Follow (Someone Else’s) Passion?

Still from The Last Video Store featuring the store manager of Video Exclusive.

Over the past year, I made three short documentaries.

And you wouldn’t believe how much people open up to a complete stranger when you point a camera at them.

Before that, I’d made all kinds of other videos - tech reviews, tutorials, video essays - never quite feeling like I was creating what felt right. But after I started filming these documentaries, something clicked. I didn’t just find a format I liked, I realized what kind of filmmaker I wanted to be.

One of the hardest parts of filmmaking is figuring out your voice—what kind of stories you actually want to tell, and what’s worth putting out into the world. There’s no clear path for that. It takes time to figure out what feels right to you and what motivates you. And in a space that’s so saturated, it’s not just about making something good it’s about making something that’s authentic.

For me, it started with a little place called Video Exclusive. It’s a video rental store. Still open. In 2025. I was curious. Who’s keeping it running? Who’s still renting DVDs in the age of algorithmically curated streaming queues? So I reached out. The manager, Tina, said I could film. I brought my camera, some very modest expectations, and started rolling.

I figured it’d be a quick, scrappy little video with some interviews, some b-roll, maybe a montage or two of dusty shelves. But it turned into something else. The staff, the customers - everyone I met had a real connection to the place. They weren’t just humoring me. They were passionate about it. And they believed in my project, too.

That’s when it hit me: one of the most rewarding parts of making these kinds of films is simply getting to hear people talk about what they care about. You ask a few good questions, and suddenly you’re getting stories they haven’t thought about in years. And surprisingly, the camera doesn’t necessarily make people self-conscious. It makes them more reflective. It gives them permission to be thoughtful. And the most powerful parts of a story aren’t always the big dramatic moments. They’re often the small, personal ones. The hesitation in someone’s voice when they recall a memory. The way their face changes when they talk about what they love.

Since finishing these films, I’ve been trying to define what kind of work I want to keep making. And I’ve landed on something I like to call Cinematic Portraits. Small glimpses into someone’s world that capture not just what they do, but who they are - their passion, their philosophy, and little moments that reveal something meaningful about them and their journey. I didn’t invent this sort of film, of course. I was inspired by series like Chef’s Table and channels like Petrolicious and Mr. Porter

We’ll see if it works. But for now, this is the plan. And if you’re into that kind of thing, feel free to follow along.