HyperFocus
By Oliver Hough
Teachers, Doctors, and Parents all have ADHD wrong. I should know, being diagnosed at 6 years old, they have all told me what I need to fix, solve, and figure out to function in society. The main argument against those with ADHD is that we cannot focus, which is not true.
Okay, it is sort of true but let me paint the whole picture before you jump to any conclusions. At least in my experience, I cannot actively focus if I am not interested in the topic. Some examples of topics I could not focus on would be math, geography, golf and plenty of other ideas and hobbies that do not tickle my brain. While this may be true for ADHD, the hyper focus that comes along with interest and genuine passion for a subject becomes a super power. 800 page novel about space politics? Give me three hours and a cozy blanket and consider it done. 4,000 piece lego Death Star set? I may forget to eat but I will have the Death Star by sunset.
When someone with my diagnosis loves something, they truly, passionately immerse themselves into it. This is the same with Film and Editing for myself. Staring at raw footage and imagining what I can do with it, brainstorming a million ideas for the sound design, and just letting my passion enthrall me into my craft. The raw motivation that comes with such intense interest and creativity is truly life changing for people with my diagnosis. I belive ADHD is a major catalyst to realizing how much I wanted to create stories. I quickly could guage how much interest I had in something based on how well I could focus. When it comes to film, and storytelling, my attention was never broken. My passion has never dwindled.
When I got to college and began studying media production, I felt that same feeling I felt reading Dune for the first time, that feeling that you just don’t want to put the book down. You just want to keep going. That was my feeling throughout the entire process creating the series ‘The Cherry On Top’. When I was writing the script and fleshing out ideas, I never wanted to stop. When it was time to film I just kept wanting to try different takes. Then when it came time for post-production, I tried every idea. Film making makes me feel like a kid again: it inspires people, and it tells important stories that deserve a voice. Even the kids who can’t focus.
Oliver Hough is a visual and audio post production specialist. Working in graphic design, web development, video editing, and audio engineering. He has studied media production at Temple University, which has instilled him with the vocabulary and skills to fulfill his and other’s creative visions.
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.