Rising Stars: Meet Christina Vazquez of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Vazquez.

Christina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a female filmmaker originally from New Jersey. My love of film started when I was a kid. I grew up going to the movies almost every weekend and making iMovie trailers with my cousins. It wasn’t until middle school when people started talking about professions that I learned that I could actually do this for a living! Excitement seized my body as I researched every way I could become a filmmaker. I was lucky enough to attend summer camp at New York Film Academy where I learned all the roles it took to create movies and tv shows. But since the very beginning, my favorite aspect of filmmaking was editing. It was the part of the process where I could piece the story together like a puzzle. At NYFA camp, I was taught Premiere and realized this was exactly what I wanted to pursue. From there, I attended Drexel University where my passion only grew and I was surrounded by likeminded people who later became my best friends and crew.
I did an internship program over the summer in LA and absolutely fell in love with the town and the filmmaking energy that runs through it. It was inspiring to see everyone pursuing the same goals and supporting one another. I ended up working at a few commercial/marketing houses and extended my internship for 9 months! I finished up my last year at Drexel and got to work on several projects that I’m very proud of before eventually landing a job back in LA and officially moving across the country. Today, I’m an assistant editor at a trailer house and I do freelance short films and music videos on the side. My goal is to eventually break into film and TV!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a smooth road, unfortunately. There’s always going to be something that blocks you but it’s how you figure it out that counts. I think one of the earliest struggles for my education in filmmaking was the lack of resources and representation. I grew up in a very small town that didn’t have much support for the arts. There was very little interest in film around me. For the longest time I didn’t even know it existed as a career option.
When college applications rolled around asking for portfolios, it felt overwhelming and I wondered if I would ever be able to keep up with the other kids who were constantly creating and learning in their film classes. I decided to take this into my own hands and create opportunities!
I asked around to help create projects for friends, teachers, and coaches. A few creative friends and I created a club where we would do the news, re-create music videos, and anything else slightly silly to get experience with filmmaking! I was involved in the school play as a stage crew member. It was there that I was able to get experience with production design, lighting, costumes, and an overall of behind the scenes. I also began to volunteer to record the football team as a way to start practicing filming with the camera. Although it was only a camcorder, it helped with my confidence and I felt less intimidated once I went to college where I began holding cameras that were worth over $100,000 dollars. Each challenge pushed me to learn faster, to be more resourceful, and develop my voice as a filmmaker.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an editor! My favorite things to create are short films and narrative pieces. I prefer dramas because of the emotional impact they can have on a viewer and long term influence. Since I was very young, I have been recording important moments in my life that I have wanted to preserve and I think that’s what has drawn me to editing the real everyday relatable moments. Some of the stories I’m most proud of telling would be some of my favorite short films such as Heart-Broken Fixed and Dinner Table Talks. They are both stories about how powerful our emotions can be and where they can end up leaving us, both good and bad. They represent the importance of connecting with others and ourselves. I’m always excited to take on new projects and work with different creative minds to develop more as an editor.
I think what sets me apart from others is my perspective and goals of filmmaking in general. Film is more than just an entertainment industry. It is a form of expression to preserve memories, share stories, and evoke emotions. It is one of the most powerful ways to share your voice. I feel lucky to be able to tell these stories because it’s a way to relate to the people you think you’re the most opposite from. I aim to capture authenticity and imperfections, and strive to continue to share real moments as I did when I was young.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk taking is something that is necessary for everyone. Taking risks helps us get to places that aren’t easy to reach and grow in ways that we wouldn’t have otherwise.
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is moving out to LA. I don’t have any family out here and I had a few friends from my internship. I graduated early and left my entire cohort back at college to start a job as soon as possible. That was terrifying! I wasn’t sure I was making the right decision. Everyone else I knew still had another semester of school and were planning on staying on the east coast working or traveling for another year. Meanwhile, I didn’t have anywhere to live, packed up all my belongings in my car, and drove for 7 days without trying to think too hard about what I was leaving behind. I think the key point of risk taking is trusting yourself. Trusting that you’re making the right decision and that it will all work out, even if its not the way you imagined. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am in my career without taking this leap of faith and trusting my gut that this was the right thing to do!

Pricing:

• Always open to freelance work, price depends on the project size and deadlines!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stinavaz.wixsite.com/filmsbystina
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsbystina/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinavazquez713/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMPFtS2g4E-fFim75ql_Gzw/videos