Sophomore Owen Campbell, Notre Dame Academy’s video expert, is gearing up for another Mr. NDA performance.

Owen’s love of making videos began when he received his first movie camera in fifth grade.

“After fifth grade, filmmaking became my life. I can’t imagine my life today if I never started to make movies,” said Owen.

Owen loves the element of surprise that filmmaking has to offer.

“I always think ‘how will this look in the end’ when I am making a movie. You just have to trust that what you are doing is going to end up looking good,” he said.

Julie Campbell, Owen’s mother, is very supportive of her son’s passion for filming. Sometimes she does worry that Owen might overextend himself between school work and editing.

“As a rule he does his homework first, so as long as he maintains his good grades, I know he is managing his time well,” said Mrs. Campbell.

After reading and watching the Harry Potter series, Owen became inspired to begin filming.

“I wouldn’t be who I am today if it was not for J.K. Rowling’s amazing world she created. Those films and books showed me the magical worlds that can be built from your imagination,” he said.

Mrs. Campbell recognized Owen’s artistic abilities flourishing at a young age.

“I first noticed his interest in filmmaking when he would point out mistakes in movies, cartoons and even when the weatherman was using a green screen,” said Mrs. Campbell.

Owen is ready to put his creativity and imagination to work for this year’s Academy Awards. He loves how the contest has evolved throughout the years, growing more impressive each year.

“I think the overall growth of the show as a whole is just so impressive. It’s amazing to see what it has become today,” said Owen.

Owen creates many intro videos for Mr. NDA contestants, spending an average of 1 to 3 days on each video.

“I would say my favorite part about Mr. NDA is seeing everyone’s creativity and talent shine,” he said.

“I love how creative he is and how he uses his talents to help others,” Mrs. Campbell said.

Owen sees a future for himself in filmmaking and hopes to attend college in California or New York, majoring in visual effects or animation.

“In twenty years, I hope to be either a film editor or animator for a film studio. My dream job would be to work for either Disney or Warner Brothers,” said the sophomore.

Despite his big dreams, Owen also sees the importance of living in the moment.

“In life,” he said, “I just look forward to not knowing what is going to happen. I just like living life in the day that I am currently in.”