Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Richardson.
Hi Christian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My mother and father were intermittently gone for a lot of my upbringing. My dad was a sound engineer always on tour with Elton John, and my mother is a flight attendant, so she was the one that would raise us when she wasn’t traveling the world… This allowed us to go on many trips around the world since flying standby is free! She raised me and my sister alone most of the time. Whenever my dad came home, one of our favorite things was to watch a movie together. Now, he wouldn’t show me princess movies or kids’ movies; he would show me war movies because those were my favorite. Clint Eastwood was my god growing up. Someone’s movies who always attracted me was Spielberg; I loved Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, and all his other movies, but my favorite was absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, raiders of the Lost Ark. I had no idea what a director was at the time, but I decided then and there I wanted to make movies. When I was a young kid, phone cameras weren’t exactly the best, so I started to film small movies on my dad’s camcorder when I was about 10. I would always ask for my friends’ help, but they were never quite as enthusiastic as me. As I got into my teens, I would record gaming videos and livestreams, which, while largely unsuccessful, gave me a burning desire to succeed from a young age. When Covid hit during my sophomore year of high school, I had nothing fun going on in my life, so I started vlogging and streaming basically full-time. This is when I started to develop a strong passion for all sides of filmmaking. I loved coming up with ideas for skits, bits, and funny little stories. I loved directing my friends when filming the stories, and I loved editing them together in a fun and unique way. Even to this day, my passion for all three is unwavering and equal. As high school started to end, and I was finishing up my first short film, I was unsure if I wanted to go to film school or try to pursue film without school. I ultimately decided on the former when I realized I would miss out on the college experience. To this point, I had a handful of disjointed vlogs, bits, and videos to go along with a short film. I decided I had a lot to learn. So, when I arrived at CSUN in the fall of ‘22, I was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed for LA. I was disappointed to find when I arrived that I would only be given one film class a semester as an underclassman. I found myself even more disappointed when I enjoyed my GEs far more than either of my two film class I had attended at CSUN. Around this time, I started writing my second short film “Trench Coats”. My passion for this story caused a lack of care for my film classes, as I would rather work on the project in my dorm than attend the classes I found pointless. Combined I went to both film classes about four times total, (I left halfway through the first day of my last film class when I realized all we would do in the class is watch a movie. I felt I had better ways to spend my time, so I spent my time in other ways. The whole second semester of my freshman year was spent creating “Trench Coats”. The project was extremely difficult, as it was a cry for help against the horrors of mental illness and mass shootings in this country. When I first wrote the story, I wrote scenes with guns on a campus location. Looking back, this would be an impossible challenge I spent many unfruitful months trying to conquer. Eventually, I ditched the idea of the guns and decided to just film in a way in which we wouldn’t see the guns. The problem was I still didn’t have access to a school to film on. So, with no other options, I started to scout around CSUN. I spent three weeks checking which building are dead at specific dates and times. After I finally picked my building, we got to shooting. This project alone deserves a deep dive as Sonic’s happened. To fix my lack of guns problem, I shot the video with someone holding a gun in front of a white background. I overlayed this in a psychedelic way. Looking back at this project, I’m grateful for my ability to always bite off more than anyone thinks I can chew, as it’s made me the filmmaker I am today. When I completed shooting the project close to the end of my second semester, I already made up my mind that I was done with school. So, I dropped out and moved back home to the Bay Area for the time being, as the Hollywood strike was just underway. Overall, my short career has taught me more life lessons than I could’ve asked for; it’s forced me to grow for the better in ways that would’ve been unachievable otherwise.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think it’s ever a smooth road for anybody. Life is never what you expect it to be; whether that’s good or bad is ultimately up to the individual. I like the fact that the road has a lot of turns. Wouldn’t it be boring if someone spoiled the movie before you saw it? I always attempt to have that mindset; it takes growth. My life has taken so many twists and turns over the last two years that it doesn’t surprise me anymore. I apply it to creativity, when I have trusted the twists and turns of the project, every single time it has turned out better. I lost my job recently while writing a passion project of mine. When sitting in the office hearing the news then and there, I decided this was the time to take the leap of faith. I’m going to put all my chips I’ve got into this project. The story of the cunning, unpredictable, and irresponsible Jaguar; the world’s most rhythmic emphatic assassin. Jaguar Bite V2
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an equal part writer, director, and editor. I go by the pseudo name “Jim Orange” as it makes me feel no pressure to create a certain way; Jim Orange can be whoever I want him to be. Overall, I am most proud of how much I have improved since I started so long ago; it makes all the failures feel worth it. I feel as though my many experiences as a young adult set me apart. I’ve seen more of the world by 19 than most people within many lifetimes, so it allows me to have a unique worldview.
How do you define success?
I’ve always felt like I haven’t achieved real success. The problem is arts like a toy. You will work on a project for months, days, or years and then finally complete it. You feel so good; you finally overcame the wall! Then, like a shiny new toy, each day, that project becomes a little less important to you. There’s some other story that excites you, and boom. The cycle continues. It’ll tear your heart apart, but it’s worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: jimorangesmagicaltime.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/christian_richardson
- Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCzE-GGwfq3QgsUWQaRaqfPQ?sub_confirmation=1
Image Credits
Ravi Neill
Kyle Bettis
