First Movie: The Retreat

Acted, Directed, and Produced by Me. -- How it Happened and Where I'm Going Next

In November 2020 I decided to switch career paths from photojournalism to film production. I have yet to decide which aspect to focus on- I want to be proficient in many- but I have started taking steps towards making that a reality. I applied and got accepted into GFU and UWM, but decided school isn't for me. I am now applying for internships nationwide that will place me in the media field. While I will miss the comfort of a family in Corvallis, I am eager to start a life away from the safety and security of home.

Below is my very first short movie. Everything was either planned on the spot or improvised as we shot. It was a fun first experience and am writing my next project, which will be way less campy and will focus more on mental health.

Enjoy my cringe-worthy movie!

Introducing: "Director's Cut - The Retreat"

Backstory:

I went on a church retreat with my college ministry, Epic, last fall and most of the photographers of our ministry decided to go on an early morning hike around the campsite forested area. We had heard about a lookout location and wanted to explore it.

Upon arriving, we were in awe at the sight-- fog covered most everything beyond the nearby trees, though a few from a nearby hill that peaked above us pulled back the blanket of fog enough that we could get decent photos of them. 

While shooting the view, one of the folks I was with joked about vlogging about the trip, and with some teamwork, we morphed the idea into a vlog struck by murder and bears. All jokes, but I decided to turn this joke into a reality.

The first five or so minutes get you familiar with the main characters. I was originally planning on releasing a cut-down version that would chop that time in half, then decided against it. After the first five minutes, the storyline speeds up and gets more exciting. 

As previously stated, this movie was not planned out whatsoever, and we didn't really direct anyone. We had a general idea, but that was it. What started out as four of us slowly grew as we included folks to tell the bear sighting story and one jumped into a scene because he had to go to the bathroom.

This movie was incredibly fun to put together, though I'm not even sure if it's that decent. It was shared amongst our college ministry and since they know us all personally, I'm sure they would enjoy it more than strangers. 

Anywho, I'd like to invite you to watch and critique-- I would love the feedback. Even though it's just a fun project that I'll never submit to any filmmaking competition, tell me if you loved it or hated it, in the comments on this blog. 

Stay tuned as I continue to share film projects and updates on where life is taking me!