Zane Hubbard: A whole new take on Directing

The film industry is known worldwide for being the ultimate playground for one’s imaginations. Existing solely on ideas, entire projects come together in order to produce these visual dreams we call movies. Starting with humble beginnings, Zane Hubbard first emerged in the industry as an actor. But as many do, Zane slowly began to fall in love with not only the outcome of the filming industry, but the process. The settle way the change of a camera angle would transform the shot to the importance of lightning to set mood and tone. As an actor, Zane drank up life on the set and with that, discovered a new passion in production.

Passion and relatability comes to mind when discussing Zane’s work. Taking influences from his own experiences, he had discovered a way to turn them into works of art. In recent years, Zane’s project has included The Chronicles of Jessica Wu, which some would consider a passion project. The Chronicles of Jessica Wu tells the story of a young girl with superhuman abilities who defends her city of Los Angeles. However, Jessica is also autistic and that’s where the magic of Zane’s filmmaking can be seen. As a parent of an autistic child, Zane strives to bring an awareness into his work that is made apparent by the plot he chooses as well as his delivery method. Knowing the circumstances of raising a child with autism, Zane is able to portray Jessica in a way that allows the audience to connect from all points of view. Zane realizes the importance of audience identification and while not all of us can relate to being a defender of a city, there are those who can relate to the everyday struggles of being autistic.

Understanding the importance of relatability, Zane’s work has a way of speaking for itself when it comes to the finished product. The evidence is apparent in The Chronicles of Jessica Wu and the devil is in the details. Zane’s directional approach better enriches the performance because he knows how Jessica would behave. He is familiar with the behavior of someone who is autisitc and thus is able to better communicate and direct the actor accordingly. Through his work, he’s able to portray Jessica in a relatable sense.

It’s a big step to go from acting to directing and that is a transition that Zane Hubbard was willing to make when he directed The Chronicles of Jessica Wu. Taking his experience as an actor, Zane took what he learned by observing his fellow actors and their interactions with the director. By implementing his skills he learned on set, it’s no wonder why The Chronicles of Jessica Wu competed for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Short-Form Comedy or Drama Series. But the true importance of Zane’s work lies not with the recognition he receives, but with the opportunities it brings to others. The Chronicles of Jessica Wu is just one example of his dedication to the autistic community, his foundation is another. Zane’s values are apparent in his charity work as he strives to bring recognition to the African American community as well as the disability community as well.       As a filmmaker, Zane’s visions are clear, concise, and poignant. Bringing awareness and relatability is just one of Zane’s checklists when he directs a film and in this day and age, he is a breath of fresh air to the world of entertainment. The Chronicles of Jessica Wu is nothing if not an accurate representation of Zane’s directorial styling and an example of a show that truly needs to exist. Zane has brought to the forefront what society needs to see, where representation truly matters. While there is still work to be done, Zane has started a conversation of including not only people of color in more mainstream media, but those who are also affected by a disability. Zane has shown that no matter what cards you were dealt with, it is what you make out of them that counts. By turning a circumstance into inspiration, Zane Hubbard proves that the limits of inspiration is only as far as your willing to set it.