Check out my new blog, I AM Zech.
What makes me different from all the other boring bloggers out there, I'm not a gifted writer or can sit down and just chug out a books worth of writing. I've never been the outgoing one to divulge all my personal information, in fact, I usually find it hard to introduce myself or talk about what makes me me. I never thought of myself as a blogger or someone who really had much to say, at least in typing out words on a screen (I haven't ever really felt a connection to the written word), but more and more I'm finding my passion. I'm cramming my head with as much knowledge as I can and its started to overflow so much that I can't not talk about it. as for my passion, my reason for existence, my only true calling on my life:
Digital filmmaking.
From a young age I always loved movies more than anything else. I was captivated by how they combined beautiful visuals with great story lines and wonderful acting, although when I was young, every movie was amazing, and I thought that they weren't actors, but just real people. A book was just boring words on a page. A song was just exciting to your ears. A picture was good to look at, but never drew me in as well as a movie could.
I always knew I wanted to work in movies, in some way or another. I've wanted to be an actor, an animator for animated films, or just working at a movie theater. I didn't care what I did, I just wanted it to have something to do with movies, and then I'd be happy. Sadly though, I am a realist. I looked at the chances of actually becoming an actor and decided it wasn't worth the risk, but it might make a good hobby. In fact all of my desire and passion for film turned into a hobby. This was around high school, when I needed to come up with what I wanted to study in college.
Ive always been gifted in many areas, and had a two-sided personality. In high school I excelled at math and science, and had a photograph that I took go to a few competitions. I had to decide what side of myself I would peruse as a career. Once again putting my passion as a hobby, I enrolled in mechanical engineering at UCCS. In my first semester I aced all my classes and got onto the Presidents List for academic achievement, but I knew inside that it wasn't what I really wanted to be doing. About a month into my second semester, I decided to be done with being logical and picking careers that I could be good at and make a lot of money, but ultimately not enjoy. When I went to my parents telling them that I was dropping out of an engineering program that I was acing to do general studies, they were hesitant, but after explaining how I felt and why I was in engineering in the first place, they understood. After a semester of random classes, I finally found my passion. I changed my major, this time to digital film making and am currently a sophomore, all thanks to one realization: I want to be a Cinematographer.
So how did I go about pursuing this? Well I stopped having a life. I have completely emerged myself in filmmaking in any way I can. I went out and blew my savings on a camera, and started shooting. I read countless film making blogs and watch hours of videos on it on Vimeo and YouTube, learning everything I can. I have been working as a freelance videographer and photographer. Of course, I had a regular job because, remember, I'm a realist, and video equipment isn't going to buy itself. This started as a crappy fast food job, but then became a staffed, part-time sports photographer, and now I'm doing digital media management and motion graphics and getting to shoot for work every now and then too.
I shot video a lot. On new years I made a resolution to do some kind of photo or video project every month, so far I have shattered that and have been doing around two every week! Its hard work and most of it isn't for pay, either just for fun or for my church, but it's been the most rewarding few months of my life. I'm excited to see where the rest of my life takes me, but I hope that I can share what I learn with anyone who wants to listen.
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