Over 2019’s Christmas holiday, I was in Paris for Men’s Fashion Week while taking a course on fashion photography. Previously, my “assistants” on shoots would always just be friends who were curious or free to help out. But through this course, I learned from my instructor the valuable skill of effective communication with a team of artists, enabling me to do more as the photographer.

One of the main skills I was able to develop was creating more effective moodboards. To be honest, I didn’t expect this to be one of the most memorable takeaways, given that these have always…

Here at ONLYCHILD Magazine, we receive hundreds of submissions across our different categories every month. Often, artworks are rejected not for being low quality, rather they just do not suit publication. Most of the mistakes also happen to be avoidable. I have 5 simple tips (with examples!!) on how you can increase your chances of publication without needing to spend more money on production, hiring professional staff, or even improving your skills.

1. Give us variety and options to choose from.

Typically, published pieces are given 2–4 spreads. If your artwork is exceptionally brilliant, we might give you a cover feature. …

I jumped on the Mulan hype train with everyone else this weekend. For what it was worth, I think Mulan was an entertaining film. At least, as much as the average Disney live-action remake, which is to say not a waste of time but also not a cinematic masterpiece. I will recognize Mulan for what it is, which is a successful production from a business perspective, and perhaps an empowering tale for its female viewers. But I’d like to take the time to educate my readers about Chinese cinema, a subject I hold close to my heart, and which Niki…

Next week, Isabel Sandoval’s Lingua Franca officially comes out on Netflix on August 26th. I was fortunate enough to attend a pre-release screening virtually, followed by a live Q&A with the filmmakers and actors Isabel Sandoval, Carlo Velayo, and Ivory Aquino.

Lingua Franca quickly became perhaps not my favorite, but one of my most memorable films of 2020 because of how eloquently it addresses complex and incredibly contemporary social issues and intersectional identities. It had its way of highlighting the ugly in society without fingerpointing — what Sandoval called “filmmaking without a bullhorn.” …

Note: ‘Dances of Dreams’ will be available to stream at 12pm PDT on August 13, 2020. More information on the project is available here.

How might one even begin theorizing film and dance when these two powerful mediums of art and storytelling converge? This is the exact challenge posed by San Francisco Ballet’s newest at-home programming, a short film on dance, running just over 6-minutes long and titled Dances of Dreams.

This unique short is directed by the wonderful Benjamin Millepied, from whom we have seen numerous inspiring if not life-changing choreography. With this short, the performance features SF Ballet…

In a hilarious rendition of the age-old “limbo” plot device, Palm Springs takes familiar elements of a romantic comedy and its genre tropes and makes them better: weddings, infidelity, alienated family members, casual sex, passionate sex, good men, douche men, you name it. Although I assure you, you haven’t seen it done right until you see Palm Springs.

The most striking impression left with me after seeing this film is how simple the story really is. There are no out-of-world physics, long-winded backstory, or superfluous glamor (which are central to the plot). …

Despite lasting just one season, Samurai Champloo has quickly become one of the most memorable animes I have seen. A great deal of credit can go to Nujabes, who created the music for the series together with his friends Fat Jon, Force of Nature, and Tsutchie.

For an anime rather complex in theme, it’s plot is a straightforward one of a journey, perhaps featuring detours, but little twists and turns. …

I started watching The Runaways in the senior year of high school, and the first season certainly left fond memories for me. It felt like a different kind of Marvel series — perhaps with a sprinkle of Batman’s flavor to it as the story did not develop around a superpower, instead, it’s ultimately grounded in very human themes of family, brother/sister-hood and privilege.

The Runaways is about a group of six private school teenagers who discovered their wealthy parents are super-villains hiding behind the disguise of a famous non-profit organization. …