Meet Jonathan Armour: Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Armour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
The entertainment industry can be glorious, frustrating, exciting, scary, but often more than none it can be so rewarding! I ask myself this question often, and that is “Jon is it all worth it? Everything we’re doing, the time we sacrifice, the dedication to making films, is it all worth it?” The answer will always be yes. I’ve found not only my passion in life but my purpose also. These two go hand in hand, and thus when questioned of the thought of giving up or to keep going. I can whole heartily say I’ll never give up because I love it so much. Yes there will be films that I create that won’t register for everyone, but there will be ones that inspire many. I know that I’m going to hear a hundred “No’s” before I hear that “Yes” that’s life changing. However you won’t see any of that if you give up. In anything you do to become better, you’re going to fail at first. That’s a part of the journey of becoming great! With each failure comes a new level of knowledge that wasn’t there before. Never giving up with each failure only leads to you getting closer to success.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Open Gate Studios was created in 2012. It was really rough in the beginning as with any new business, because we didn’t have anything to show clients of how we operated behind the camera. Slowly but surely things began to pick up by us receiving work for music videos, photo shoots, special events, commercials, weddings, show reels, films, documentaries, etc. What sets us apart from the rest, is that you get amazing quality of work that’s compared to Hollywood for a fraction of the cost. I’m proud of myself for not limiting my knowledge to just directing. My talents include cinematography, editing, producing, writing, and now VFX! Challenges occur everyday, but with each challenge I become even better once I conquer them. For instance, in my latest project “Sisters” it’s VFX Heavy! I’m doing all the vfx for it, and we all know vfx can be very time consuming. Most of the time I learn how to pull the effect off by constantly tweaking it. A two second clip can take an hour and thirty mins to edit fully. I want the world to know that Open Gate Studios will be known for the creativity that brings with sci fi inspired films! When you want VFX and a great story, you come to Open Gate Studios.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a hard one for me, because I really don’t like to get out unless I’m filming lol. Still if i were to show my best friend around I’d take them to Top Golf, the Shooting Range, Hiking trails to scout for different locations to films, Twin Peaks, movies, bowling, and any lounge honestly because there all the same lol. I want to expand on this topic but, i’m in a point in my life where I have a set schedule. Its’ mostly 85% work and 15% free time. I rarely see my friends and I’m mostly at my computer editing for a client these days. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to thank my mother and father for being supportive in my dreams. Second, the amazing friends I’ve made who are all talented actors and actresses that star in my films. Lastly the wise words of Les Brown and Jim Rohn who help encourage me everyday.

Website: www.opengatestudios.com

Instagram: @opengatestudios

Facebook: Jonathan Armour or Open Gate Studios

Youtube: Open Gate Studios: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCma9TTYGqAnULj6Cg0EDRig

Image Credits
Chris Evans