Skilled fingers wrap around an inky, black camera as senior Noah Lee focuses on getting the perfect shot. He fiddles with the equipment before comfortably greeting me into the PNN studio.

From the way he works with others in the studio to how he handles his equipment with care, it is easy to tell that Lee has a passion for film. 

His devotion started at 4 years old, when he began to play around with stop motion, a form of cinematography in which objects are photographed one frame at a time in quick succession to create animation. Lee says he was drawn to it because it felt like “moving magic,” and eventually transitioned to shooting videos.

“I think it’s such an interesting medium compared to more traditional forms of literature or entertainment or media … Film is this interesting blend of audio and visuals. And it’s even different than a video game too,” Lee said. “It takes real craftsmanship and artistry to bring an audience into the setting or into the world of the film and into the characters, without having that tangible interaction like you would in a video game.”

Of course, Lee has encountered his share of challenges in cinematography. When working on a project for the Orange County Film Festival, he and his group members were unable to create a production that met their expectations since many problems arose, including unavailable crew members and budget; but instead of letting that stop them, Lee says he was able to use it as a learning experience to improve future projects.

“The most rewarding feeling is not when other people say that your work is good … It’s when you as the filmmaker and as the artist recognize the quality and the value of your work,” Lee said. “For the longest time, I never felt like I shot something and I was really proud of it until maybe the past year or two, and that was incredibly rewarding because it felt like I was just leveling up as a filmmaker, as an artist.”

Lee is part of the video production team, where they produce videos for Portola News Network. In the past, he has held many positions — Master Show Editor, Lighting Director and Assistant Equipment Manager — but currently does not hold one.

“He’s very organized in terms of what his vision is, the vision that he wants to create,” PNN special segment producer and senior Madison Empalmado said. “When you see his work, you can kind of already see him in it. You see his passion and his heart. Everything that he creates is like a representation of who he is as a person and also what he’s trying to represent through his art.”

For many, film is just a hobby, an activity to do on the side when time is available. But for Lee, film is so much bigger than that; it’s a way of life.

“I can’t really imagine myself doing anything else in my life, professionally, and there’s just kind of this feeling like, I don’t know what else I would do,” Lee said. “If you ask me why I pursue film, I don’t think I can give you an answer other than I just feel like I have to do it.”