By Emily Chan
Senior Vaughn Bui is a creator, an innovator and above all, a filmmaker.
To confirm that you have spotted this artistic individual out in the wild, make sure that they have on a signature white shirt, some solid-colored pants and an orange jacket wrapped around their neck. Bonus points if they’re holding a bottle of iced water, their phone and a camera, three of Bui’s essentials.
Bui joined Baron Banner because he wanted another outlet to express his creativity. Through Baron Banner, he hopes to branch out into writing and further connect with the community.
As Bui embarks on his last year at Fountain Valley High School, he looks forward to immersing himself in school culture.
In his free time, Bui builds things. From model kits to full cinematic universes, Bui is the definition of bringing your visions to life.
“I like creating things. In fact, over the past four years, I’ve created my whole cinematic universe on YouTube, six films. I’m very proud of it … it’s basically how I build my creativity,” Bui said.
Bui started his channel when an idea for a story popped into his head.
“I just wanted to tell people [that] I got this story about a dude that fights things and I wanted to put it in a medium where people could actually see it,” Bui said.
You can find Bui’s films at SGvon 2 on YouTube.
His greatest inspiration for his work is former NASA scientist, Mark Rober, for his engineering videos. He admires Rover’s ability to make things that are cool and weird, all at the same time.
Bui finds joy in combining smaller elements into something bigger, something interesting. Inspired by movies like “Pacific Rim”, he hopes to work in aviation in the future. His passion, though, isn’t necessarily due to the prospect of travel, but rather the mechanics of aircraft itself.
“It’s how you can [have] things that aren’t really special in themselves, but you can put them together to create something. I really like that,” Bui said.
In the meantime, Bui, accompanied by his friends and the beats of “Bodies” and “Life Worth Living” by Car Seat Headrest, will continue to invent his world as we know it.
His advice for anyone hesitant to unleash their own creativity?
“Just do it and it’ll be a fun experience. You know, it’s not going to be as bad as you think,” Bui said.