Growing up, Jason De Leon had his sights set on an engineering career, with the goal of earning a degree at Portland State University. As a child of immigrants from the Philippines, he knew that a degree in the sciences would make his parents proud.
“There were a lot of expectations from my parents for me and my siblings to go into prestigious careers. And so, for me, it was either the medical route or the engineering route,” he recalls. “I chose the engineering route, and I took a lot of AP classes and STEM-related courses that prepped me for engineering.”
But like many 2024 graduates, De Leon’s senior year of high school and his first year of college were disrupted by the onset of the COVID pandemic. A summer engineering internship fizzled, and, during those months at home, he began experimenting with a Canon 80D camera that his father had given him as a high school graduation gift.
Those experimentations led him to rethink his plans to pursue engineering, and he decided to take the plunge into film. “I realized that engineering was never something I was really passionate about. During COVID I said, ‘You know what? I'm going to make the jump for it and leave behind everything I've been studying for the last four years of high school and go down this new path.’”
It wasn’t completely unfamiliar territory, however. In high school, De Leon had competed in track and field, and he managed to maintain his connection to the sport while pursuing his new love for film at PSU.
Among his many activities as a Film major, he joined a group of student filmmakers charged with creating media content for the PSU track and field and cross-country teams, practicing the art of sports documentation and broadcasting. This work has led to other media work in sports for De Leon, including a content creation gig with the NIKE Union Athletics Club, projects with the track and field publication CITIUS Mag and other freelance opportunities.
As a student, De Leon grabbed as many chances to practice his craft as he could. One of his favorite experiences was a project he made with his fellow students purely for fun, re-creating scenes from the Hollywood movie musical “La La Land".
“Everyone was there just because they wanted to be on it,” he recalled. “We were all just doing it because we really love it.”
De Leon and his fellow students were also insatiably curious about the craft of filmmaking. “We have a tendency to look at movies and just be like, How did they shoot this? What kind of lens did they use? How could we mimic this?” he said. “We just wanted to focus on problem-solving and how to get it as accurately as possible, and once you start doing that, you start realizing it's much more than just the certain variables. There's so many other things that made the original shot so impactful and so beautiful.”
In his senior year, De Leon was also hired to create a music video for artist Camille Tredoux, transforming PSU’s Smith Ballroom into a moody black-and-white 1920s nightclub bathed in glamor, mystery and pathos. The gig earned him notice by a local writer, who hailed De Leon and his crew as “film titans.”
“Jason demonstrated remarkable thoughtfulness and consideration in communication with other team members and instructors, consistently leading to the best possible outcomes,” said Jungmin Kwon, associate professor in the School of Film. “Since beginning his major in the film program, Jason has evolved into a filmmaker with critical thoughts and a creative mind.”
De Leon’s advice to students pursuing a Film degree? “Follow what one of my professors taught me: whatever you get out of film school is the amount of effort you put into it,” he says. “So if you only do the bare minimum of what they're asking you to do, you're not gonna get as much out of it. But if you use it for everything it offers, and go out and practice with other students and network with people, you’ll get a lot out of your education.”
De Leon aspires to work as a director of photography, cinematographer or head lighting technician as he builds his career. “I’d even love to be a producer as well, helping other people get jobs and opportunities,” he says. “I'm realizing that it can be hard to find work because it’s a tight industry and difficult to break into. And so the dream would be to be that person who can help give other people an opportunity.”
What’s on the horizon for De Leon after he graduates with his bachelor’s degree? He has a few exciting prospects in the works, including a freelance gig with Portland’s globe-trotting band Pink Martini.
“Since coming to Portland State to study Film, I’ve gotten a lot of job opportunities and met a lot of amazing people. I definitely feel that this was the best choice for me,” he says.
Even though his parents initially preferred a more traditional STEM career path for their son, they came around in the end.
“At first, my parents were worried that I wouldn’t fully commit and [might] end up switching,” says De Leon. “But after a little bit of time and they saw that I was serious, they full-on supported me.” And they’ll be in the stands at Commencement this June, cheering De Leon on as he crosses the stage to accept his degree.