JASON JOE ANGCO-BARRERA
DIRECTOR~WRITER~
STORYTELLER
Industry Prepared. Work Ready. Story Driven.
Hello, and welcome to my Filmmaking Portfolio. As a passionate professional with a great work ethic, I always try to push my personal and creative boundaries with each new project. Continue browsing my site to explore my showreel and watch some of the latest film projects I’ve been working on, and get in touch with any questions.
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AS A FILMMAKER
My films use surrealistic settings with a large scope to open the imagination and ignite the curiosity of an audience. My characters have small, relatable stories with authentic moral dilemmas that play in contrast to that scale. The effect of this allows viewers to ‘escape’ and let their guard down, which in turn allows me to open them to ideas and emotions. In short, I take people far-far-away to look at themselves up close.
Film is mass-media and is therefore most effective when it reaches a mass audience to elicit a collective catharsis. My approach requires a unique skill set that includes experience with professional actors, ability to lead large crews, technical aptitude, expertise in screenwriting, and an understanding of the industry. Having recently completed production of my thesis film, my career is primed to reach a new level.
MY STORYTELLING PHILOSOPHY
Ever since I could remember I was surrounded by countless stories. These stories were told to me by father and grandfather before him. Growing up that’s all I could think of, the shadow that stalked my father or the headless Indian that showed himself to my grandfather. I believe that stories like these could be transformed into cinematic journeys with cathartic experiences and empathetic characters. Currently, my films exist on the border between realism and surrealism. Cinematography, sound, and music work to create a recognizable but mysterious world. This design forces the audience to attach to something familiar - a character experiencing a moral dilemma. This is not a new concept, but my world view and aesthetic make it unique. Rather than quantifying this in words, I prefer to let the work speak for itself.
The emotions of the protagonists become the emotions of the audience. The ideas I’m proposing become ideas created in the minds of the audience as if they were their own. Recognizable characters experiencing life in large scale settings. Through this ‘escapism’ approach I am able to engage, entertain, and inform so that my work may be seen by a mass audience. With over 18 years of experience in theatre and 5 years in film production, my career is now at a tipping point to reach a higher level.
“Your taste in film is a quest. You have a palate and you must refine it to match your essence. Never settle and never follow blindly.”
Guillermo Del Toro
