Film has always been more than entertainment for me; it’s a reflection of the human experience, a way to explore emotion, connection, and storytelling. My passion began with La La Land, a film that resonated deeply with me. The way it intertwined music, love, and a reality-hitting ending showed how film could express raw emotion and the bittersweet nature of life. The passion of the characters and crew behind the scenes made me realize film is a powerful tool for authentic expression. This inspired me to take filmmaking into my own hands. Inspired by La La Land, I wanted to tell stories that mattered and resonated with others. This led to my latest project, Copycat, a short film created for my Beta Club, heavily inspired by my role as a leader of my younger brother and sister in my family. The theme of "radiance" perfectly highlights the importance of us radiating good values to the younger generation. And like La La Land, I wanted Copycat to reflect how small moments could impact those around me. The two-minute time frame was a challenge, but it was an opportunity to capture the essence of my life. I blended household responsibilities, public service, and my transition to senior year to show how simple acts of leadership and kindness shape younger generations. The film was my way of showing that it’s the little things that matter most. Making Copycat reminded me of the passion I saw in La La Land—every frame carrying meaning. In my own work, I put my heart into each moment, hoping to inspire others with the small acts that make a lasting difference. With the use of subliminal messaging, I inserted important Beta concepts into my project. For example, my partner and I chose a wide-angle shot to capture four pillars, which represent the four pillars of Beta. We had the younger brother wear a shirt featuring a beta fish, symbolizing his youth and ambition to follow in his brother's footsteps in the club. Additionally, we incorporated the four pillars of Beta into the titles and prompts of the crossword puzzles that the older brother and the elderly man are working on. Both La La Land and Copycat taught me the power of storytelling, not just for entertainment but for connection and reflection. As I continue growing as a filmmaker, I want to tell stories that have impact. Whether by drawing inspiration from a grand musical like La La Land or creating a short like Copycat, my goal is to inspire others to reflect on their actions and make a difference. Film has shaped who I am, and I’m excited to continue using it as a tool to connect with others and drive meaningful change. Stories have the power to challenge ideas, spark debates, and bring awareness to issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through film, I can express my thoughts on love, dreams, and the tension between ambition and reality. By creating art that speaks to these universal struggles, I hope to connect with others and open a dialogue that transcends boundaries. It is through stories that we find empathy, and empathy leads to understanding and change. Ultimately, film is not just about entertainment. It's about expression, connection, and shaping the world around us. It has opened my eyes to new ideas, helped me discover deeper creativity, and allowed me to connect with like-minded people. As I continue to grow as a filmmaker, I hope to use film to explore, challenge, and celebrate the complexities of our world, inspiring others to do the same.

The neon-lit rain of Blade Runner and the haunting grandeur of Blade Runner 2049 aren’t just films to me—they're blueprints for the kind of world I want to build on to (fictionally of course). Ridley Scott’s ability to blend noir and sci-fi, and Denis Villeneuve’s expansion of that universe, have shaped my vision as a storyteller. I don’t just want to make movies; I want to craft immersive worlds that ask deep, existential questions about identity, memory, and the future of humanity itself. Now more than ever, Blade Runner’s themes of artificial intelligence, synthetic beings, and the search for meaning in a manufactured existence feel urgent. AI is no longer confined to science fiction—it’s evolving into an everyday reality. We interact with it, rely on it, and even fear its potential. Generative AI is writing stories, composing music, and producing art. Deepfakes can mimic human expression so well that distinguishing real from artificial is becoming a challenge. The questions Blade Runner posed decades ago—what does it mean to be human? If something artificial can feel, remember, and even dream, does it deserve to exist?—are no longer just philosophical musings. They’re pressing ethical dilemmas. As a filmmaker, I see an opportunity to push these discussions further through visual storytelling. I don’t just want to entertain; I want to make people think. Blade Runner wasn’t just a movie about robots—it was about the human condition, about souls trapped in bodies society deemed unworthy. That concept speaks to our world today, where AI is reshaping industries, and people question what role they will have in a world filled with machines capable of doing almost anything. At the core of storytelling is something AI can never replace: emotion. The best stories resonate because they capture raw human experiences, and I want to ensure my work remains deeply personal. Cinema has evolved rapidly, mirroring the technological advancements Blade Runner predicted. Virtual production, AI-assisted CGI, and motion capture have revolutionized the industry, making it easier than ever to bring visions to life. But the heart of filmmaking—the ability to make people feel something real—must remain intact. I want to be a director who embraces technology without losing the artistry of human-driven storytelling. AI can help generate ideas, streamline effects, or assist in world-building, but it cannot replicate the depth of human emotion. A machine can compose a symphony, but can it feel heartbreak? It can write a screenplay, but can it understand longing? That’s where my passion comes in—using tools not as replacements for creativity, but as instruments to expand what’s possible in film. Imagine a film that portrays AI as both a character and collaborator—where machine learning generates elements of the world, but the human mind sculpts them into something meaningful. I want to push boundaries in visual storytelling, making audiences question the world around them as they sit in a darkened theater, fully immersed in a vision of the future that feels eerily close to reality. The project I dream of creating is a Blade Runner-inspired cyberpunk epic, blending its dystopian future filled with neon and rain-soaked streets with more pushing questions that haunt our very near reality. I want to create a world where AI is not merely a tool but a powerful force that challenges the very essence of reality. I want to explore the existential questions that artificial beings may one day ponder, delving into their curiosity about purpose and existence, which could extend beyond the understanding of organic life. I imagine a protagonist who was once a designer of AI companions, but as technology advances, they begin to wonder whether the lines between real and artificial have blurred beyond recognition. What happens when an AI doesn’t just want to just serve but wants to..."be"? What happens when memories can be uploaded, downloaded, or rewritten? These are the kinds of questions I want to explore—not just as a thought experiment but as an emotional journey that makes audiences see their humanity in a new light. As a student of the arts, I see my role not just as a filmmaker, but as someone responsible for pushing the boundaries of what stories can do. In a world where AI can generate images and scripts in seconds, the value of an artist isn’t found in speed or efficiency—it’s in vision, in the ability to craft meaning from chaos. Emotional storytelling is what sets us apart, and it’s what I intend to dedicate my life to mastering. Through film, I want to make people question reality, challenge what they accept as normal, and spark conversations about the future we are building. Science fiction has always been a mirror reflecting society’s greatest hopes and fears, and I want to contribute to that tradition. My dream isn’t just to make a great sci-fi movie—it’s to make a film that stays with people long after they leave the theater, a film that makes them think differently about the world, about AI, and about themselves. Technology is only as powerful as the hands that wield it. As I embark on my journey as a filmmaker, I will embrace the tools of the future while preserving the soul of storytelling. Because at the end of the day, whether our stories are written by ink, pixels, or AI algorithms, it is the human experience that will always matter most.