Hello, I am Tyler Crissman, a film student at Freestyle Academy. Next year, I am attending UC Berkeley on a track to major in film. At Berkeley and after I graduate, I intend to fit film into my professional career, however I do not plan on necessarily working in the film industry directly. I love film and want to use my skills somehow but I do not see myself pursuing it as the only option. I want to keep my doors open, and not put myself in a box with my career.
For my Senior Showcase, I chose to present my experimental song Gateway. The reason I chose this song instead of one of my films for the showcase is because throughout my freestyle career I have gotten good feedback on all of my work from my peers and particularly by my teacher, so I felt I wouldn’t get as much out of simply more film feedback. However what I have not gotten in depth feedback on was my experimental song. Although I have not made a lot of music (and am not the most skilled), I am very passionate about music and love the process of creating it. I thought that getting professional feedback on my song would give me some really interesting insight into how I can improve and what I did well moving forward. I was also curious where you think my strengths as a musical artist are and how well I executed my vision. Lastly I am curious to hear how the piece makes you feel, and how well the atmosphere of the song presents itself to someone more familiar with the medium.
Showcase Video
My Showcase video is pretty self explanatory, however there is an extra detail to add on. Although I intend to pursue film (to an extent), music production is something I am going to chase as well. This project inspired me to create a dozen custom albums. Now although these albums did not have any music, I created the album art (front and back cover as well as vinyl discs), the track lists (including song length, style, and feature), and the concept that the albums follow. Essentially making my own discography in every way… except creating the actual music. Despite my clear lack of musical ability, my creativity flows very well into music, as my knack for story telling that I express through film can also be applied to music. The most interesting music to me is music that tells a story, immerses you into a world, and provides an entire experience. This music production unit showed me that music is something I would love to continue as a hobby, and keep in my back pocket as a skill and passion should the opportunity arise.
Film Reel
Looking back on my work in film was eye opening to say the least. Seeing where I started from and where I am now is like light and day, however there are still some things that caught me off guard. I think I have grown most in my knowledge and application of “good film”, meaning I understand how to make a film technically sound, whereas that was not so much the case early last year. One thing that did surprise me however is that I still had an eye for certain types of shots, and visually appealing shots. Every single film featured in my reel (aside from my documentary) had a shot that I love, and a shot that I find to be one of the best I have ever done. Even back to my experimental film which was created before we had hardly any lessons on camera work.
Aside from that small detail however, the improvement and ambition that is seen through the timeline of films is incredible to see. Something that has remained constant throughout my 2 years in film is my passion and potential. Every film I have worked on I have constantly been searching for the next best shot. The next way to tell the story in a stylized way. Most importantly I have always shown my creativity and unique vision. This vision and creative foundation is one of the only aspects of an artist that I truly believe cannot be learned. You may be able to learn how to present your ideas better, or even think more outside the box, but true passion and creativity is something that is inherent to an individual, and the trait that I am most proud of.
Final Reflection
Freestyle Academy has shaped me and my artistic ability so much it is hard to put it in words. I feel like this project is one of the best representations of this progression, as it presents me tackling a totally new medium of art, using new technology, while doing so in an out of the box way. Throughout my journey as a Freestyle student I have developed a unique voice of my own, speaking through the styles and vision of the art I produce. I allow influences to inspire me and my work in a way never before possible, and I get the opportunity to collaborate in a way that can be found nowhere else. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and I really feel like there is no boundary I can reach if I apply myself and put in the effort as I have done these past 2 years.