Why I love movies...

There have been many times in my life when I just felt like I needed an escape. Since I was a kid, for some reason, I just needed a break from reality. That escape came in the form of playing with toys, playing a game, or daydreaming, but one that has stayed with me into adulthood was watching films.

Framed posters outside of a movie theater | Photo: Bianca/Write 'n' Roll

I have always loved watching movies. I remember being a kid, going to the theaters, and seeing multiple movies a day on the big screen. My parents bought me what seemed like endless DVDs growing up. I also have very dear memories of renting movies from the video store.

I just have very fond memories of movies. So much so, I wanted to tell my own stories. I went to school to learn more about the craft, and ever since then, I’ve always said I haven’t been able to watch movies like a normal person. I’m too busy seeing how the shots are set up, the lighting choices, and the blocking of the actors. There’s a reason filmmakers chose to tell their story in certain ways, and I just love to see it and get inspired.

When I was in school, I took classes like Film History, African American Cinema, Screenwriting, TV Production, Motion Picture Production, Audio Production, so not only was I learning from watching, I was doing it myself, which to be fair, that’s just a film school thing. But it helped me appreciate the craft more. It became more than just an escape from reality. It was my life. I just loved the hands-on process, working with other people with the same mindset as you, watching movies from different decades and diverse backgrounds, and learning about what makes them special. The same for screenwriting, I love to read screenplays and write my own now.

When I write a film review, there are 4 constant things I like to touch on, and those are the visuals, music/audio, memorable moments, and the cast.

I  love the framing of shots, how lighting can tell the mood of a film, what colors can mean, there’s so much. I just like to see how other filmmakers make their films because everything is so intentional. I love how music accompanied by the visuals can evoke some really strong emotions. The audio is always so fun to me since I learned about Foley sound effects, and sometimes if a film has bad audio, it might ruin the film. Audio is so important.

Memorable moments are also important because if you aren’t remembering anything from it, what kind of experience was it? I love to discuss movies and talk about my favorite parts after I watch them. Also, the cast. They have to be some really talented individuals to pretend to be someone for an hour and a half to 2 hours and keep the audience invested, either rooting for them or despising them. Everything in film just comes together to build a world and tell an incredible story. Of course, directors, writers, and everybody involved all deserve their credit.

I choose not to focus on negativity with this craft publicly because I’ve seen for myself the people who work hard on a film, and maybe it is not well-received, it can get really discouraging. These are people just wanting to make art and make something special, and they are putting it out there for millions of people to see. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But just putting myself in their shoes, I can not say anything bad unless it is pure constructive criticism in hopes that it can help them improve the next go round, and not to make them give up.

I love being in film spaces. I attended my first local film festival like 2 years ago, and it was such a cool experience. Being able to watch some new films, seeing what local filmmakers have created, it’s really special. There’s so much art out there, and when you’re not a famous and well-known filmmaker, these spaces are really important for those who are just trying to get their work seen by more than those they know.

It's not very often I get to visit movie sets and go on studio tours. As a matter of fact, my first time going on them was a few years ago on my first trip to California. But just being in a space to learn and appreciate the craft even more, seeing how the professionals did it, hearing from accomplished filmmakers, it’s a memory I’ll treasure forever, and I can only hope I get to be in more film spaces in the future.

Movies are just something special. From the pre-production to production, then post, and watching it, I just love it all. I love it when you notice something new in a film when you watch it again, bonding with your family and friends, but also enjoying a film by yourself, watching films not only for entertainment but also seeing how it tackles real, important issues, and seeing how creative filmmakers can be. I don’t know if there’s anything like it.