(stauffenberg on the far left; hitler in the middle)

valkyrie:

it was pretty exciting to watch this with my german stepdad.

a historically accurate, and intense political thriller.

i didn't know too much about the july plot. i only knew that this was a story about a man who attempted to assassinate adolph hitler. while watching valkyrie, i learned about a whole new side of germany. more than just an assassination attempt, claus von stauffenberg held the ambition to save germany from disaster. there was too much at stake if hitler was to stay in power.

i am honestly mesmerized by this story of loyalty and sacrifice. stauffenberg and his men had the utmost ambition to do what was right; they tried their best to bring justice upon hitler. this is something that i would've enjoyed learning more about in history class.

i appreciate how bryan singer tells this story. he shows great attention to detail, and manages to leave no room for bs. the story is taut, and every minute of it is focused on the july plot. and for a historical movie, it's not boring either. artistically, the filmmakers knew how to place their audience in this threatening situation. although we know the fate of these good men, we still hope for their plans to succeed.

what did my stepdad think of it?

erich thought it was awesome!

the curious case of benjamin button:

the film definitely holds your curiosity about benjamin button. it moves through the motions of growing up with this strange character who doesn't exactly live in the same universe as everyone else. the audience is drawn to what life would look like if you grew younger everyday.

in an interview with "living in cinema", directer david fincher explains how he imagined the two characters of benjamin and daisy as two halves of a whole-- two people who are meant to be with each other. what's interesting is that their time together is defined through their time apart. benjamin and daisy live separate lifestyles until they find the right timing to be with each other.

although a love story at it's core, i appreciate how thematically layered the story is. it wrestles with life, death and acceptance. as we grow younger with benjamin, we certainly don't view life by its minutes but by its moments. as the story plays out episodically through the different stages of benjamin's life, we learn that he holds a unique quality of acceptance. this allows him to truly appreciate what is given and taken away. through his patience, benjamin values every moment in his life.

i like how the filmmakers did not let the story fall into it's own gimmickry. it stays away from being too picture-perfect. the filmmakers knew when to step out of the fantasy tale by cutting back to old daisy in the hospital room. this modern day element allows the audience to stay grounded in reality-- thinking about what might happen next before falling back into more episodes of benjamin button's life. in the end, we find all the pieces and episodes come together as a whole in the end-- just like the relationship between benjamin and daisy.

it surprises me to see this film being unfairly compared to forrest gump. could it be because eric roth wrote both films? i recognized a small similarity with its structure in storytelling however, the curious case of benjamin button still holds a completely different narrative and vision. if comparisons are to be made, this story excels artistically because of its mature and introspective viewpoint on humanity.

finals are over!

it's been a great semester.

a lot of learning, growing, and new experiences. i'm feeling more confident in the fact that this is what i'm suppose to be doing-- not just studying film, but pursuing it through faith. throughout this fall semester, it's become clear to me how much i need to put my trust in God. i cannot place confidence in my own devices and works; my confidence must be placed in God alone.

one experience that certainly changed me was during my documentary project.

while making the first cut of my "hallowed" documentary, i decided to hide the element of faith because i thought that i would lose my audience's attention. i became ashamed of my faith. however, God worked through this documentary school project (how scary is that) to teach me what it really means to have self-less faith.

oswald chambers once said that people "want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter." when i believed that my faith was self-less, God showed me where my faith really stood. i was in much denial and found myself not wanting to take in the truth. but thanks to His persistence, i took in what i needed to hear.

i submitted "hallowed" to the 10th annual epidemic film festival along with my other short film "rise". "hallowed" won the Best Documentary award-- i was absolutely thrilled :).

when i accepted that award, i realized that this was something that i did not accomplish alone. through this experience, i was reminded of how God truly does not leave us the way we are. He is always faithful! in return, i must always place my confidence and faith in Him. always.

"Your will above all else, my purpose remains

The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control

Consume from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace

To love you from the inside out"

Today, God has taught me that Thanksgiving is not about our circumstances, but instead it is about our perspective.

I am thankful for the simple things in my life.

I am thankful

for my family,

for my friends,

for my education,

for my living situation,

for my opportunities,

for my choices.

On a more personal note, i am thankful

for being God's beloved,

for what He gives and takes away,

for the deserts and pain, because this let's me know that i am alive in Him,

for His unconditional love,

for redemption and hope.

