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Avant Garde Reflection

I’m proud to say this film is something I want to show off. 

I believe the film, at it’s core, is who I really am. At least at this moment. I learned a lot from just being uncomfortable about putting myself into my work. I know this was a great opportunity to find my voice and to keep digging for it. I hope this is a film that I can watch down the road and give myself a reminder as to who I really am.

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Avant Garde Proposal

My self portrait will be another found footage. I plan to incorporate my long distance relationship into the film. Especially through use of the FaceTime SFX, I want the audience to understand my frustration. But would like to make it pleasant and not sad

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Non-fiction Reflection

So after none of my proposals working out, I went with a found footage film.

With the intention of having all POV shots, I learned a valuable lesson in letting the audience have a long take. I thought that in this day and age I needed to cut fast but learned to be more patient and respect myself and my work.

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Non-Fiction Proposal

So I got some options:

There is a homeless man frequently living down towards the canals in Marina Del Rey. I want to approach him and just observe his lifestyle.

Also, there is a skateboard maker that I have some interest in filming, I believe this is my best story.

Lastly, Hank’s Pizza. After having a nice long conversation with the owner of the pizzeria, he is fully in to me filming his restaurant, which has been in the same location for over 50 years

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Fiction reflection

So my original Fiction plan did not work out.

I originally had two actors from Backstage and everything in the pre-production process was going well. Then what do you know, my lead completely backs out hours before we are to shoot. I had no luck finding a replacement, my consultant wanted nothing to do with being on screen for more than 5 seconds so I was at a standstill.

I thought back to my Social Justice project and thought I might as well give it another go. This time with the focus being on someone who is not prescribed the medication.

Because of the lack of time preparing, there are more shots I would have liked to get but did not have enough time with the actor because of his schedule. Overall, I am pleased and wished I had the opportunity to prepare more. 

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Fiction Proposal

In my film, the protagonist is a female computer wiz. She is quiet and nerdy but enjoys music. She has a huge crush on a boy in her class but is too afraid to talk to him. So instead she hacks him and watches him from his bedroom.

The boy is on FaceBook and receives a message from a friend. The friend sends a link and once the boy clicks on it, windows begin to pop up, the boy freaks out and closes the window completely.

We now see who the hacker is, our protagonist. She watches through the boy’s desktop camera. He folds laundry.

We cut to the next day of them in school. We see that the girl and boy are classmates. He chats with his girlfriend, we see jealousy from our protagonist.

That night she watches the boy. After watching the Boy for some time, she sees him break a CD in anger from a fight he had with his girlfriend. 

Inspired, the next day she gives him the CD, the exact CD that he smashed.

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Social Justice Reflection

Although I did not tell the original story that I pitched, I am quite pleased. Wish I had time to color correct but that’s on me.

I believe the message I am trying to get across should be received by the audience. Our character clearly spaces out frequently and he hates his condition. He pounds his fist and has no choice but to swallow the pill. 

I was contemplating the idea of using a voiceover but felt that it would be too on the nose. Wanted the audience to interpret for themselves and hope the message got across.

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Social Justice

Something that pisses me off? Being on the spectrum, well at least at first. Growing up, having ADHD was not cool at all. My grades sucked, did not have a lot of friends, and I could never sit still. Going into high school I was prescribed Vyvanse. And that little pill did wonders for me. Now, I was popular and selling Vyvanse to half of my class, making good money. But the talk about the drug started to be misleading. Kids became brainwashed by this little pill thinking that it held all the answers to it, and that it wasn’t unfortunate that I had the disease but actually a blessing. What kids didn’t realize is that taking 1 pill every couple weeks seems fine but taking something daily and becoming dependent on it is far from fine. 

I would like my short to portray the realities of taking ADHD medication daily and not just to cram for a test the night before.

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Vision Reflection

Glad that is over. I felt I was putting too much pressure on myself for a project that we weren’t even able to properly pitch. I’m glad CJ (composer)was able to help, would have been a disaster without him. Really looking forward to see what he is able to come up with once I give him more time and direction. 

Need to work on my patience and just rush to get something done. The lighting could have been a lot better had I just waited an hour or so, could have made a lot better of a project. 

Have been very impressed with the iPhone X’s capability, has not disappointed at all. 

Challenging myself to take more time, as much as needed, to focus on the pre-production process and respect it more. Instead of just throwing myself into a fire.

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Project 1: Pitch

Missing my girlfriend is the feeling that is most central to me. I want a character to stand by palm trees, looking into the distance, thinking about their distant lover. I plan to cut back and forth to close-ups of the trees to highlight the character lost in thought. The audience will know the character is a girl but will never see her face. It’s not important. I want to play around with black and white versus color symbolizing the character is lost in her thought and taking the audience into that thought.

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AutoBiography and Influences

Beginnings: Born in 1994 in Cleveland, Ohio. Older brother. Two miscarriages before me. At the time, all was ok.

Health: Father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 33. I was 1 1/2. Sister was born. We needed help.

Early Influences: Aunts and Uncles visited for an entire year to help out my mother. Being taught sports by my mother’s young brother.

Relations: Very close with my first cousins, lots of family vacations. Nonnie and Poppie staying very involved. Family dinners every Sunday.

School: Best Beginnings. St. Bernadette. St. Ignatius High School. Marquette University. Catholic. Jesuit. Film class with Fuj. Michael Howard history.

Special Activities: Cleveland Menu Printing. Football. Track and Field.

Journeys: Hawaii. Naples. Sicily. Tanzania. El Salvador.

Adolescence: Getting by! School was the biggest struggle for me. ADHD.

Major Conflicts: I’ve been protected and shielded from many conflicts. I am very fortunate.

People you have loved: Infatuation in high school. That I’m incredibly lucky to have such a strong relationship with my grandparents and cousins.

People you have hated: Rivals for sports. Racists. I learned that in the end, it’s not worth it. We’re all human.

Work: Have been training / learning / studying to be a filmmaker since 2016.

Avocations: Writing stories. Produce movies!

Arts: A professor actually discussing the harsh reality of how women and minorities are portrayed in the media. Also, Tarkovsky 

Beliefs: Catholicism.

Celebrations: Unfortunately, no.

Life’s Lessons: Nothing matters, do what you love. 

Future: My biggest hope is that I marry my girlfriend. I want nothing else in the world.

Four Characters: Fraulein Marie (Sound of Music). Guido Orefice (Life is Beautiful). Cher Horowitz (Clueless). Aaron Burr (Hamilton).

Four Public Figures: Barrack Obama. Ava DuVernay. Frank Ocean. Taika Waititi.

Influences: Sean Hennessy. Jay Sr. Kyle Roulan. Dano.