Sunday, February 17, 2013

Artist Statement 2013

My ideal career is as a film critic. I have considered myself a writer since elementary school, so the combination of that passion with my love of watching movies has blossomed into a personal film-related blog that I currently maintain. I also had a film review published in the Envoy in November.

If I had to pinpoint one person as being my favorite director, I would have to choose Billy Wilder. Not all of his films are obvious cinephile fodder - they don't usually showcase thrilling suspense like Hitchcock or cinematography in the style of Terrence Malick - but I can't think of a single filmmaker more skilled in witty, intelligent storytelling. I only wish I could be gifted enough to achieve the nutty genius of Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, or the utterly romantic beauty of Sabrina and Love in the Afternoon.

In general I'm the kind of person who always likes to know exactly what I am doing, in the sense that I always like to have a plan. For filmmaking, despite what little experience I have had, I apply the same practice that I often use for fiction-writing: I organize a list of what I will do. I suppose that while collaborating with colleagues I would be open to ideas (should they arise), but I would rather have a fully realized idea fail than end up doing something halfheartedly.