formative films - an introduction.

in a desperate effort to have more film-related content on the blog, I'm going to start a series of posts called "formative films," detailing films that have not only shaped my cinematic tastes, but my professional and personal lives as well.

these are the films that inspired to me to write, to go to film school, to seek out internships, and to work with some of the people responsible for making independent cinema the inspiring, multifaceted beast that it is today.

while I still struggle every day to both make ends meet and establish myself in an industry that is constantly changing and filled with some of the most vapid, self-absorbed people on the planet, these films all continue to inspire me to push forward while staying true to my artistic goals. and every day I'm thankful for the academy award nominees, golden globe winners, and emmy winners that I've had the pleasure to work with and get to know over the years.

despite all of the hardships, it's still worth it. and it always will be.

hopefully my words will make some of you go and see these films for the first time, or maybe you'll revisit them in a new light.

or maybe you'll all hate these posts and only pay attention when I give you free music.

but I hope not.

music inspires me to create as well, but these films do so much more. they inspire me to go to new places within myself in the hope of bringing back something profound, which I believe is the ultimate goal of any artist who lives and breathes for his or her craft. they inspire me to see the beauty in the mundane, in the ugly, in the horrific.

basically, in everyday life.

and I hope they can do the same for you.