I want to thank Patrick, Alan, Fred, Sharif and Melissa for all the talent, time and heart they have given this semester. Quality is everything, and you all have definitely met and surpassed any hopes or expectations I had when I first came to BDFI. I have been provided such a profound and rich experience here, with excellent balance between the technical, theoretical and experiential. I am inspired, excited and eternally grateful for this opportunity. I am also looking forward to working with this amazing group of fellow students in the years to come! Thank you Patrick!!

How can I squeeze out the essence of a connection that can touch hearts and move souls? Keep it super simple, sweet and sensual. I am so used to peeling oranges. It is a different story to create one from the inside out. I am loving all of it, and continue grateful for this experience. Hope your week-end is juicy!

I finally got some time alone with the camera, and thanks to a little help from Mike, I think I can see the beginning of a newfound love. With the help of our lighting class this week, I was able to assemble in a short period of time, the camera, lights, staging and costume design for a very entertaining family interview.

I can’t wait to get into the editing room and play with all the new sound effect tools we have learned this week. I must say, there is no better way for a family interview. Hope you are enjoying the week-end downpour, and that you if you have 3 dogs you have to walk 2 to 3 times a day, you stay alot dryer than I have!

The language of emotion has so many layers that we take for granted in films: lighting, color, tone, camera angle, focus, contrast and sound. There is so much we can communicate, and so many feelings we can evoke in our audience. Although the visuals help to create tone, it is the complexity of the sounds we hear, our auditory experience, that speaks directly to our emotions. What are the sounds that we tune out? How much do we listen, and how much do we hear? How do we express our stories effectively with voices, music, and situational sounds? Directors are similar to musicians in that they need to stay powerfully present to do their job well. There is no other way to hear all the background sounds and notice the visual distractions, while keeping a cast and crew focused on the heart of a story.
Editing is another world unto itself: a world of vast possibilities and maneuvers, and where I easily lose myself for hours.