Del Norte has a lot of talent: dancers, musicians, artists, leaders, the list goes on and on. But not all these talented people have been practicing for as long as they can remember; some have only discovered their talent in recent years. Just ask Barry Yang (11).
Yang is a well-known filmmaker at Del Norte. He’s created some of the videos that all Nighthawks see in homeroom, such as “We Did It” from the Del Norte vs. Rancho Bernardo football game and the Crazy Wild Neon dance promotional video. Yang is also one of the media and video techs in ASB—both he and Austin Kernan (12) are responsible for the music at school events such as pep rallies and Club Rush. His professional skill, it turns out, originates from humble beginnings.
His journey started six years ago, when he bought his first camera—a small Fujifilm Finepix Pro—with his own money. And he hardly had a professional video editing suite: “I used very basic [programs]…like Windows Movie Maker,” he says. A basic camera and an equally basic editing program wasn’t much to begin with, but it was all that Yang needed to start his filmmaking hobby.
In 2010, he hit the jackpot. Yang participated in a nation-wide contest to make a commercial for the Swivl, an iPhone accessory that helps record videos. His entry won; with the cash prize, he invested his money in new equipment, “and it kinda took off from there.” He joined ASB last year, and since then his videos have been played in every homeroom.
Yang plans to perfect his hobby and turn it into a business to shoot and edit videos for other people. ShutterBreak Productions has already taken off. And Yang is planning to grow even more involved with the Nighthawk film world; preparations have been made for him to take over Del Norte Network’s Broadcast division in the 2013-2014 school year. He’s looking forward to the challenge: “It’s time to build upon what’s been done and leave a legacy for future Nighthawks. We’ve got big things planned for the future. Let’s continue to redefine.”
It’s amazing to see how Yang has gotten this far, from his humble beginnings only six years ago with laughably simple equipment to an eminent Nighthawk filmmaker. Yang’s talent—but moreover, his enormous dedication, persistence, and passion—make him one in 2000.