Artist Statement

Jonathan Charles

Professor

Film 160

Sept. 12, 2019

Artist Statement

            I’ve only been in the film world for about 2 months now, but I’ve been in love with it my whole. My prize possessions in middle school were the VHS tapes in my mother’s broken dresser drawer. I wasn’t allowed to go outside, so I would watch them endlessly until my family finally upgraded to cable. I’ve spent most of my free time watching anything from movies and tv shows to YouTube highlights and music videos. I’m currently a videographer, which means I shoot practically anything. I’ve shot and edited music videos, promo videos, events, and even highlight tapes. I love the process of it all, but I have trouble executing my visions. I don’t want to consider myself as a videographer, I want to be a director.  I mostly aspire to work primarily in film, but also take on music video projects, documentaries, and a little bit of the commercial work.

           I’ve been studying a lot on the art of cinematography and storytelling. When it comes to directing, Ryan Coogler and Christopher Nolan have inspired me. With Christopher Nolan, it’s his non-linear sequential story timelines and his use of cuts to build the story makes me love his work. With Ryan Coogler, he inspired me the most through hearing how he spoke and sound. When I hear him, I can hear myself. I’ve always thought that the director was probably some major intellectual and spoke like a professor but hearing how Ryan Coogler speaks and explain his story makes me believe I can be a director someday. 

           As of right now, all I want to have is clean visuals with strong cinematography fundamentals. As I grow on my journey and get into the film world, I want to tell dramatic nonfiction stories. They might not necessarily be my personal stories, but they’re I’ve seen and heard of and believe that they should be told. I want the setting of these stories to take place in urban environments and the plots to be driven by family/relationships, no matter the time. The reason why I’m attracted to making these stories is that that’s what I’ve grown up observing. It’s the only types of stories I know.