SKETCHBOOK is a series of personal writings accompanied by the drawings that power my films.
(Click the drawings to access the films.)
Riding the afterglow of graduation, I dedicated my new found freedom to my next project.
Half a decade in the making, this project is not a finished piece, but a solid framework, a mode of making.
I began producing inside this framework after completing RiTUAL TO UNiTY and as I have created a couple of works now, I want to share the 1st volume and some thoughts along the way.
Let’s get into it.
My 5 year odyssey of studying in London really boiled down to a simple question; what films do I want to make?
On this path I chased a feeling — first experienced when I started drawing six years ago.
In 2019, during military service we couldn’t use phones, so, inspired by a fellow soldier, artist, and now bestie, I kept a tiny sketchbook. Our superiors thought we were taking notes — I was figuring out how to draw decent faces.
My sketchbook became a refuge, a challenge, a place for quiet reflection.
In that spirit, I wanted to make films by letting the pages of my sketchbook come alive. I wanted to spend my time present, immersed in meditation.
As a curious nerd, I became convinced artificial intelligence would allow me to draw films straight from my sketchbook. I became convinced there are ways to weave automation into filmmaking without making slop.
So I found a way to put the inky lines on paper into motion — automated by technology that feels like magic.
Less Scorsese, more DalÃ.
Narratives emerging not from well-edited scripts but a deep connection to subconscious thought.
That’s the dream.
Making films without a lost soul required intense negotiation with AI and its role as a collaborator.
After lots and lots of testing, I feel like I found balance.
The link between sketchbook lines and the films that grow out of them feels alive. The results are fluid, and it’s exciting to see my dreams finally become reality.
I worked really hard to get to this place where things are simple and straight forward. And as more of my brain flows into my sketchbook, I will keep on sharing its pages.
Until next time.