Filmmaking & Animation
An auteur filmmaker through and through, I thrive in problem-solving situations with limited resources—bulldozing through barriers with a vigorous self-starter mindset.
I conceive and craft screenplays and video scripts from initial story skeleton to final draft. I'm proficient in planning and coordinating principal photography, where I direct, bring storyboards to life operating the camera (DSLRs and beyond), and spark conversation with viewers as an on-screen talent (host).
In addition to my strong video editing skills (Final Cut Pro X/Premiere Pro/CapCut), which showcase a honed, intuitive sense of pacing and the creation of engaging emotional journeys, as well as competence in motion graphics, I also craft my own unique brand of VFX and immersive experimental animations (Maya 3D Modeling).
Audio recording and clean-up are also in my wheelhouse.
WATCH: Digital Filmmaking & Animation Reel
Conceptualization | Director | Cinematographer | Video Editor | Animator | VFX Artist
This reel is narrated. Headphones on. Crank up the 4K.
Short Form Video Samples (TikTok/YouTube Shorts/etc.)
Conceptualization | Curator | Video Editor | Animator | Motion Graphics | Captions | Graphic Designer | Audio Clean Up
From Dell Technologies & NVIDIA Present Creator School, a branded content series I created with those companies.
Check out this side-by-side to see my process of creating/editing shorts and the scope of enhancements I implement when adapting long form content into short form (creating clips).
As you can see, I am adept at both producing original video content and adapting existing content for new platforms and trends.
More on my Dell Technologies & NVIDIA series and branded content work here!
Indie Game Feels (Variety Show)
Conceptualization | Producer | Script Writer | Director | Video Editor | Animator | Graphic Designer | Host
I was contracted by All Ages of Geek to create a single-season order of a web series showcasing emerging independent and diverse game developers (international, BIPOC, and LGBTIQA+ creators) and using games as a lens to discuss mental health and build positive relationships with self and others. I ran all aspects of pre/principal/post production.
I received mentorship from Nicholas Veneroso, Academy Award Winning and Emmy-nominated Head of Production at DiSorbetto (formerly of Vox Media, Group Nine Media, Jash), on establishing a show format and run-of-show.
Trippy Games with Hamilton Morris (currently in post)
Conceptualization | Producer | Script Writer | Director | Video Editor | 2nd Animator | Graphic Designer | Host
An animated video I produced that features acclaimed documentarian, pharmacologist, and chemist Hamilton Morris (Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, formerly with Vice). In the video, Hamilton analyzes and critiques the depictions of drug usage and drug trips in the medium of video games.
The video exists within a trending genre of internet videos where a notable expert breaks down scenes from popular media and educates the audience on how those scenes typically play out in the real world. Examples include Vanity Fair’s Paleontologist Reviews Dinosaur Movie Scenes and GQ’s Psychiatrist Breaks Down Psychopaths From Movies & TV.
This project, in particular, required me to source and hire 3D modelers working within the “low poly” aesthetic (popularized by the limitations of the first PlayStation), and a 2D pixel artist. I have a strong eye for identifying high-level, aligned talent to execute a project’s exact aesthetic needs and overarching vision.
My own 3D modeling work can be seen below!
Adult Swim “Telesnackinesis” (Channel Interstitials Spec)
3D Modeling | Animation | Texturing
New York Comic Con “Horror Show” (Event Promo Spec)
3D Modeling | Rigging | Animation | Texturing
For these two animations, my goal was to achieve a popular aesthetic known as Cel Shading or Toon Shading — most commonly used in anime video game adaptions. The effect makes 3D models appear more flat/closer to a cartoon, while not losing the 3D depth. My results here were effective within the medium of animated video.
Building The Scene In Autodesk Maya
Before Cartoon Texture
I animated the “Roomba” and levitating foods in Maya. For quick customization, I created virtual green screens for the background TV screens. Inspired by Adult Swim and MTV interstitials, and bowling alley animations.
FX Breakdowns
B-Movie Horror, “Creature Features,” and practical special FX lit up every part of my inquisitive, developing mind throughout my childhood. I connected to the DIY spirit these beautifully grotesque images embodied. I have incorporated the genre’s ethos into my “figure it the fudge out” and make-magic-happen filmmaking approach.
Every once in a while, one must indulge in the fun of fake blood and a bloody mess. Below is but a taste of said indulgence from my recent films.
Safety Space “Room Sickness” Visual FX
Digital FX. I did the tracking & coloring.
I’m particularly proud of the coloring on this.
Safety Space is a short film about AI safe spaces I made as a critique on performative allyship in academic institutions.
“Pen Stab” Practical FX
Practical gore FX/makeup and coloring by me.
From Intrusive Thoughts, a short film action metaphor for overcoming a mental health spiral.
Demonic Backpack Puppet & VFX
Puppet built by me.
A body-horror expression of navigating surveillance culture and combating racial profiling as an immigrant in America.
Izzy’s Trash Monster Costuming & Practical Creature FX
In the third act of my short film, Not Safe For Life Cinema, our protagonist Izzy, a workaholic podcast host in denial of her depression, is forced to battle the metaphorical manifestation of her inability to clean her studio: this Trash Monster.
I meticulously built the Trash Monster suit; every piece of garbage on the creature is either an item seen earlier in Izzy’s studio or a reference to previous dialogue, revealing her harmful patterns.
Izzy hosts the podcast 'NSFL Cinema,' a show discussing old Japanese cult horror films with cheesy effects and other disturbing media. I wanted our monster to fit this same aesthetic. The Trash Monster is primarily inspired by Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989).