Introduce Yourself : Hi everyone. My name is Jonathan by Jonathan S. Leiter

I'm very excited to finally be here on Stage 32. I suppose if one were to describe me in a simple phrase, it would be "jack of all trades." Not to say I'm an expert in all of these trades, but I hope someday I can be. And many other filmmakers I've met would also describe themselves as such. When I began making films as a pre-teen, I devoted myself to every aspect of the process: including production design, costuming, editing, sound effects, visual effects, acting, and so on. And all of that really hasn't changed. I've been blessed and thankful to have been in a community during college where I was finally able to collaborate on projects with others, and bring people onto my films to offer their imagination and expertise: but I've never stopped striving to work on both my illustration skills, conceptual skills, voice acting skills, and visual effects skills, in addition to my directing and editing: so that I would be able to handle all the needs of production if need be. I just have such a passion for all of them, and want to continue to find ways to set my aesthetic approach apart. My ultimate goal, like many filmmakers out there, is to become a feature-film director: more likely on the independent scene. But I wouldn't mind a big-budget project either. I think I'd like to work on adaptations, since I find it both a difficult but meaningful challenge with regards to the fans of the original works. Beyond directing, though, the job I would most like to have is one that allows me to help someone achieve their creative goals, no matter what the budget or the resources. You don't think you can create this effect? I think I know a way that you can. You don't think your film will be the same without this scene or this character? I think I can solve your problem? You have a crazy wacky idea about wanting to mix different visual mediums and styles together in one big mash-up project? I have 1001 ideas of how to do that, and I would love to help you make it happen. This is all why I think it has been an integral part of my creative development that I work to improve not just my editing or compositing skills, but my drawing and design skills as well: in order to design lighting strategies, staging and composition, visual effects, original animation assets, 3D textures and patterns, prop and vehicle blueprints, and so on and so forth. There's no better way to get my ideas out there for my crew to see and understand. And there's no better way for me to show another director how I might be able to solve their visual and creative hurdles. The world of film is where I belong, and I would not have it any other way.