Today we’d like to introduce you to Tabitha Barnett.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tabitha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I got into art basically on accident. In high school, I was struggling hard, I had friends who were not the greatest influence on me, my parent’s divorce was getting really heated and I did not care about school at all. One of the things I had to do in order to graduate was to take an art class. In my mind, photography seemed like the easiest class I could skate by in. Not only was I super wrong about it being the easiest class, but it festered into something I ended up loving. My photography teacher ended up being one of the greatest mentors ever throughout high school (Hi Talbs!). I started ended up submitting to competitions and art galleries, it really boosted my confidence, made me feel like I had a voice and felt like I had something to offer.
The following year I enrolled in a Broadcast Arts class and that’s where I realized my true passion was making videos. I applied to the SUNY Purchase Film program and got in. It was such a cool feeling telling my family I got accepted into college. I was the first in the family to ever go to college and eventually graduate. I wasn’t to sure how they would feel about me going to school for art, but they were so supportive through the whole process, I couldn’t have done it without them.
It was at Purchase where I really grew in confidence and solidified that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I made a total of 12 films, got to intern for Jordan Matter Photography and Marvel Entertainment and worked with The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Now that I graduated in May 2019, I’m eager to start my career.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have come to realize while making films that I have a lot of empathy and work the best with children. I think this stems from me not feeling heard as a kid. I was always an anxious and shy kid (even to this day). I had things I really wanted to say but couldn’t express them with words. I had to express them in other ways such as theater, dance and eventually film and photography. I never want my anxiety to hold me back, but I also need to know when I need to take a moment for me. That’s a process I am still going through even now. This plays into my work because I feel like I understand kids more than some people, which allows me to get them to talk about things maybe they normally wouldn’t.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an aspiring documentary film director and cinematographer. Something that sets me apart from other directors is my drive to give people a platform to use their voice. I did a documentary on 4th, 5th and 6th-grade art classes about their love of art and their current art competitions they were working on at the time. It was such an amazing experience to see how excited the kids were to talk about it, voice their opinions and so not afraid to be themselves. Especially being so young, I think it is important for kids especially to understand at a young age that their voice matters and are heard. Since then, I have aspired to achieve this in all of my films.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think the film industry is consistently shifting. The biggest change I see is the rise of female filmmakers and diversity of film crews. Although the change has already kind of begun, I really think it’s going to continue to take off. There is room for everyone to fulfill any cast and crew position who are willing to work hard and are passionate for the job. The Academy Awards in 5-10 years will start to transform from predominately white men to people of color, LBGTQ community members, people with disabilities and women.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vimeo.com/tabbybarnett
- Instagram: @tabby_barnett
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