A Filmmaker in the Making
How My First Semester Went as a Film Major
Ever since I was a young girl, I was immersed in the entertainment industry: this is where my passion for video production emerged. My parents wrote and produced many As Seen on TV commercials so I often found myself on the set of different productions and had the opportunity to make my acting debut in some of their commercials. As I got older my parents continued to include me, but now I was more interested in being on the opposite side of the production: operating the camera and editing. My passion for creating videos continued throughout my high school career and ultimately led me to pursue filmmaking at Montclair State University. My academic goals here are to graduate in four years while maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or above. In order to achieve this, I will need to hand in my work on time, manage my time wisely, and pay attention to take detailed notes in class. Another important goal I have is to work on my personal brand; not only will this appeal to future employers but it will also expand my thinking and interests. I am currently in the video production club and I plan to join more clubs next semester.
From traditional artwork to digital creations, I have always enjoyed the process of expressing my creative thoughts and ideas. When I was a kid, my artwork would constantly make it onto the fridge and as I grew older and improved my work; I even began to win some awards from school for it. In recent years, I began to explore the digital side of creating including photoshop and video editing. I instantly fell in love with these programs and worked hard to become efficient in them. These skills and interests have guided me to follow my passion of video editing. A piece of media that I created this semester was a recycled film titled “Trapped”. The purpose of this assignment was to edit a sequence of clips together that are not our own and create a story to enhance our editing skills. The story I created was inspired by the side effects the current pandemic has had on my mental health; I feel “trapped” not only physically but mentally too.
Ten to fifteen years from now, I hope to be working as a movie editor. Obviously with a goal as big as that in such a competitive industry, comes a great deal of hard work. To progress towards these professional goals, I will have to invest in myself and get involved. Some things I plan on doing are internships, clubs, and continuing to build my portfolio by creating more films. Both internships and clubs will help me gain knowledge within the industry as well as allow me to develop important skills such as leadership and management. Additionally, it will grant me networking opportunities because I will be making connections and building relationships. Another important activity to invest my time in is creating films. Each and every time I do this, I strengthen the skills I already possess along with learning new techniques. For example, the last short film I made, “Your Biggest Critic”, taught me a lot about compromise. It is a given that when working on films, you always have to expect the unexpected; this applies especially for this year because the process of working on films has changed drastically due to COVID-19. I was forced to work with a very small crew and had to ensure that my actors were distanced from others when recording in a public place. Despite these adversities, I was able to overcome them by compromising my original idea and attempting to make it as socially distanced as possible.
Grit refers to the amount of passion and perseverance one puts forth in order to achieve their long term goals. While I do believe I can be a very gritty person, there are some factors that prevent me from reaching my full potential of motivation. These self-sabotaging behaviors include perfectionism and procrastination. I believe that for the sake of achieving my dream job, I will have to work on how to prevent these negative qualities by learning how to focusing more on what motivates me. A huge source of motivation for me is my internal drive for a sense of purpose. I am extremely passionate about my career choice and I am willing to go the extra mile to achieve it.
