge fan of slowing down the camera and letting the viewers and shots breathe, something I think this video also does well.
This slower-paced approach to filming is most likely what I will try to work with in this class—except for my first video, since I don’t have time due to being sick. So that one . . . well, it’ll be something, idk.
– Carrick