This
project originated from the Sandy Hook shooting and the invasive quality of
media during and after the event. After I saw photos of distressed parents, I
had to wonder: why do we do this to people, and are we hurting them? From
there, I wrote the screenplay for Trans, and I wrote different answers
to those questions I posed. The different ways that people grieve really
depicts that there is no one correct answer to those questions.
Film
is a medium with which I'm not familiar, but the writing and filming definitely
challenged me to create something for a different audience. This process has
allowed me to become comfortable writing differently and to discuss a problem
arising in America in a creative way. As I continue to write both creatively
and technically, writing for different audiences will be critical.
On
a weekly basis for the past month, my mentor George Yanez and I have been
scheduling times to film throughout the week. We set up two cameras—one
interview camera and one “omniscient” camera—and from there, we film the
fictional interviews with no interruptions. On Monday, George and I review what
we've filmed, to make sure that everything we've filmed is the way we want it.
One
thing I've discovered this week is that midterms is a terrible time for student
actors to help another student with a project. But no matter how difficult the
scheduling may be, everyone is always willing to be as flexible as they can.
