Watch My New Video Project Celebrating Cinema Week

It’s not too often I take the time to create a video project just for fun. The last time I did I believe was back in the summer of 2019 when I created an unsolicited fan video for my local ECHL hockey team, the Reading Royals. I love video editing, as is probably demonstrated by my various active YouTube channels. With all that said, earlier this year I enrolled in an online film and TV industry course organized by NYU x Tisch. I’ve always been interested in film and television and I see this course as an opportunity to learn from real professionals actively working and/or teaching in the industry. The course only yields a certificate of completion, so it’s not something I’m doing necessarily for professional gain. It’s more so a passion project, as I really do just enjoy learning new things for the sake of learning. The price was right on the course, no ridiculous student loans required, so I jumped at the opportunity and here we are.

This is my first completed assignment for the course. The assignment was to create an almost storyboard-esque short film, focusing on various types of framing and the composition of shots. The project aims to explore concepts like the rule of thirds and lead room. I admit, I wasn’t super interested in the assignment at first. I was already familiar with the concepts being explored, but obviously I needed to complete the assignment in order to proceed in the course. At the same time, I also didn’t want to create something that I didn’t care for just for the sake of “getting it over with”.

I decided to create my short film about something that I truly love. It’s something that is all-too-often considered to be “going the way of the dodo”, much like the video rental stores of old which I also miss terribly. Of course I’m referring to the cinema – and what better time to produce such a project than during the inaugural Cinema Week?! My project, “Welcome Back”, showcases the return of the cinematic experience following the global COVID-19 pandemic. The short film aims to highlight elements of the cinema that are often taken for granted, such as the simple but iconic smell of popcorn, the ability to escape reality for a short while, and finally being able to once again attend a screening mask-free (if fully vaccinated).

It’s a very short, short film. Only about a minute and a half including titles and credits. However, I do think it does a decent job of capturing my love of the cinema and emphasizing the return to normalcy in this time of rebuilding we’re living in. Anyway, enjoy the show! 😀 ?