X and I worked closely on so many projects - I was his director and close friend. We always shared the belief in empowering the youth, which shaped our creative process. When I was asked to direct the video for ‘whoa’(mind in awe) featuring Juice WRLD, I felt a deep responsibility to continue that vision. I also had the chance to spend time with Juice, and when I did, it was about having fun and enjoying life.
Jamaica, a place that held special meaning for both X and Juice, became the perfect setting for this project.
The kids featured in the video are the embodiment of the values we all believed in- youthful energy, resilience, and boundless potential. This video reflects the importance of uplifting the next generation, and I hope it serves as an inspiration to them, just as Jahseh and Juice both did.
whoa (mind in awe) remix out 5/30 🎞️
A postcard from my island São Miguel, Azores.
-
Film holds what light touches.
São Miguel holds what shaped me.
These photographs are mine.
AI was the brush.
The hand behind it is human.
-
I’ve been experimenting with AI as a filmmaking tool, not as a replacement for anything real and never as a shortcut around craft, but as a way to explore whether something digital could still carry weight, memory, and emotion.
For years, ideas have lived in decks, in conversations, and in my head, waiting on timing, funding, or the right moment to exist physically in the real world. Now I can build them out visually before a dollar is spent, shaping the tone, rhythm, and atmosphere in a way that lets the idea breathe earlier in the process, and that shift changes everything for how I create my art.
I will always shoot on film, care about process, and value the real world because that foundation is what formed my eye and my instincts. AI does not replace that foundation but rather it gives me another way to move within it, to test, refine, and communicate my ideas with clarity before they reach a set.
I see it as an assistant, not a substitute, a tool that expands what is possible without erasing what made the work meaningful in the first place.
The hand is still human.
The tool just evolved.
Since I’m in Japan figured I’d post this lil video I shot with some friends last year just for fun. Had one 100ft roll left and wanted to use it before I traveled back home. Always loved the photo booths in the subway so was inspired by that.
Featuring @iamverycozy and @orik0san
Camera Assist @mkoziel
Edit by @miggyoffline
Color by @whycrxd
Shot on Bolex Rex5
@kodak_shootfilm
