Chase Garcia

From music videos, short films and feature films, Chase Garcia, a former student, found his passion for cinematography. Garcia left the university after a few semesters and pursued this interest.

“I am currently developing my first feature film as director called ‘Thatcher,’ which is scheduled for shooting in March 2018,” said Garcia. “I’m also the cinematographer for an upcoming feature film, ‘XOXO, Charlie,’ which is a drama that explores the struggles of teen suicide. I’m also working on a feature film called ‘Separated’ this year, but without funding, we can’t proceed with making it.”

Garcia explained the plot of a few of his films.

“‘Separated’ is a film about two sisters who are separated in a recent zombie outbreak,” said Garcia. “‘Thatcher’ is an action film about a former marine turned assassin who, after arriving home to discover his pregnant wife murdered, seeks out revenge against those responsible.”

Garcia shared how he first got into filmmaking.

“During my senior year in high school in 2014, I made my first short film in my backyard on my iPhone,” said Garcia. “After watching the new ‘Star Wars’ movie in 2015, I got fully inspired to become a filmmaker. At that point, I applied myself and studied all the aspects of filmmaking. Now two years later, I’m a working cinematographer and developing my first feature film.”

Garcia discussed his inspiration for filmmaking.

“My inspiration really and truthfully was seeing the filmmakers behind ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ do their thing,” said Garcia. “The behind the scene content was so deep, and the passion they exhibited made me happy. It inspired me to shoot my own movies. I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Garcia made a music video for Hayden Kimball, a senior psychology major and his band Voice Of The Enemy for their single “Burn.” The music video can be found on Garcia’s YouTube channel, Chase Garcia. 

“He was an absolute pleasure to work with,” said Kimball. “He is a great director, firm in his own vision, but also open to other people’s input and ideas. I’d work with him again in a heartbeat.”

Garcia offered advice to anyone considering cinematography.

“If you’re going into cinematography, first off I suggest 

to watch a lot of movies, a lot,” said Garcia. “Nothing can substitute seeing the pros of it. Take your time to inspect things you wouldn’t notice just enjoying the film. Watch how the camera moves for certain moments. Watch how the light is used. Watch a lot of behind the scenes material. Most importantly, study, study, study. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just give yourself a constant flow of knowledge. Personally, I like to watch Film Riot a lot on YouTube.”

Garcia shared what other interests he has beyond making movies, music videos and films.

“When I’m not making movies, I like to watch movies, watch and participate in sporting events and play video games on occasion,” said Garcia.

Kimball discussed his experience working on his music video with Garcia. 

“Chase Garcia is a phenomenal director and a true visionary,” said Kimball. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him, and I look forward to working with him again for many more projects.”

Anyone interested can also follow Garcia on Instagram at chasegarciafm or Facebook at Chase Garcia. Garcia discussed what drew him to pursue cinematography.

“What I enjoy about filmmaking is it gives me the power to create stories,” said Garcia. “I love watching movies and looking deeper into them than the average movie watcher. I love inspecting how the lighting and cinematography is constructed. I love seeing the passion filmmakers have bringing their productions to life. I love feeling that same exact way when I get to make my own films. It’s extremely fulfilling.”