my passion: filmmaking
I’ve bounced between interests over the years, passions ranging from teaching high school history or shovel-bumming as an archaeologist to even chasing tornados out west as a storm chaser. However, despite my eclectic waxing and waning interests over the years, one thing has remained a consistent staple of my sense of self – I am meant to be a filmmaker. I truly enjoy making things for my own enjoyment, and if others enjoy it as well, that’s fun too! That’s why, in part, I know this is what I need to pursue. There’s just something special about film that truly brings me happiness and inspires me in a multitude of ways. I won’t lie, I lost the plot for a little while (like half a decade), but in the past year or so I’ve gotten back on track. There is so much I want to create that I’ve suppressed for so long. So although my filmography may be lacking at present, all that means is there’s more space on the page for me to fill in with what’s to come. I truly have a drive to succeed and to make art that has an impact on myself and others in a way that, hopefully, makes the world a better place. If this all sounds intense, it’s because to me, it is.
Just for fun, and a chance to cringe some at my younger self, let’s take a trip down memory lane. That being said, here’s a brief history of my experience with video:
Quick Note: If you’d like to see some more of my recent work, check out the other submenus under the “video” tab on the homepage.
Ever since I was little I was uploading short films to YouTube, recording “let’s plays” of my favorite video games, writing scripts for zombie apocalypse movies, making stop-motion Lego clips on my 3DS, and daydreaming of one day giving my acceptance speech at the Oscars. Who knows if that’ll actually ever happen, but hey, it’s worth shooting for the stars, right? To the right is one of the “brickfilms” I made circa 2012 as an eight-year old.
About a year later, I created my first ever live-action short film: “Mountain of the Dead” (2013). This was my pre-teen magnum opus. I even wrote out a whole script, storyboarded, etc. (the whole nine yards). However, my other nine-year old friends didn’t take direction very well, so it broke boundaries as more of a horror / improv piece.
During the winter of 2016, my parents bought me a Canon Rebel t6i that I had been at the top of my Christmas list. It was then that I founded my main YouTube channel at the time… “Blake’s Cinema.” The first showing was uploaded on Christmas Eve, “Popcorn” — a short video about, well, popcorn (which was/is one of my favorite snacks). It opened to a warm reception and now sits at a respectable 513 views with 30 likes almost a decade later. While I sometimes cringe looking back, I keep my early videos up for nostalgia as well as a reminder of how far I’ve come since then. Granted, it may not be as far as I’d like, but that’s why I’m always looking to improve. I actually still use the same t6i to this day and don’t plan to upgrade anytime soon (partially because I’m a broke college student and new cameras are thousands of dollars). I digress:
That next spring I learned about the Roanoke Bike Shorts Film Festival and submitted “The Beckoning Bicycle” (a short film made with the help of my Mom and Sister). Much to my surprise, after the film festival they announced live in the theater that I had won the “Best Teen Film” award. It meant a lot to me and was a very encouraging moment. To the left is a picture of my Sister and me with the trophy they gave us. I also filmed parts of the evening and made a musical vlog of the experience!
My next big project was later in 2017, a fan-made music video of one of my favorite songs, “You and Me” by Tally Hall. I’m still very proud of this one for many reasons.
From there into 2018, I posted a couple more musical vlog videos and another Bike Shorts short film (which won an audience choice award) before going into an extended hiatus. I’m not necessarily sure why I stopped posting videos, but I wouldn’t publicly publish anything again until the summer of 2020 (a relatively long time later given my age at the time). By that point I had shut the door on “Blake’s Cinema” and migrated to a new YouTube channel, simply titled “blake” in all lowercase. Despite my rebrand after 2020, I didn’t post anything else for another five years…. My creative drive never went away, but my motivation certainly took a hit. I also developed an unrealistic expectation of perfection for anything I made (a mindset I’m continually working on reframing in a more positive way). It was throughout this period that my interest in film slightly waned as I adopted the mindset that it was an impractical career field and I’d be better off doing other things. Now, that may or may not still ring true, however, I’m at a point in life where I’m willing to take that risk either way. No matter what, I know things will work out how they’re supposed to.
One of the things responsible for reigniting my passion for film after all this time was taking Professor Swerzenski’s Introduction to Video Production Class last spring as a Junior at UMW. Below is my final project for the class (which is also the first video I had publicly uploaded in almost five years). I shot this whole thing on my good ‘ol Sony Handycam CCD-TRV85 (from 1998) with the help of a classmate in just a few hours. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but I think it’s fun. I love the “analog” aesthetic and shooting on Hi8 tape remains one of my favorite means of expression through video.
Since then, I’ve been hard at work trying to learn as much as I can while also juggling my interest (and major) in Historic Preservation. I think there’s a niche to be carved where I can combine the two, so fingers crossed and praying.
During my year-long internship with the James Monroe Museum, I created “A Minute with Monroe” – Which I think is a good example of the ways in which Historic Preservation and film can blend together.
Also, as part of the Lively Internship, I created a four-episode miniseries in collaboration with University Communications covering the history of important buildings at UMW.
There’s lots more I could talk about, but as of March 2026 (when this page was made), that’s a decent abridged history of my experience with filmmaking and media creation! I’m always trying to stay busy with new things, so stick around and check out some of the other menus on my website to learn more! More than anything I hope to make a positive difference in the world one way or another. Thank you!
-blake 🙂