Where cinematic storytelling began for me
As a child, I grew up going to the movies almost every other week with my father. I would honestly say I was pretty spoiled when it came to going to the theaters. At the time, I did not really realize it was his favorite way to spend time, and to this day it still is.
Movies showed me entire worlds made from someone’s imagination. They showed depth, color, and characters that felt bigger than life, but still real in a way that mattered. Even before I understood anything about cameras or storytelling, I understood the feeling of getting pulled into something that was not my life, but felt like it could be.
Looking back now, those theater memories feel really warm. I did not appreciate them as much when I was younger, but now they stand out a lot more. I feel grateful I got to experience that time with my father. I honestly miss those days, and I miss going to the theater with him.
My father never really pushed me toward anything creative, but he definitely shaped my taste without trying. He was open to pretty much everything. Action films, sci-fi, anything that could pull you into another world. I think that is what he liked most, just being fully immersed in something for a couple hours.
I remember something he once told me. If I did not like what I saw, make something yourself. That one stuck with me more than I realized at the time.
There was not really a single moment where movies made me want to become a filmmaker or anything like that. It was more subtle. I just wanted to recreate what I was seeing. Not just how it looked, but the feeling behind it. The depth, the mood, the energy scenes could have without saying too much.
Over time, that started to show in how I work.
When I got my first camera, a Canon T3i, I started messing around with photos and video. But pretty quickly I realized I was not interested in just capturing things as they were. I always wanted it to feel more cinematic. Not as a style choice, but just because anything else felt unfinished. If it did not have mood or intention, it did not feel right.
Now that has become how I approach most of my work, whether it is photo or video. I try to approach everything with a cinematic mindset.
When I create, I keep it pretty simple. I just ask myself if I would actually want to watch this. If the answer is no, then I know something is off.
One film that really changed how I see things was Mad Max: Fury Road. I remember walking out of the theater feeling kind of fired up, like my perspective had shifted a bit. It was not just excitement. It felt like movement, energy, and freedom all at once. Not chaotic, just alive.
That feeling still sticks with me when I create. Not as something I try to copy, but more as a reminder that visuals can make you feel something real, even physically.
And I think that is what I have always been chasing. Just trying to bring a little bit of that into what I make.