My final self-portrait is a very personal one. I chose to create a movie poster for my first-ever feature film, Bloom. Bloom was a final project that I did for what the "capstone" class for my major, Media Arts, used to be. Because of the university's lack of acknowledgment of the Arts programs, it no longer runs as a capstone class. But I'm very happy that I was able to take that class last year as it allowed me to create this project.
Bloom was something I wanted to create because of my love of nature in general, but especially cherry blossoms and this time of year when they bloom. I have always loved them for as long as I could remember, and I wanted to include them as much as possible in this short film wherever I could find them. In one of the readings, Yoko Ono said "I like watching Cherry Blossoms from afar. In spring it looks like beautiful pink clouds on the ground!" Bloom was shown at the 40th annual NJCU Media Arts Showcase on May 19th, 2022. I am so incredibly proud of this film and it marks just the beginning of my career. This is my first movie poster, but hopefully not my last! It was such a thrill to see my first piece of work on the "big" screen. The Showcase was held outside in the courtyard behind Hepburn. It was a perfect, beautiful Spring night; and it was a feeling I will never forget, seeing my work showcased for the first time. There were some technical issues with the footage that I wish I could have fixed, but ultimately could never find out why those issues persisted - so it makes it unique in its own way.
The opening scene was a scene that I filmed while sitting on the roof of my mom's car as she was slowly driving down a street in North Bergen so I could show the beauty of the white cherry blossoms on that day. We definitely got some interesting looks as we drove down the block! I'm so grateful to my mom because she was always up for just about anything and everything I needed to get that "perfect shot". Bloom has inspiration from Wendy Red Star's piece: Four Seasons. It has specific inspiration from the spring piece, as well. "In this sense, her series represents a strategic mode of intervention into the conventions of portraiture and can be understood through its signifiers of race, cultural rootedness, and female agency, tying this body of work instead to self-portraiture precedents like artists like Carrie Mae Weems, Ana Mendieta, and Laura Aguilar." This quote is something I really enjoyed reading, and I'm glad I could connect it to my own artwork. In reading more about Yoko Ono's thoughts on cherry blossoms, I found out this: "In Japan, you always check the cherry blossom in April. It's everywhere. People go to the park to watch the beautiful flowers. That's called HANAMI. 'Observing the Flowers' ritual." It's so beautiful to know that cherry blossoms are so big in Japan, and one day I'd like to go and see them for myself, as I love Japanese culture.
The images in this poster are stills that I took for Bloom and are definitely some of my favorite, cinematography-wise. I had to be very precise in taking these shots, and I am very proud of how they turned out. I plan to bring the actual poster to class alongside a flash drive with the file of Bloom.
Another small note that I'd like to add is that every single one of my selfies that I have done for this semester all had their own unique titles. At the beginning of the semester, Professor Cacoilo asked me why I named my pieces what I did. Well, each and every one of them, except this one, were all the titles of Jimmy Buffett songs. I had fun keeping it a secret as long as I could, and I chose them because I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan! Since I already completed all my major requirements last semester, this was the only art-related class that I took during my final semester at NJCU, and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed taking this class, and it did push me out of my comfort zone. Looking back, I enjoyed creating each week. So, without further adieu, here is the movie poster for Bloom. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did creating it.
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| "Bloom" movie poster Nick Camejo |
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