Filmmaking Focus

Young people and the drama and life choices that affect them are at the forefront of 19-year-old Matthew Jones mind the majority of the time. This is because as a Biola University film major, Jones centers his films on the tragedies and struggles of youth.

“The genre of my films is dramas,” said Jones. “The style is a unique style. I take real issues in the community, mainly among youth, and say what people don’t say through my films.”

True to his word, Jones has tackled some pretty tough issues that are facing the youth of today. He has three short films under his belt and is currently working on his fourth. His first short film, Separating Affect, focuses on a teenage boy facing the divorce of his parents. Distracted, highlights a teenagers struggle with drugs and bad influences. Be the Man, is a coming of age story in which a teenage boy realized that the man that he’s always looked up to might not be the best example of what it means to be a man. His current film project, Choices, is about a teenage girl and her preparations to end her unplanned pregnancy.

Jones, currently a sophomore at the university, said that he first became interested in film at a young age. “I have been in theatre all my life. When I got older, about 13, I became interested in directing and writing plays. So I did, I did some for my school and my church. But my ideas for the state started getting too big, which is when I began to explore independent film.”

In addition to learning the craft of film, Jones is gaining a great deal of experience while attending film school. He is making connections and meeting other film students who share his passion about making film. Most of the people that he gets to help produce and star in his films come from this tight-knit group of future filmmakers.

Jones believes that his best strength as a filmmaker comes from filming subjects that he knows. “I am doing films about youths and I am a youth and that helps a lot. I usually only do things that I am passionate about because I know a lot about the subject and am eager to explore the subject more,” said Jones.

The hard work and insight that Jones has put into his films has paid off. He has entered several film festivals and won a few awards the biggest of which was the DGA Student Film Award: African American Film 2006.

Jones, an LA native, currently resides on campus just a short distance from LA. To find out more about Jones log onto www.distractedmovie.com or www.bethemanmovie.com.