What projects are you working on?

​

Right now, I’m working on my own film, which is called Wet Paint, and it is about a young adult who discovers his own homosexuality, it’s about his repressed feelings, how he handles them. Other films that I’m working on are my colleagues’. One is Luca’s film, called Present, which I shot. That film is about a workaholic father who tries to get back with his dad. Unfortunately, it’s too late. And the other film I’m working on is called Echo, it’s a film that I’m directing and it’s a sci-fi drama of a girl who receives a letter with an address. She goes to that house which is extremely odd, and you might argue that it's even haunted. She goes in, she finds a book and she reads a poem that curses her to turn into a plant.

​

​

What do you hope to achieve with these films?

​

I will firstly mention the directorial point of view, I’m trying to encapsulate the inner emotions of the characters and portray them with visuals as much as I can. Both characters in the two films, Echo and Wet Paint encounter personal conflict, especially Phil, the main character from Wet Paint. I always try to think in visuals, and I consider the better the visuals and the idea behind it, the better the emotions are transmitted to the audience. Regarding Luca’s Present, my cinematography project, I still operate with visuals, but the vision and depiction of the story are no longer mine. I’m trying to help the director achieve his vision through my technical skills as much as I can.

​

​

What inspires you, especially as a director?

​

My source of inspiration is Christopher Nolan, he is also my favourite director. The main reason for this is because in my first year of university I had to write an essay on one of his films, Inception. And I have found this particularly interesting book, called The Fictional Nolan, which had a chapter for all of his films until 2014. Nevertheless, the reading helped me understand better his work, his ways of directing and what his message towards the audience is. One quote that I remember is that Nolan’s way of depicting and presenting the story revolves around the idea that if you want to find the truth, you’ll have to go through a lie. For example. This applies to Inception and The Prestige. In my films, I’m trying to encapsulate this idea by offering tiny details to my audience that guide them to decipher and understand the message before it’s revealed.

​

​

How was directing as opposed to being a cinematographer? Which one do you prefer and which one is more challenging?

​

Firstly, I’m used to filming more than directing. It comes easier to me, because I have done it for a couple of years now, more exactly seven. It’s effortless for me to find the best shooting angle, or some shot visually pleasing for the eye. On the other hand, directing comes more as a challenge, because I haven’t done it before. I’m trying to read as much as I can on directing, and how to get the emotions out of the actors when I want to, and how to create certain situations that might trigger a special emotion within an actor or an actress. These are the reasons why I find directing difficult, but in the same time fascinating.

​

​

How useful do you think these films are for your future?

​

I think these films are the cornerstone of my development, I find them essential, because they represent the very first projects of my portfolio. They also represent my first steps of stepping in the cinema and I am sure they will help me create a wonderful showreel for my work and my potential. And because I always strive to do my best, quality will definitely be an aspect of these short films. I feel like if there is no quality in a film or showreel, there is no point of showing it to the world. This is why by giving your best on your current projects, whatever they might be, shorts, music videos, feature films it’s the only way you can grow as a person and as a crew member.

​

​

What do you hope the audience will get out of your films?

​

I hope that one day members from my audience will tell me “I know what you meant with this shot, I understood your message” and in the same time I want the audience to come up to me and say that  they didn’t understand at all the message, or the reason behind a shot or a scene. And then they will ask me to explain. At this point, I’m not sure I will explain myself, but I will advise my audience to rewatch the film until they feel the metaphor in the film, because I always want to integrate more subtle ideas and symbols that represent the character’s inner emotions.

​

Where did you get the idea for your film?

​

The whole film concept hit me one day when I was walking to  uni. The sign has been there for a few weeks, but I never paid attention to it. Wet Paint, written in bold, on a gray pillar. I glanced at it, as usual, but this time the bench scene started to play in front of my eyes. I took out my phone and started writing down the idea, right there on the sidewalk. I felt that it's a great ending scene for my character. I could see the interaction and I could hear the dialogue. I couldn't wait to get home and start writing the script.

​

​

What are your plans for the future?

​

I’m thinking of a postgraduate programme which is practical, such as cinematography or directing, or even photography which I really enjoy. I’m also planning to move down south, or in Netherlands.