At 6 years old, senior Pablo Schettino Gonz谩lez watched his first movie, 鈥淗appy Feet.鈥� Transported to a world of talking penguins, he was entranced by the limitless possibilities of film. Since then, he has strived to create new worlds and evoke emotion in audiences through filmmaking.
From an early age, Schettino Gonz谩lez enjoyed creating skits and helping his sister 鈥� now a film student at Chapman University 鈥� make movies. For him, pursuing filmmaking was a natural instinct.
鈥淚 was never as attracted to something as I was to film,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there was ever a moment where I was like, 鈥極kay, this is what I want to do.鈥� It was always just something that I had to do. I had to make these films. I had to see my passion through.鈥�
Schettino Gonz谩lez has explored a variety of filmmaking genres 鈥� sports documentaries, PSAs and narrative shorts, just to name a few 鈥� but recently homed in on storytelling through fictional short films. He has a meticulous process: brainstorming ideas, writing a shot list, creating a detailed script, filming with actors and editing. He focuses on finding ideas and stories that resonate with his own experiences.
Like all amateur filmmakers, Schettino Gonz谩lez started out shooting with default camera settings. With experience and upgraded equipment over time, he acquired an eye for detail, learning to enhance every element to make his films come alive. One technique Schettino Gonz谩lez has honed is sound design, which he believes adds another dimension to films.
鈥淎 lot of people … don鈥檛 realize how (sound design) can enhance the performance, how we can create depth to the story, how we can make the characters feel lived in and make the story feel lived in,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust creating a world with sound is very important and something that I pay more attention to.鈥�
Schettino Gonz谩lez鈥檚 film 鈥淨uerido Mexico,鈥� which explores his gratitude towards Mexico while comparing it to the stressful environment of Palo Alto, won first place statewide at the Directing Change Film Contest and the regional award for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmys. It was also nominated for a National Student Emmy. 鈥淪kateboarding with Lara Botto,鈥� a film Schettino Gonz谩lez created with senior Josh Scheinman, also received the regional award for the National Academy鈥檚 Student Emmys.
Schettino Gonz谩lez has found it extremely rewarding to be able to network with actors and directors and spotlight important topics through films like 鈥淨uerido Mexico,鈥� which touches on student mental health and pressure.
In the future, Schettino Gonz谩lez will continue improving his abilities and using film to bring meaningful issues to light.
鈥淚 see myself creating more impactful work, pieces that matter, pieces that touch on subjects that most people are scared to touch on, and collaborating with talented filmmakers to create things that stand out,鈥� he said.
