Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Najja Price. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Najja, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Being in the career field of Videography, filmmaking , photography, even graphic design. It’s skillsets that every business needs to be able to run but not everybody wants to pay for it. What I know I offer and what separates me from other creatives is that I am already obsessed with getting the best shot possible , not only for my liking but for the client as well. I won’t stop until whoever I am working for also likes the output. Paying attention to details is key and whenever passion is behind it, most likely details won’t be taken lightly.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
By the age of 10 I was first introduced to going to the movie theater. I thought it was such an awesome place to sit back, enjoy snacks and just focus on on whatever was playing on the screen. At the time transformers was one of the bigger movies out with a new level of CGI and something that all ages could enjoy. I knew the big robots were fake although I liked the way the movie itself made me feel. I would daydream about it and add my own twist in my own head and eventually that lead me to creating other stories and scenarios, heroes & villains , deeper stories that I had no clue how to express what I was thinking at the time . I wrote in a 73 cent notebook that one day I’ll be able to put my daydreams on a screen. I felt as if I was able to tell certain stories to the world I would be able to connect others through hardships or heal those who went through anything traumatic.
For my own sake, around the age of 14-15 I started to teach myself how to make instrumentals on FL studio , it was a great way to pass time to block out all the noice from my own problems and other things going on in my life. Surprisingly enough learning and focusing in on frequencies , keys , chords and leveling of sounds I was addicted to the mood of beats and the back end of movie scores and had a new understanding of how instrumentals complimented the visual side of cinema. Hoped to learn more at the university of Tampa about film. Although I did , I had a better experience with my work study in the athletic department of the school, recording highlights for the sports teams and taking pictures for fun. All that helping me to branch out to professional athletes , concert producers , social media influencers and still more.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I’m sure whenever anyone mentions faith as their number one aspect that they keep alongside them while they’re working, most people tend to see it as an accessory. like something random to believe in. What I wish i knew earlier before becoming a full time creative was that all of the big companies, movie industry, music industry, will shun Jesus. I, myself, am nothing without Jesus, and will continue to give him all the glory for however long I live. It’s obvious there is a lot of evil and corruption in both the movie and Music industry. Fame is the very thing that continues to tear people apart from the inside out. I much rather have wealth from working with those who actually value me and my work than to do any business with those who would want to use me. for example, stealing my ideas, not paying me, talk poorly behind my back or doing projects that glorifies sex, drugs, the love of money, degrading women or any kind of topic that the bible is against for views and likes. I really wish i had access to other christians who also had the same desire as me to make short films, commercials , and down the line, movies that aren’t glorifying the same things that they are in Hollywood that attacks your purity. How that effects me is that my skillset and knowledge of film, photography and videography is already at a high enough level to be on a film set. I may go ahead and say I might have better vision than some directors who have had feature films. very bold to say, yet I learn more and more that the bigger the set, the bigger the company, the less they want anything to do with Jesus. That means whatever goes on behind the scenes has a higher chance of being messed up. The way that people are treated, the way that actors and actress are treated, the way people are financially taken care of, greed, selfishness , the list can go on forever. Ultimately, I wish i knew that even though i have a passion and clearly a gift for filmmaking, I would be unvalued on a set because the type of content and movies society really wants to see, go against the Bible, and since I strive to live by those rules, I have the lowest chance of ever getting to have the recourses to make a feature film. All hope isn’t lost. I now know that my journey to become a film director will take a little longer than expected. Just like ” The Sound of Freedom ” I may not have the same marketing or publicity as a lot of other Hollywood films get, but I will get to say i was able to create a film that spread some sort of message with positivity and awareness to heal those who may have experienced church hurt, trauma of any kind, knowing that I was not behind a project promoting a topic that is toxic mentally or emotionally. The Films I hope to create will be meant for people to feel and hopefully leave feeling motivated.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goals are to change the way people think and respect creatives as a whole and to motivate others to give their life to Christ. I went through too many years of people making fun of me when i was teaching myself how to make graphics, beats, take photos and learn how to edit videos just to be overqualified for a certain job and accept lower pay than my value. most people see what I can do and immediately want me to try to help them with a ” vision ” they had for a video instead of giving me full creativity. Ive been watching movies since VHS and watch just about 10 movies a week and obsessively pay attention to details the normal eye doesn’t even care about. the temperature, the F/stop, the color choices, the rule of thirds, the type of shots, the continuity, the timing of cuts, the angles of the camera, what type of camera was used, the distance from the subject to the camera, the possible lighting set up, etc. I am in love with the entire production of movies from the designing of sets and choices of colors in clothing to the locations of recording scenes and the tension that the actors have to provide. No doubt in my mind that other people have the same level of passion towards film, music producing, art, anything that has to do with creating, that isn’t being treated with the respect appreciation wise or financially. If most people knew the amount of thinking, then the skill to express the thought process through art and how hard that is to do on a daily basis, there would be a better appreciation for the career and label of being a creative by itself, which I wish for others.
There are a lot of dark things that happen in the movie & music industry that people experience unknowingly or purposely just for fame or money, but there are a handful of things that happen to those who are trying to get closer to the Lord and spread His word ( The Bible ). In 2020, during covid I took the first serious step of changing my life for the better and to give my life to Christ. That was also the very first time I experienced sleep paralysis. Connecting those dots were a bit too easy at the time, because the lifestyle that I was leaving behind wanted me back. What many people don’t know is that this world is run by the devil. Satan will offer you the world and everything in it, but what is the point to gain the entire world and lose your soul. You could have all the money in the world, sleep around with whoever you want, get drunk every weekend, biggest house, most expensive cars, no worries in the world, what is all of that worth if it cost you your soul. This world is dying, and what I would like to motivate those who are trying to live for Christ is that even in a world that loves sin, you don’t have to be apart of it. There is hope in Jesus Christ and because of his sacrifice, dying on the cross and resurrecting 3 days later, we have the gift of eternal life. I would like to motivate those who have felt like they have done enough wrong in their life, those who want to quit and take themselves out, those who may have to life in less fortunate environments and especially those who are already believers that there is freedom when you walk with Jesus. I need those who see all of the evil transpiring all through society, cities, households, schools, music, entertainment , to speak up about their testimonies to encourage more that anything is possible through Him (Jesus) . That is my Goal. Today and so on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Najja.price
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najja.price/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/najja.price1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/najjaprice?trk=public_profile_browsemap&challengeId=AQHKT6RVEJuw0gAAAYlwEa82aYSgnckAy2ZR8noIbtjmnVUl8O3Rw6jr5EBUO40YF3P_88_cWH9dN2GQUSfsCf1Sn_q7OTn5DA&submissionId=ba8b1ec5-4962-7317-719c-f69a4585686a&challengeSource=AgGAbwtZiQvXQQAAAYlwEfRByvJ62cAx6CIdA5iqPkyGrlsWN1Kh1iBvUeBYh1Q&challegeType=AgGrcKlwDAahdwAAAYlwEfRFO_-fcPEPLqxzamRsyUzwVKcIAAzVMc4&memberId=AgFr3FQR9VKODgAAAYlwEfRIzfAnNyD7MEWAgymeUNls9Gw&recognizeDevice=AgFzc-XzGLb2twAAAYlwEfRLKqJnqV6-YPjhZnIzEOA0-U_Ib30-
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NajjaPrice
- Other: https://www.behance.net/Najja_Price?locale=en_US
Image Credits
Gina Salvatore Katherina Moua Kauffman Reiko Phillips