If I am not thankful for any of these things,

then I pray for a thankful heart.

it's been an intense couple of weeks!

i've re-edited my hallowed documentary for the final cut. it all came together, and i'm glad to say that i've received a lot of positive feedback from my professors and classmates. although a ton of weight has fallen off of my shoulders, there was still something that i didn't feel completely satisfied about.

i assumed that this was the only challenge that i needed to face and overcome. however, i've forgotten and come to realize that there was more than one thing that i wasn't doing right in my walk with God. i became aware of my other mistakes--

we truly are imperfect beings, but we don't know it all the time. we often lose ourselves in this shroud, and it's not easy to recognize the buried issues that hinder us-- pride, lust, the need to control, taking pleasure in idols, anger. it becomes a long list, and yea.. it can be a total guilt trip. but recognizing these flaws within ourselves, and lifting them all up to God is where we find the true beauty in the Holy Spirit. God loves us so much that He needs to keep us accountable, no matter how painful it is. that truly is unconditional love.

my pastor on sunday spoke briefly of judgment day during his message. he asked us if we thought if this was good news. a lot of people did not really know how to respond. i didn't know how to respond-- was this something to feel enthusiastic about? the wrath of God?

"this is good news," said pastor sean. actually, it is great news. he explained that God loves us so much that He needs to keep us accountable by bringing justice upon us. "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (john 3:16)

God loves us enough to accept us just as we are. but He loves us too much to leave us that way.

just being reminded of all of this has made my heart heavy throughout the past couple of weeks. throughout my studies, and my free time.. God has kept me accountable, and i am very grateful for that.

"Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still i will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord"

Screening "RISE" at Hallowed: an Underground Awakening

About the Event

"Hallowed is an annual collaborative event that provides an opportunity for artists and participants to explore the connections between artistic expression and spirituality. Our theme this year is Lens: focused on compassion. 

Join us for an awesome night of film, photography, spoken word and amazing music! We are partnering with agencies advocating for justice - International Justice Mission, Call + Response, Food for the Hungry, CityTeam, and the Santa Clara County Environmental Planning Commission. There will be powerful short films on compassion being screened. We will also be premiering my short filmSink. The bands and musicians are off the hook – Finding Mercury, After Sunday, Edge, Elohim Pichardo, DJ Incognito, and an open mic hosted by Jonah. 

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed.  Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” (Isaiah 1:17) We are using the arts to spread awareness and inspire everyone to take action! My vision is to see hearts and lives transformed. The power of art can change the world! Guests will leave with an awareness that we are the solution to injustice and we can make a difference!"

Hallowed: an underground awakening
Saturday, October 25th at 7pm
The Oasis
200 N First Street
San Jose, CA  95112
Free Event

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i've finished making my short film "RISE" :).

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it all came out-- and I'm especially thankful for my two good friends, Jeff Bacani and Nick Corvello, who played the two main roles in this piece.

I've been given the opportunity to screen "RISE" at the 6th annual Hallowed event which I've mentioned above. Very excited to watch this with a large audience :). And I'm very much hoping to see this story contribute to the cause of this event: using our artwork to make a difference.

We'll also be screening "Sink" for the first time at this event. I haven't mentioned this earlier (thanks to my failed commitment to updating this blog), but I've been attached as one of the main editors for "Sink". I can't express how many problems we've run into during the editing process. Post-production for a 35mm project is definitely no joke-- especially when it's handed down to a couple of editors with no professionally related experience! We're definitely learning a lot though.. that's always a plus.

Anyways, the final cut for "Sink" isn't due for another month or so. We're still planning on transferring the footage to HD, which will take some time. I'll try to update regularly on how that process is going.

there's only time to do a project.. and another one.. and another one after that. when there's leftover time, i get to catch up on tv shows, grab a burrito, play one exhibition game of mlb the show, or do this. what i really should be doing is catching up on my sleep... right? sleep...

i've been working on a short film recently which i've been pretty excited about. the title of it is "rise" and the theme of the story revolves around the act of letting go of our burdens.

i'm pretty excited because this is the first time i got to shoot a project on my new hd canon hv30 camcorder-- capturing in 24p. although this higher format requires a little more patience during post-production, the results definitely make up for it.

like in any new project, i'm trying to experiment with new methods of storytelling. for "rise," i've been focusing my attention on sound design, and placement of music. i'm hoping to create a compelling experience through moments of silence, and allowing the subtlety of that to help develop the characters in the story.

i'm still in the middle of editing it right now--

i should be finished with it by next week!