Today we’d like to introduce you to Jakin Cordova and Kaylee Johnson.
Hi Jakin and Kaylee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Jakin Cordova: I’m a senior mechanical engineering student at UT Austin and I spend any free time I have working on film projects. I majored in mechanical engineering because I love thinking analytically and creatively, both skills I apply to filmmaking. I worked on various student TV shows over the past couple of years, but over quarantine, I developed the pilot for To Die For. I brought the project to Texas Student Television, where I am now writing, directing, editing, and producing it under their web series division. To Die For consists of four episodes that combined will essentially be my debut feature film, and I could not be more excited to finish it and share it with everyone.
My whole life, I have been artistic in some way, and filmmaking feels like the culmination of all of the skills that I have developed. I played guitar and bass clarinet from a young age, I took art classes in high school, and then in my senior year of high school, I started doing photography, which lead me to filmmaking. With filmmaking, I can use music, art, and photography together to create a product greater than the sum of its parts.
After a bad date in January 2020, I decided to write a short film about a hitman. Then, I had the great idea to have that hitman also go on a bad date, and To Die For was born. It evolved from a short film to a half-hour pilot that I wrote over spring break 2020. I thought that I would film the pilot soon after that, but March 2020 had its own plans. The extra time allowed me to develop and refine my ideas for the pilot, which really helped me make a better final product. Now, two years later, I am almost ready to finish the show and release it to the world.
Kaylee Johnson: I am a first-year Radio-Television-Film Major at the University of Texas at Austin, where I am an Executive Producer, Casting Director, and Writer for the student web series To Die For. I first became interested in filmmaking at the age of twelve by watching behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of my favorite films. This soon inspired me to go out and make a film of my own. Of course, my first film, which was filmed on an iPod and consisted of my brother as the only actor, wasn’t very good, so I continued to make films. Project after project, I continued to learn and grow as a filmmaker and now I am producing films with up to twenty-five crew members. It has been a slow and steady process, but I plan on expanding my knowledge and pushing myself even more.
In my six years of filmmaking, I have had the opportunity to work on multiple professional shoots as a Production Assistant and Camera Operator. Additionally, I have worked as a camera operator for football, soccer, and hockey games. While it’s great to create my own films, working on professional jobs has provided me with much-needed experience, helped me network with other filmmakers, and shown me what I need to implement in my productions.
I would not be anywhere if not for my amazing high school film and broadcast programs. My teachers, Michael Logan and Margie Raper have taught me so much about the industry and I cannot thank them enough. These programs aided me in receiving a Lone Star Emmy for Technical Directing in the High School Division. This is one of my greatest accomplishments and I know there is more to come!
Throughout my filmmaking journey, my films have been selected into a total of eighteen different film festivals, won five awards, and received numerous honorable mentions. I am extremely proud of all my films and I am excited to continue to make entertaining and engaging films.
To Die For is my largest project to date and I am honored to be a part of such an amazing production. Our cast and crew are some of the hardest working people I know and without their dedication, this show would not be possible. Although we have a few months of production and post-production left, I am excited to share our finished product.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like with any project, there are always challenges. For our show, To Die For, the budget was a major constraint. Our show was entirely crowd and self-funded, which was a good starting point but ultimately didn’t end up being enough. Because of this, one of our producers had to draw from his personal finances in order to pay for production expenses. We also heavily relied on personally-owned equipment and volunteer crew. While there have been a few bumps in the road, we put a lot of emphasis on planning during pre-production, so our production has stayed relatively on schedule and we are on the path of creating an amazing show.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Jakin Cordova: Right now, I am a director, writer, producer, editor, colorist, and VFX artist on To Die For, and I enjoy each role for different reasons. Writing is all about taking observations and feelings from real life and turning them into a story that makes sense. Directing is about bringing that story to life through collaboration. Editing is about combining all of the pieces of the puzzle in a way that makes the story come together. I am most proud of my work on To Die For, but I also love the editing and coloring I did for the short film Solamente, an incredible student short film I worked on with writer/director Carolina Bayón in May 2021.
What sets me apart is the variety of subjects that I want to learn about and my desire to never stop learning. I always love discovering more about engineering, filmmaking, music, philosophy, and how the world works in general.
Kaylee Johnson: Over the years, I have had the opportunity to try several jobs in the film industry, and through these experiences, I have slowly begun to gravitate towards producing. I love the whole filmmaking process, and as a producer, I get to be a part of everything from writing to casting to filming to editing. Because I found my specialty at a young age, I have been able to narrow my focus and improve on particular aspects of producing. Currently, I am most proud of my drive, passion, and hard work through every project. These are the things that set me apart from other producers and I know that if I continue to push myself, I will be able to reach my career goals and aspirations.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Jakin Cordova: Without risk-taking, there would not be innovation. It is important for me to try new things and to be okay with failing because even in failure, I discover what does not work. I once heard that it is important to make your movie as many times as you can before you make your movie. You should plan, test, and rehearse everything before filming so that you can find out if the risks you are taking are working or not. Plans are also important because if you have a good plan, then you can shoot efficiently on set and extra time can be spent experimenting and trying out new ideas. You could stop trying when the film is decent or you could keep trying and take a risk by trying a new version that could be even better.
Kaylee Johnson: Due to the creative nature of filmmaking, every decision I make can be considered a risk. There is never a right or wrong answer, so I am often left to decide between practicality or uniqueness. While I believe risk-taking can be beneficial in pushing myself as an artist, I also try to not take any unnecessary risks as it may hinder the success of a project or prevent me from pursuing other opportunities. As a casting director, it’s always a risk when choosing your actors for your project. The decision is based on several aspects of their performance, but at the end of the day, my casting decision can make or break a show. On a personal level, I am always taking a risk on a new project, as I am often having to invest a lot of my personal time and money to see production through. While I love to keep an analytical and practical mindset, I find that a lot of the joy of filmmaking comes from hard decisions and risk-taking.
Contact Info:
- Email: todiefortstv@gmail.com
- Website: https://kayleejohnson03.wixsite.com/mysite/film
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todieforshow/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAzXg4HcbU-U3ljRGXbRB_w
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@todieforshow
