Dominic Castro

As a young boy growing up in Houston, TX with my grandparents I would have never thought I would make the choice to make films. My grandfather was a film fanatic to the point he would watch movies all day until he fell asleep on the couch. Some would say it’s destiny, but it rubbed off on me. Blockbuster trips to rent several VHS tapes and snacks just to stay up all night and binge movies until I couldn’t take it any more. Then I got the bright idea as a small kid to start writing my own short stories that were inspired by the films I watched. My grandfather owned an old camcorder that he would take with him to the Caribbean to visit the other side of the family and I would sneak into his closet and “borrow” it to make my own little creations. He would find them and delete them for space and I’d have to hear about it later.

 

In school I always tried to find film classes, but none of the schools in my area offered any so I went into the next best thing, theater. I took theater for 1 year until I moved to a different school and eventually went into the military. There I knew I had the opportunity to pick a film school to go into without having to worry about finances. I started watching YouTube channels such as Film Riot, D4Darious, RocketJump Film School, etc. that would teach you things you would learn in film school and I would go out and just do it. Everyday I would wake up, take my camera and practice everything I’d been learning. I later got accepted into the Academy of Art University with an emphasis on Directing and directed 2 short films This is Not What it Seems and Unwilling Progeny.  I am now a college graduate and will pursue a longer career as a film director.