In this month’s student interview we take a look at Zach Miller, Virginia Commonwealth University English major. Though Miller is often a quiet student, as a creative writer his words are loud, matching an equally loud personality and online comedic persona. Recently interested in film, he talks about wanting to use the framework he’s acquired from his time as an English major, and his personal interests in pop music and anime, to create narratives that combine elements of comedy and philosophy.

Our conversation follows below:

Can you describe your experience as an English major at VCU? What at VCU has made this education unique?

I think studying English helped me realize what I really wanted to do, and studying something that you're not extremely passionate about can push you to what you are actually passionate about. As for English, I like it, I like stories. I’m not ready to switch to film--which is what I really like--at least I don’t think, but I've always been a big fan of famous critically acclaimed stories and finding what I like inside of them, instead of just listening to someone ramble about what is important to them. English has exposed me to these texts, though, and has been really influential in that way. But being around people everyday that analyze instead of creating, I realized I wanted to be on that creative end, not the educational end which is where a lot of them were going.

Oh, haha, so you don’t actually like English? What exactly about English pushed you closer to film?

Honestly, I don't like to read. But at this point in the game, I can't just switch my major, or at least I’m reluctant to. So I'm pursuing what I do like on the side, which is watching. Words on a page have always been boring to me. Actually, I’m really just feeling the waters right now and figuring out if this isn't just a hobby I'm interested in, seeing if I want to do it for a long time. I’m working at it.

How have your personal interests, your love of pop music and anime, influenced this aspiration?

I've always really liked creative writing and if I could fuse creative writing with one of my favorite past times, which is sitting in front of a screen and watching videos, shows, movies, any digitally moving pictures, then that would be great and I would be fulfilled. As far as music, for a while I considered my future being in music, so I’m adamant now about film and film production and story writing because I have no restrictions and nervousness about sharing what I’ve made. In critiques, I’m completely ready and excited to share everything I’m doing and I never did that with music. [Yeah, I've only heard your music one] Yeah, I was always very insecure about it. But with writing, I've been able to do and share whatever I want.

How do you think VCU can aid you in developing this career?

They have really expensive cameras for rent in the basement of the library

Haha, they do, most people don’t know they’re there. So, what’s something that gets your creativity flowing?

Besides anime and music? Oh, I guess I didn’t really talk about those. Well, music has always been an inspiration just because I like to visualize a lot and music can help me do that, it’s a good catalyst when building something in your head. Plus, and I won’t ramble too long on this, but I love the pretty, sparkly, cookie-cutter packaging that you see so much much in pop music and anime, but I like to put, or at least personally insert philosophical or psychological undertones. I think the contrast is so fun. And I’m just a fan of animation in general, but anime has always interested me in particular because anime takes a medium where you can do whatever you want and takes it to really unique places. There are so many topics and concepts and visuals that are explored in anime that you just can’t see in live-action. Oh, but besides those two? Empty metropolitan areas and masturbation.

Your Instagram is a testament to your creativity, do you see it evolving into a product of your film interest?

To an extent it already does, but it’s social media so it’s weird. A product, I don’t know, though, possibly, but it would be difficult because at least what I enjoy about it is its strange ambiguity and if that turned into a production that ambiguity would be explored more and that would probably take away its meaning for me. Because it acts as a diary and if I were to go through my diary and dissect what I wrote, it would definitely come off as less meaningful than I thought it was. For now, it’s just a comfortable deep hole in the ground.

Yeah, I can understand that. Do you have any film projects in the works you want to share?

Maybe, we’ll see. I think, and people have mentioned before in my workshop classes, that what I write is funny but also has some serious undertones. So, i want to explore that instead of fight against it--which is what I’ve done for a while. Because if I make one-toned serious films they're going to be very timely and costly, if I wanted to do them right, and I'm not at that point to do that. I guess I’m thinking “do what you can right now, put what you can out there right now.” Oh, but I have a couple topics in mind, but I’ll probably put something out later in 2017 about a girl and her horse and all that’s in between.

You’ve been thinking a lot about a full switch into the cinema department here at VCU, are you thinking about going through with that?

I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, especially past 2 months but I keep hitting a mental wall, like thinking about how I'm already going to be a 2nd-semester junior and I have no credits that would transfer, or at least effectively take a chunk out of that major for me. A major setback basically. I want to be creative and physically handle the direction of the films or however you wanna call them--which I guess is a director-- and put what I see in my head on the screen, but I don't know if I want to strictly study that. I want to see how I am at actually doing something before I decide to completely switch gears educationally.

It’s definitely hard to take big leaps like that. Okay, lastly, you’re originally from Norfolk, coming from there, what's one thing you like about VCU that you would not have had there?

I like the people I've met here. I think that if i hadn't have met them I would have been a very different person, or at least think differently.

Great, thanks so much, Zach.

You can find Zach on Instagram at @swampyduchess