Personal Statement (not my own)

I feel like I hardly ever see or talk to my brother anymore just because we each have our own thing to do and I've got my stuff and he's got his so when I do talk to him it's like a three hour conversation on things we've missed in our lives about each other for the past year. And that's just what happened.

I know that he enjoys making youtube videos for fun and he's a rather creative kid but I didn't think he'd do so many extra-curricular activities to showcase or develop this. Apparently he received an invitation to a digital film-making distinction course? It was such a pleasant surprise! But what I thought was really lovely was the personal statement he'd written for the course.

Here it is:

Personal Statement

As a film enthusiast, I find myself having this subconscious passion for screen and media and integrate myself into all things film related. You know how the saying goes: “If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” I would probably be the weird guy filming the lemonade stand from a distance.

Picking up a camera at a young age, I found myself associated into the digital world of film making through YouTube stars such as Nigahiga and MyChonny. Acquiring aid from my cousins, we soon started our own small channel where we would post our short skits that we would make every family gathering. Each video was an improvement of the last, utilising newfound techniques and learning from our previous mistakes.

Our editing software began with the very first version of Windows Movie Maker (I am not ashamed to say) and from there we progressed to iMovie, Final Cut and eventually Sony Vegas.

As we grew older, we found that we wanted MORE from our skits. 3 minutes became 6 minutes. Skits became stories. Children became teenagers. Hence we created a new channel where we could start anew and produce short films that we could be proud of. Along the way, we worked with multiple mediums such as gaming and tutorial videos in which we experimented with making machinimas and also engaged more closely with our audience.

Once the gaming channel passed on, we created our latest short film channel and have since been uploading videos. These films have all given us an experience both hands on and psychologically as some were never finished due to unforeseen circumstances. As high school and HSC took its toll on my older cousins, we found ourselves producing less and less videos and eventually hitting rock bottom with nothing.

However, I believe we are reaching the third stage of our filming development and all it will take is a push – a push that I am certain this course will give me.

I may not have the steadiest hands or the most creative editing but I have the determination and heart to follow this passion through the course of my life and this opportunity will not only contribute to my development as a film maker but as a human being as a whole.

Yours sincerely,

My brother.