Final Project

No Luck Plug from Jessica Vasquez on Vimeo.

Interview Project

Interview from Akram I on Vimeo.

Sound Walk: Astoria, Queens

I decided to walk along my block, located in a half-suburban, half-urban neighborhood right by Astoria, Queens. Though a generally quiet neighborhood, it is surrounded by distinct noises. The ambient background noise is disrupted by the to-and-fro chirps of birds unseen in the distance. The wind blows and the noise of rustling leaves pollute the ground. As I pass by my neighbor's house, the small otherwise quiet dog lets out high pitched barks that fade into the distance as I move further from him. When I approach the highway intersection, you can hear the subtle zooming of cars but not a single horn. I walk around the block, towards the park where you can heard the inaudible shouts of children playing. Amidst the quietest of sounds, I forget that I live by LaGuardia Airport. A single plane flies over my head making me look up, the noises of the turbines are the loudest when closest to me and fade away in just a matter of seconds. Now, not everything is as peaceful as it was. The airplane has set off car alarms, more than one, with repetitive beeps that aren't in sync with each other. The dog starts again, and the car alarms come to an immediate halt, and just like that everything is serene once again.

Define A Space Final

Defining A Space from Akram I on Vimeo.

Artist Statement

I see myself as an artist before I see myself as a filmmaker, encompassing all mediums from film photography to watercolor painting. That being said, film is my favorite medium of expressing myself. I draw inspiration from all creative and design fields including graphic design, architecture, fashion, painting, etc. In addition to the designs forms I take inspiration from, a lot of it comes from everyday life, whether it is the book I’m reading or a situation I’ve encountered. My desire to curate my taste and keep a visual diary of my inspiration is displayed on my personal blog, which is subscribed to by people who share similar interests and taste.

When it comes down to any medium, my taste is very specific. Since filmmaking is the field I’m most interested in, I’ve put a lot of thought into my vision as a filmmaker. The films I’m most interested in, are those with a specific subject matter. When it comes to both documentary and fiction filmmaking, the filmmakers who portray a subculture, that otherwise would be unexplored, interests me the most. For example, in fiction film-making, the film City of God explores the subculture of youth living in Brazilian slums. Documentary-wise, films like “Russia’s Toughest Prisons” gives us a glimpse into the world of maximum security prisons in Russia are quite interesting to me as well. I hope that one day as a filmmaker, I can travel the world and show real-life aspects of people and how they live, people that would otherwise go unnoticed. I want to show their culture, their rituals, their interactions, their problems and their achievements, whether it is through fiction or non-fiction.

When it comes to things that inspire me, I draw inspiration from everyday life. When I’m looking for inspiration, I look through design blogs, magazines, and archives. In addition, I will visit museums every time there is a new exhibit, especially if it is artists/art periods I have never seen before. My favorite thing to do is sit at the New York Public Library and read on subjects I’m unfamiliar with. I realize there is a world out there to explore, knowledge to obtain, and sights to see and that is what I wish to capture in my film, and my art as whole.
What I hope to produce through my inspiration, is both experimental and objective art and film. I want to make visually-striking movies (much like Wes Anderson) with very well constructed soundtracks. I want my work to portray my aesthetic as a designer and a filmmaker and to be a