So, for the most parts, Dom and I love our schooling, instructors and classmates very very much. There have been time where we just dreaded going to classes. However, photoshoot styling (editorial and commercial) have always been fun and very exciting. We all learn from it and can actually see and have our results presented right in front of us, pretty much like a week after.
We've just wrapped up our commercial shoot; which basically is the idea of a product(s) driven photoshoot. Everyone had great and creative visions, it was an eye opening experience; everyone's personalities and styles really shown in their work.
I thought about doing a more fun and quirky commercial idea; but I decided against that at the last minute. I wanted to show a more serious side to me, I wanted to address an issue that my classmates and instructors might not be awared of; gay teen suicidal and gay bullying. I wanted to highlight the "It Gets Better" Project. It's a great campaign and it is a personal matter to me. To those who arent awared of what I'm talking about; the It Gets Better is an internet based project started out by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller, in respond to gay teens committing suicide in the US. It started as a youtube video of Dan and Terry speaking about their past experiences growing up and being bully for being different, but all that changed and it all got better, in hope that teenagers would not end their previous lifes untimely. And then youtube users started posting their own stories, and soon followed after were celebrities (gay, and straight alliances alike), and even The President of the US, Barrack Obama, posted a video also encouraging teenagers to hold on because it will get better. And if you would like to know more about the campaign (as you can clearly see Im not doing it justice with my short description) please head over to their official website at
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
And I wanted to contribute to that great cause; because believe me, it does get better. It gets soo soo much better. I knew I was different in highschool, and growing up in a traditional catholic asian family (being the very first born son of a first born son), it wasnt easy ;) . Im expected to carry on the family line, being that I am the first son/grandson, they believed that I carry the pure bloodline of the family.The pressure was enormous....like the size of a tour bus, carrying elephants and whatever the heaviest items you can think of. Anywho, there were times that I seriously thought about running away and/or killing myself, then I wouldnt have to face any of those and I could do whatever I wanted. But I was blessed to have great friends, and my family was very understanding when I came out. ( Please do understand that I went through years of depressions and struggles, and that I've decided to save y'all from reading pages upon pages of my pain by really skimming down to the important details. It wasnt as easy and fluent as this post seems to y'all)
In light of that, I would like to present to you, my commercial vision for The "It Gets Better" Project. Starring the lovely and talented Ms. Kim C. and myself. In this photo set, Kim represents an androgynous figure that has struggled through the hate and names calling of the past, and now he/she is moving on with a better and brighter future.
FCD
