Personal Intrest

I have many different interests and hobbies which have shaped me into who I am, but none have been as influential as filmmaking and cinematography. Throughout the years, I have always been fascinated with telling stories and making my ideas come to life on screen. From a young age, I have always been intrigued by different forms of media, and I have been creating and writing different movies and scripts for a long time. This helps me express myself, while simultaneously giving me an opportunity to give other people new stories to relate to and see themselves in.

I have attended a few different schools in my lifetime, the first school being Saints Simon and Jude, the next being Our Lady of Grace, and the final being Chartiers Valley highschool. All throughout my schooling, I have been interested in the stage, in directing, in writing, and in theatrical productions. This is one of the major reasons that I would now like to continue my career at Point Park University. I know that with all of the programs presented to me at this incredible school, I will be able to flourish with my creative liberties. I began acting in shows in the fourth grade in my school's drama programs, and every year since, I have been involved in a production. Once I entered high school, things became much more professional for me when it came to the theatre. In my sophomore year, I became eligible for and joined the Thespian Society, which is an international theatre arts program that supports students all around the world in productions. In this program, I received 2 awards for my achievements in theatre. During my Junior year, I played King Charlemagne in the musical Pippin, which was performed at the Pennsylvania Thespian conference, and I received the All-Star Cast member award for my performance. This year, I became a member of the Thespian Performer’s Hall of Fame for my work over the years in theatre. My most notable role was that of Igor (pronounced Eye-Gor) in the show Young Frankenstein. I received positive feedback from multiple Gene Kelly Judges for my performance and quickly became an audience favorite from the show. Unfortunately, due to covid, the awards ceremony never happened, and I was never able to have the opportunity to be nominated for a Gene Kelly last year. But My performance was still given praise by the community, and I still consider it to be some of my best work.

While I have spent a very substantial amount of time on the stage, my main interest is in Film. Ever since I was a young child, I was always fascinated by movies and filmmaking and knew it was what I wanted to pursue. Even when playing with my toys as a child, I was never just having them beat each other up. I was always telling stories with them and having them go on adventures. I am fascinated by the idea of the Hero’s Journey, and how every single story that we as humans latch onto follows that same basic concept. The Hero’s Journey was created by Joseph Campbell. He realized that heroes in mythology typically go through the same 17 stages in their journey, and that every story follows those same steps. I have written many different short films, and for years me and a group of my friends, who also would like to pursue filmmaking, have turned those scripts into genuine short films, which we edited, filmed, starred in, and directed ourselves.

One of my biggest inspirations over the years has been George Lucas. From a young age, he was always into telling stories and making new ideas and following his dreams. To him, making movies isn’t just about making money. That's not what's important in the industry. It's always been about telling stories. Stori es are the most important thing about how the human race has progressed over the years. Stories have an impact on people like nothing else can. In my case, Star Wars has made me who I am today. I have always believed that one day I can help shape the lives of people just as Star Wars changed me. Storytelling is a gateway into the real world, and it has been a big part of everyone's lives. My Goal as an aspiring filmmaker is not to be famous and have my name in the lights. If I create a movie franchise and not a single person knows my name, then I would still be more than proud of my achievements if my movies could be seen by people whose lives will change by the lessons and stories shared by my work.

Film has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it has always been something that deep down I knew I wanted to pursue. I am applying to Point Park University’s Cinema Arts Department because I know it will be able to provide me with the creative outlet I’ve been craving since I was a child. To be in a space with so many other talented individuals and to have their input is going to be extremely helpful in pursuing my career. I plan to hopefully one day be able to direct and create screenplays for films, so that I will be able to pass along my ideas and stories to future generations to come. Storytelling is what keeps our world going, and being able to create relatable characters and have the direction of a talented staff of teachers and students will provide me with the perfect environment to fully express my ideas. And that is the importance of my application. Having professional experience will boost my abilities, and make me a better filmmaker.