Denis Vuko

BFA – Film & Media Arts

Second Semester Junior

Expected Graduation Spring 2024

“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Mark Twain’s famous quote started to be a philosophy for me when I fell in love with cinema. As a child, I use to run to my little town’s local theater every single week, back home in France. These magical hours spent sitting on the red sofas allowed me to escape and dream, and those dreams live on today. I always knew my place was in the arts. I grew up as an athlete, with ambitions to become a professional tennis player, but early on I knew I did not want to dedicate my entire life to sports. As a teenager, theater allowed me to discover the stage, and the art of entertainment. I then knew I wanted to direct my education in filmmaking, and when I enrolled at The University of Tampa as a Film and Media Arts Major, I did not have any kind of real experience whatsoever. By meeting other passionate like me, and professors that truly understood me, I rapidly found my way in a domain that was meant for me. While actively participating in classes such as Narrative or Documentary Production, and with remarkable conversations with Aaron Walker, Taylor Curry, or Santiago Echeverry, I was proud to say that the sacrifices made by myself and my family to allow me to join the University of Tampa were worth it.

As my time at the university passed on, I realized I was searching to develop my capacity to tell impactful stories, that resonates and inspire people. I take mostly my personal experiences as inspiration to write a good screenplay, but I also bounce personal with other people’s lives. I am very curious and attentive, and I use that as a strength to create a powerful story. Screenwriting was my first real attachment to filmmaking, but then I started to dive into transferring these stories from the paper to the camera. Theater and stage play allowed me to free myself from any kind of shyness, and my communications skills allowed me to love directing. I feel confident when I am trying to recreate a vision in mind and transfer that vision to my cast and crew to make it the most accurate possible.

Every moment spent collaborating with others, working on a set, or sitting behind a screen writing and editing, helped me gain incredible knowledge and experience. My background and history do not bring me to film. I personally choose this career path and joined the university while I never handled a professional camera prior. But even though I felt like I was late comparing to my fellow classmates, I am now confident that I can master the same skills as them.

The journey after my graduation has been the first question I asked myself after I received my acceptance letter from the University of Tampa. Great opportunities could open to me back in France, but I still feel like the United States is my place to continue. I hope to continue my education with a Master’s degree or throw myself in the industry, with the hope to pursue creating my network of collaborators. I am forever grateful to the people I met at the university, to the trust and chances they gave me to allow me to develop my passion for filmmaking. I hope to strive in that industry and prove that no matter where you come from, your place is where you decide it to be.