How's it going? It's been a while, hasn't it? Not much has changed about what you already know about me from my initial introduction, but I am proud to announce that I have moved up the ranks in my NJROTC Drill Team, being promoted to Administration Officer. The title isn't the only thing that came along with the job however, I also have to maintain individual cadet records, track promotions, and input the service hours that said cadets earn throughout the entire year. Outside of school-related programs, I've started to further explore my interest in cinematography, sinking deeper into the rabbit hole of online short films, ranging from prize-winning shorts to film school applications, and even to international submissions for various film competitions. I find myself to be quite intrigued by the fact that such a diverse assortment of individuals can produce equally compelling works that cover a wide range of subjects, including loss, love, identity, and aspirations. Additionally, by examining the final products that others have produced, I can look for specific aspects I admire within their films, and put my own spin on them to apply them as a part of one of my projects in the future.
With the return of the film industry after the devastating pandemic that has gripped the world for over a year, movie-goers finally have something to look forward to with the fantastic line-up of upcoming and long-anticipated films, including The King's Man, The Batman, Morbius, and my personal favorite, Spider-Man: No Way Home, many of which were put-off by the pandemic. Considering that a number of Marvel-related films will be hitting theaters within the next year or so, such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, I felt obligated to rewatch all of the films from start to finish in their chronological order of events. This time around, since I already know what to expect, I can take in more of the careful detailing and planning being put into each movie, thereby allowing me to appreciate the hard work and effort that went into achieving things like proper lighting and impactful sound to produce a truly captivating final product, perhaps inspiring me to take to the big screen one day. This mindset is what allowed me to really enjoy Marvel's latest film, The Eternals, on its official premiere date. It was a slower-paced film that focused more heavily on meaningful dialogue, a beautifully composed soundtrack, perfectly captured shots, and eye-catching scenery than other Marvel films to flesh out the deeper, more mature plot and its multi-dimensional characters to maximize its roughly two and a half-hour run time. I find this to be something that I can really appreciate as an aspiring filmmaker myself, to think that even the most seemingly insignificant of details, can hold such great importance when it comes to immersing an audience in the story a director intends to convey. I believe that if I had not previously undertaken a filming project (the commercial) I would never be able to truly understand how involved and invested one must be to create something so grand. Despite the number of negative reviews I saw online and on social media, I thought it was a great film that took cinematography to the next level by producing breathtaking visuals, as evidenced by the hundreds of names of collaborators I saw move past the screen whilst waiting for the post-credits scene to roll.
Moving past my thoughts on filmmaking after seeing firsthand how one goes about developing a piece of media, I feel as though my experience with the commercial changed my outlook on the whole. By conducting that as my initial project, I was able to understand the specific factors that go into making an effective final product that has the power to change my audience's opinion on certain subject matters, especially since commercials are made to be persuasive. That, in turn, gives me an edge when it becomes necessary to "toy," for lack of a better word, with the emotions of my audience in future projects of mine to ensure that my message is clearly conveyed. Additionally, I became more proficient when it came to using editing software, extracting sound bites, and handling filming gear (i.e. learning new filming techniques on my iPhone 11 Pro Max).
Now, before I close things off, I quickly wanted to address a point that I made on one of my last blogs prior to this reintroduction, which briefly mentioned the fact that it was my birthday. In honor of that day, I've attached a picture below to not only re-verify my identity, but to also share some of my happiness with you:
Moving past that, I'm sure you've enjoyed my signature signoffs thus far, and I don't intend of stopping any time soon. As I previously mentioned, I've undertaken the hefty responsibility of rewatching the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe's films in preparation for the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home movie, so I feel that it is only appropriate to quote another prominent figure in the Marvel Universe, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark: "Oh, it's good to be back. You missed me? I missed you too" (Iron Man 2 2010).
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