Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacque Rabie.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jacque. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My interest in the arts began, oddly enough, in-game design. Not so much for the mechanics or the programming aspect, but the stories. The vast sprawling worlds of games like Fallout: New Vegas or Batman: Arkham City, or the nuances and depth in character from Red Dead Redemption one or The Last of Us.
For some reason or other, I never saw these traits in film. I instead focused on creating apps, netting hundreds of thousands of downloads in total. However, I had a singular, defining moment in high school when watching Niell Blompkamp’s sci-fi masterpiece District 9. It was downright incredible – it had everything I wanted in a movie. Then I looked it up and saw that the film was also a political commentary, I was like “holy shit movies can do that?” It was my first taste of the power of cinema, and six years later I’m here making weird arthouse shorts (though I would love to return to game design at some point in my life).
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’ve been very lucky to have a supportive family and, while first learning, access to fantastic actors through my high school’s theater program. Using my friend’s cannon DSLR I handled every aspect of production as I began making movies. Working with young actors who took it as seriously as me, and having no one to help me on production was the best thing that could have happened – forcing me to learn it all at once.
Like anyone writing and directing things, I hate most of what I make. Starting out, this was especially frustrating because I could never close the gap between my creative ambitions and the output in my movies. The amount of times I’ve wanted to quit because a long-term, personal project hasn’t turned out how I wanted is embarrassingly high. That gap is slowly, but surely closing; don’t get me wrong, I’m still far from being entirely proud of my work, but oftentimes I can’t help but fall head over heels in love with a new idea.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m an independent writer/director who creates content for a myriad of platforms. In this, I have the flexibility to work for others (such as a music video I’m currently directing for Dogfish LLC) while also running my own ventures – such as my Vimeo channel or the independent company being set up for a feature I’m writing, directing, and co-producing (and currently looking for further financing for).
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I probably would have tried to find film a little earlier in life. I’ve always loved being creative, but I wish I had found the perfect medium for that earlier than 9th grade.
Contact Info:
- Website: Vimeo.com/jacquerabie
- Email: jacquejrabie@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/JacqueRabie
Image Credit:
Credit to Alex Edep in reference to the dogfish music video.
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