OH senior Mark Horton has been in the art scene for quite some time, and although he has focused on several projects for his own entertainment, one of them is an upcoming film.
“Currently, I am working on a film that is told from the perspective of an inanimate object being passed on from person to person and being brought place to place,” Horton said.
“Alongside that, I am also in the midst of making a series of eight to 12-second-long interludes– like shorts showcasing cinematography and the beauty that is around us every day,” he added.
Close friends of Horton are in awe of his dedication to his work, often being inspired by him to create their very own projects.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him for about two to three years. Throughout this time period, he has inspired me time and time again, to be creative and express myself through art,” said OH senior Phillip Guglielmi.
“Every chance I get, I try to be brave and create art that conveys emotion, just as Mark Horton has done before me,” Guglielmi added.
Horton’s taste in art and music also influences people to be followers of his style.
“Mark has influenced me greatly musically. When I first met him, he introduced me to Tyler the Creator. Him doing that changed the way I listened to music. He’s the only person I know that understands the way I also listen to music,” said Horton’s close friend Marcus Domont.
Horton currently displays some of his most prized pieces of artwork on his website portfolio, and he plans to create a more detailed portfolio for his film career in the future.
“I really started getting into it was about a year ago now where I made a weird short film of me making a sandwich to send to friends at like 2 a.m. But after I made something as random as that, I just remember being so proud of it, and I just have been making film since then,” said Horton. “I recently have been developing my own brand and style that I plan on expanding and experimenting with going forward with in future endeavors.”
Horton uses any tools and supplies he finds as his playground, experimenting with different techniques from graffiti to simple pencil sketches. Despite having such an innovative and gifted imagination, Horton often experiences blocks with his projects.
“The most difficult process is, probably all of it, in a way– just because I need to come up with an idea that I am happy with and passionate about. Then, I take a day or so to get a script and film, which takes at least a two or three more days depending on what it is I’m making,” Horton said.
“After all that, I gotta spend a few hours editing and sound mixing which doesn’t take long for me and is probably my favorite part just to see it all come together so it’s all worth it to see the final product,” he added.
Like all artists, Horton constantly has to deal with trial and error to ensure his work is set for success. Countless hours of planning and fixing his errors is what brings him to satisfaction with his final product.
“It takes time to understand what you can do better going forward and to me it’s just more motivation to try even harder and and revise my steps,” Horton said.
“These new projects I have lined up for 2025 are showing promise by the day and staying positive and confident and just doing what I can with what I got is what makes the beginnings to a solid and hopefully prosperous career in the arts going forward.”
I am a senior at OHS, I am currently involved in the Panther Credit Union, 42Fifty, and Youth and Government. You can contact me at 30881537@students.sd308.org.
mark is sigma (cool emoji)
So well written
Nice article and I love the photo you used