Blog #1: Lily Frame's Filmmaker Statement

Lily Frame's Filmmaker Statement

          When reflecting upon my jovial and hyperactive youth, I find it of the essence to commemorate the radiating beam of light in my life to the arts. Drawn to the promises of its entertainment, the unreasonably steep prices for one-time admissions, the lingering aromas of over-buttered popcorn and chocolate-drizzled delights, the seats who have long-lived their expiration dates, the floor that shelter's the sins of spilled sodas, and yet film remains an undying portal to a world unimaginable. Like a moth, I find myself inexplicably captivated by the projected beams of light, except, I am swept elsewhere with the morphing of images it seemingly brings to life with it.

          My budding heart for film began unfolding itself throughout the beginning of my childhood. From hijacking my father's "movie camera" to the sleepless nights where I secretly watched R-rated movies such as the Godfather and the Silence of the Lambs. My first film experience began in high school when I enrolled into a television production class; it was there that I began to discover myself engulfed in film's aesthetic qualities. When I began working in teams with highly unmotivated teenagers, I began fulfilling different and multiple aspects of film such as writing the stories, photographing school sporting/arts events, interviewing the story's subjects' (including the Senate and Secretary of State in West Virginia), broadcasting, editing the final shots, producing the stories, directing my teammates, and eventually leading the operations of the light/sound/camera departments in our television studio. Eventually within my third year of taking this course, I created a segment in our high school's television show where we discussed topics considered serious for teenage audiences such as bullying, depression, suicide prevention, voter registration, drinking and driving, organ donation, etc. These stories eventually were submitted to film festivals such as Marshall University's S.C.O.R.E.S. and West Virginia State Universities Film Festival, where I was eventually awarded for three of my creations. After high school, I began interning with a traveling production team (specialized in commercial making) that was stationed in Colorado; they introduced me to the high standing quality of Red Digital Cinema. My freshmen year of college I became infatuated with the magic of film festivals. I attended/volunteered for the Cucalorus Film Festival in 2016, I attended the Visions Film Festival in 2016, and volunteered/attended the Greenwich International Film Festival (G.I.F.F.) in 2017 (where I met Steven Spielberg!!). Following the G.I.F.F., I was awarded a student internship where I will continue my studies for a month with them in the summer of 2018. The volunteer coordinator for G.I.F.F also introduced me to her contacts with Sundance Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival that later offered me student intern positions as a result of her good word. 

          Within this class, my number one learning goal is to avoid staying within my comfort zone because learning begins here and one must not be vulnerable when learning to master their art. I look forward with an open heart as well as an open mindset to embracing a more advanced cinematic (technical) language with my student peers, working with classmates by creatively problem-solving, as well as learning the roles behind pre-production, production, and post-production. I also look forward to deeply exploring the ranges of experimental film. 

          If you asked me last year where I could see my artistic self in ten years, then I would've told you without any doubts behind the camera, controlling the cinematography, but as a result of the education provided through the UNCW's Film Studies and Creative Writing Departments', that answer remains, but with different routes. In ten years, I could see myself becoming a film professor (hopefully attending UNCW's new FST graduate program). Because of the contagious and undying passion the faculty and staff hold within the Film Studies Department, I have found myself deeply emerged in my studies asa result. I, too, wish to spread my passion of film's history and production with students just like the FST department has done for me. In ten years, I could also see myself engulfed in positions within film festivals by slowly working my way up it's hierarchy- the contacts, lessons, and art you take in within a week is simply immeasurable in value. I could also see myself in ten years becoming a film critique. After taking my FST 200 with Doctor Berliner, I have not looked at movies in the same light as I did once before. I now look at movies with a fresh, analytical eye and enjoy breaking a movie down to its core function and values. 

          One thing my peers find unique about myself is my openness, eagerness, and enthusiasm for life and things around me. I take interest in everything around me and college is the perfect place for me to deeply emerge myself into that. Perhaps my eagerness and enthusiasm for life is rooted as a result of my dreams. Lou Buttino once stated, "Never forget the importance of catching glimpses of life that remind you the world is fresh and dreams unlimited." Perhaps Buttino is right. One should look at the world through a different filter,

one that takes the stance of optimism.
                               

Volunteering with the production crew for the Greenwich International Film Festival in 2017.