Military Brat

My father is in the military, and our six year tour in Japan spans some of my fondest memories (considering I don't remember much before then). Unfortantely, I didn't take full advantage of my stay such as learning the language or seeing the sights. Now, as a fan of the country, I plan to return someday.

Response to Introduction to Avant-Garde Film

Avant-Garde film has a long road ahead of it. The heavy consummation of mainstream has marked all films with specific expectations. Journeys outside these expectations are quickly categorized as primitive. I feel that eventually a new movement will come, and avant-garde films will gain a better foothold—but not soon.

Response to An Original Art Form

Film is a media that incorporates many other forms of art, but never have I regarded it as overqualified method of reproduction. I always thought of film as a balanced compilation. At the start, I believed Richter too hypercritical: true, film relies on ideas and concepts derived from other arts, but new things can only be comprehended by relating them to familiar things. Only when he used the films Ballet Mecanique and Andalusian Dog as examples did I start to understand his point: both avante garde films can not be expressed outside film. It seems film has vast unexplored territory buried underneath the mainstream.

Film Manifesto

Stories are a daily exchange. As human beings, story telling is how we express ourselves and relate to others. As a filmmaker, one has the possibility to relay a story to influence ways of thinking. I want to be able to affect people—if not only for a fleeing moment of insight.