My First First Movie

Movies have always been a very important part of my life. One of my first memories was going to see Finding Nemo in the theaters with my parents when I was two years old. They told me I paid attention to the movie very well. I sat up straight and wide-eyed, taking in all of the colors and the sounds, the movements and the music.

When I was older, I had an Academy Awards-themed birthday party, with a red carpet, screening, and awards ceremony. My parents helped us make a film and edited it while we ate birthday cake, and then we all watched it together. I cast my friends as all the different characters, and my next-door neighbors and little brother were the stars. I, of course, wanted to be the director, and even had a proper director’s chair to sit in during filming. My parents did a wonderful job making the whole day feel “real,” and I remember how much I loved the excitement and the whole production of it all.

About a month ago I discovered some old videos I made with my brother and sister in 2013. I was twelve, my brother ten, and my little sister was only six. It’s about a group of kids who decide to spend their afternoon outside hiking, but get lost in a terrible rain storm and must find their way back home. I think I filmed half of it on my iPad mini, and the other half on my mom’s phone after the iPad ran out of battery. It’s a simple story, but it was also written by a twelve-year-old. I’m just happy it sort of makes sense.

A Day Outside (2013)