"Pursue a career in which you will be financially stable if you want to be able to afford everything you want and live a happy life."
These were the words I was told from a young age. As I followed these words throughout the years, the thought of being a filmmaker did not seem like the right choice. There was always this idea that it is hard to get into the film industry and not everyone will be able to live a fulfilling life since you will spend most of your time chasing it only to realise that there are thousands of people fighting for the same role, some of which are much better than you. However that did not stop me from trying to find ways to incorporate filmmaking into my life. In school I would join film projects and study drama. I pursued Industrial Design in my undergraduate in order to get into prop/set design as well as have a broad backup in case that plan does not follow through. When I bought my first camera (Nikon D3200) for £100, I started filming my travel journeys and create cinematic vlogs.
Then, one day after coming back from one of the most iconic holidays I have ever experienced. As I sat in the office, at my small desk, surrounded by four blank, white walls. I stared out the window thinking about how much I wanted to go home, put this cinematic vlog and re-live the past two weeks, over and over again. I realised that even though I followed those exact same words, I was never truly happy. What made me happy was the freedom, the creativity, the idea of generating beautiful and captivating imagery from your thoughts and opening up your mind for people to understand the way you view things.
So as my contract ended, I said my goodbyes and pursued my dreams and went to Bournemouth University to study MA Directing Film & Television.
Creativity has been a major factor throughout my entire life. From a young age, I was always drawn to creative outlets that helped me express thoughts and emotions. From school up until university I took art and design subjects. I even joined out of school projects and won awards for short films when I was younger. As I grew up, I started enjoying video creating more and more. This was more apparent after I bought my first DSLR camera which enabled me to start filming whatever I wanted to. Getting into the film industry was always a dream of mine even from a young age. I took subjects such as drama and industrial design in order to get into prop/set design as I had a deep interest for the industry.
I am a kinaesthetic learner which means that I learn through doing. Even though I am able to learn through research and reading etc. learning from trial and error and by doing is my preferred method as I have shown exceptional skills in grasping and understanding new subjects through this method.
Before diving back into the world of filmmaking, I worked as a Business Developer. My role involved with helping the growth of the company through generating business plans and leading multiple projects. This entailed taking on many roles including creating marketing strategies, financing and budgeting, and acting as Key Account Manager, ensuring a healthy relationship with new and existing clients.
I have also worked in fast-paced environments where teamwork & communication, management & organisation, and composure is vital. This includes working in a warehouse where you are working against the clock to ensure that each delivery is loaded on schedule, and as a bartender which requires great interpersonal skill whilst maintaining a smooth but quick workflow.
My end goal in the industry is to become a director of feature length films. The genres I would like to explore are fantasy, science fiction, absurdist fiction where the audience starts questioning the idea of what a normal life entails where the limitless boundaries of human imagination starts exploring the possibilities of something impossible actually having a slight of chance happening. This path would also involve working with adapting other narratives and bring justice to certain media adaptations e.g. manga/anime adaptations.
Freedom is what I desire in the long run, in terms of being able to create projects to my own accord and being able to share it to a wide audience who also enjoy them.
Films and video creation is a big part of my life. From creating travel vlogs to photography, I believe that these are great ways of capturing interesting moments as well as sharing your views on the world and thoughts in your mind.
I also enjoy experiencing life. Trying out new things, exploring new places, meeting new people. I certainly have an adventurous side as I frequently go on hiking trips, join sports teams (e.g. basketball, boxing), and learning new skills. But in life we need balance. To accommodate for this busy lifestyle, I also enjoy having relaxing times at home, playing video games and board games, and taking time to let my body rest.
Copyright © 2024 MicAngelo - All Rights Reserved.