Life & Work with Oscar Vernon Jr of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oscar Vernon Jr.

Hi Oscar, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a Guatemalan-American, born and raised in Los Angeles. My parents were influences for my love of film. We always made it a tradition to catch the newest movie. I remember the first time I saw Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. My parents took me to see it for my six year old birthday. The opening scene blew my mind as a kid. As the movie continued, I imagined myself creating expansive worlds and being apart of them as a character. Little did I realize at the time, I was wanting to be a writer and an actor. When I attended Glendale Community College, I took a film course under Professor Geri Ulrey. I immediately went home and couldn’t stop talking about this single course with my parents during dinner. Afterwards, I had transferred to Pasadena City College and continued pursuing my filmmaking career. I had been told that I would have to take an acting class because it would help me better understand actors as a screenwriter. I was super nervous in taking the acting class but I moved forward with it. This is where I met my wonderful partner, who is also a very talented actress. After completing Acting I, she convinced me to take Acting II with her and our friends. It was a great experience in continuing my skills in acting. She told me of an acting program that she had been taking for a couple years, and suggested that I should try it. After Pasadena City College, acquiring two associates, I transferred to California State University – Northridge (CSUN) to pursue my Bachelor in screenwriting. While, I was attending CSUN, I took the program my partner had mentioned. My teachers were Yvette-Janine Pardo and Maegan McConnell. They both taught me so much and I helped me continue my love for acting. During my time at CSUN, I was acting in short films, while doing my assignments in screenwriting. While I love acting and writing, I ended up liking cameras. I started watching YouTube videos of different filmmakers like Danny Gevirtz, Gian Carlo Stigliano, and Austin J Rupp. They were all creatives as directors, cinematographers, and videographers. So, I decided to learn how to use a camera and I started to really enjoy it. I became inspired by cinematographers like Greig Fraser, and more recently Autumn Durald Arkapaw to pursue my skills as a cinematographer and photographer. I have been so lucky to be apart of so many different projects as an actor, on-set photographer, and cinematographer. I continue to write my own personal projects, while working on others. I am very excited to continue as an actor, photographer, cinematographer, screenwriter, and director.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road. I try to move with life through the ups and downs, the good and the bad. I was working while attending CSUN. During the end of my second to last semester, my job was closed down. I also had to leave my acting program because of finances. Being a freelance photographer, cinematographer, and actor, it is normal to be told that you could possibly not be a fit for a project. It’s tough to receive a no. I once wrote a short film and was the writer, director, cinematographer, producer, and even acted a small part in it because the original actor was sick. We started at 8pm and didn’t finish until 3am. It was a long night and I learned a lot. I didn’t get to release it because the audio wasn’t salvageable and that was on me. I am grateful to have experienced working on that project. I was super nervous being the director but having my partner, friends, and families support helped me through it. I have days where I am in my room, and feel stuck. I do my best to push myself to be creative. This is my dream and goal in becoming a filmmaker in almost all corners. I want to create sci-fi, fantasy, drama, horror, and many more stories. I thank my partner, friends, parents, and family for supporting me.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor, writer, photographer, cinematographer, videographer, and director. I feel that besides acting, I specialize as a unit still photographer (on-set photographer). When I’m not taking behind the scenes photos on set, I’m writing. I mainly specialize in writing fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I’ve always been inspired by movies, tv series, video games, and books like Jurassic Park, The Witcher, Blade Runner, Dune, Star Wars, and more. I feel that I am most proud of taking behind the scenes photography when on sets. I love being able to capture people in their zones, working together to bring together a project by sharing a vision. When I’m not doing photography, I also feel most proud of myself as an actor. Bringing a character from script to screen is a real good feeling, especially when the crew are happy with it. I continue to work this side of my craft because I want to be an amazing actor. I still have such more to learn and improve on. And I’m excited to continue working on it.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think something surprising that most people don’t know about me is that I was and am into sports. I started to play basketball when I was four years old and stopped at around fourteen when I started my first year of high school. During my sophomore year, I got into Cross Country and Volleyball. During my junior I trained for the LA Marathon. When it was my last year as a senior, I was involved in Cross Country, Soccer, and Volleyball. I haven’t ran, played soccer, or volleyball except the occasional times at the beach. I do walks and hikes, every now and then. Something that I’ve wanted to get into is boxing workouts. I find it to be interesting and a good way to exercise while also practicing self-defense.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oscarvernonjr.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscarvernonjr/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oscarvernonjr

Image Credits
Daniel Rivas
Tova Petty