Artist Satement

What attracts me to film more than the memorable characters, stunning visuals, and clever plots is the emotion evoked from story. The ability to feel something, whether it be a sense of hope, despair, nostalgia, or joy is what makes film special. Film is unlike any other medium. In just two hours, you can walk in feeling one way, and leave feeling another; now with a completely different outlook on life. The impact of film on the mind, specifically the emotions, is what makes film so unique and so powerful. Many movie-goers watch films to see the cool action, the cinematography, the star actors, etc. While I, too, enjoy these components, what I most yearn for in a film is to feel something after I see it.

When I was sixteen, I watched the film Stand By Me and felt something that I had never felt before. No, Stand By Me isn’t Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or The Godfather, but it resonated more with me than any of these three films did. Why? Because the film struck a nerve deep in my emotions. It left a lingering feeling in my gut that I still feel today. When the film ended, I felt a sense of nostalgia for my younger days. I felt a sense of sadness for fate of these the characters. I felt a sense of happiness for having met these characters. Stand By Me is one of the most simple plots I’ve ever seen on screen, with minimal visuals, and at the time, no name actors. Yet, that didn’t matter to me, because I was left feeling something. Films that can leave viewers with a lingering emotion that they didn’t walk in are what I consider masterpieces. Over the years I have seen countless films that succeed in this variety, from dramas, to mysteries, comedies and even horror. The field of emotions knows no bounds.

Therefore, I intend for my relationship in the film industry to be in the creation of stories that leave people with a lingering emotion. This, in my mind, is what people remember about films more than anything else. To resonate with people on an emotional level means you are making something unforgettable, which is the ultimate goal of any filmmaker.