Meet Chandler Thornton! Chandler is a senior at Gainesville High School and plans to attend UNG Gainesville after graduation. We want to congratulate Chandler and his family on his upcoming graduation and best wishes in the future.
Question: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
Answer: “My father went to GHS and was in the band. He now works for a company based in Austin, Texas. My mother went to North Hall. She teaches gifted resource at ENOTA MI Academy and is the elementary gifted coordinator for Gainesville City Schools. My sister is about to be a senior at UNG, where she’s getting a degree in graphic design. She and her fiance, Ran Williams, work at the Chick-fil-A West near Hollywood 15 Cinemas.”
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: “I plan on going to UNG Gainesville to pursue a career in the film industry. I started making short films on my own back in middle school. I remember how creative only being able to set up a camera on a tripod with yourself as the actor forced you to be. Since then I’ve been on several local sets, nothing overly professional, and even directed a few projects working with GHS’s Audio/Visual department. It’s something I love doing and I’d like to do for the rest of my life.”
Q: What are two of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “Alpha Gyro Grill and Mellow Mushroom.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “I don’t know if right now is exactly the best time to travel somewhere but I’d really like to go back to Nuremberg, Germany. My family stayed there the summer between my 5th and 6th grade years. I really enjoyed the feel of that place and how everyone walked everywhere instead of driving. I do really enjoy the privacy of being spread out like we are in the States but that was nice for a while to have everything within walking distance.”
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
A: “At the moment I really enjoy Ari Aster’s Hereditary, although I can’t recommend it for everyone. It was a part of my AP Research Project and I’ve learned a lot from studying it. For TV shows, my family just finished binge-watching ‘Game of Thrones’ so that’s still fresh on my mind. The first four seasons are the best seasons of television I’ve ever seen.”
Q: If you were asked to give advice to your senior class and the younger students at your school, what would you say?
A: “To the senior class, don’t despair. Just imagine how much we’ll be able to annoy our children by telling the same quarantine story whenever they complain about anything being hard. You’re sad because you have to celebrate your birthday at school? Imagine missing senior prom because of a virus. To the underclassmen, despair. Our quarantine story will be that much more compelling because it was our senior year.”
Q: If you were able to be cast as yourself into a television show or series, what show would you want to be in?
A: “I’d want to get eaten by a dinosaur in the next ‘Jurassic World’ movie in some sort of over the top, unearned fashion. They’d have to out-do that random babysitter from the 2015 one who got attacked by a dozen different flying dinosaurs before she got swallowed by a giant ocean dinosaur.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about our community?
A: “The amount non-profits operating in Hall County. My mother is a sustainer with the Junior-League of Gainesville/Hall County. I’ve personally done work with Family Promise of Hall County at Grace Episcopal Church and various service projects while with BSA Troop 26. It’s rare in a city like this to have so many organizations working to support the community.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?
A: “Hopefully still alive, making movies, and not alone. I might be tempting fate just typing that.”
Q: What is your go to band / singer when you cant decide what to listen to?
A: “I listen to films scores. I mentioned earlier how for the past few weeks I had been watching Game of Thrones, so I’ve also been listening to Ramin Djawadi’s scores for the show. A couple other favorite composers I listen to all the time are Nicholas Britell and Johann Johannsson.”
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
A: “I love autumn and Halloween. There are no bugs, it’s not too hot or too cold, and the leaves are really pretty. Plus, I love horror and horror movies so it’s the perfect season-holiday combo for me.”
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A: “Walking up the hills at Gainesville High School. Really maintains your cardio.”
Q: What is something you want to do as soon as this pandemic is finished?
A: “See a movie with friends.”
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
A: “My sister. She really keeps me on my toes with her snide remarks. I must always be ready to respond. She also makes cool art that’s inspiring but that’s beside the point.”
