During my four years at Pratt Institute I have been able to explore many different kinds of filmmaking. Starting from freshman year I was exposed to the world of non-fiction, which was an area that I had not had much experience with. My first documentary film allowed me to reach out of my comfort zone, which are fictional films. My Fiction I class gave me more confidence in narrative filmmaking and storytelling and I still continue to use the techniques I learned in my films today. Stop-motion and horror films are the most recent genres of film that I have used in my filmmaking career at Pratt. Once the pandemic hit it became difficult to create films (limited cast, crew, and location parameters). The lack of hands-on learning put me in a tough space in terms of my creativity, but the world of stop-motion opened my eyes to using ordinary objects as sources of inspiration.
Before my sophomore year, I tended to shy away from experimental films as I could never feel confident in the genre. But after taking an Experimental class I was able to push past my limits and I even surprised myself. The FX Tricks and Px class also inspired me to branch out more into the experimental, as I learned new editing techniques on the softwares After Effects and Photoshop. In my Screenwriting class I developed my character and world building skills, which was something I really wanted to improve upon in my films. But the class I believe inspired me the most was my Horror and Monstrosity class. The concepts I learned have inspired me enough to base my senior thesis project in the genre and I am very eager to put them into practice. I like any and all films, but lately I’ve discovered a love for the horror genre. I’d love to work on a full scale horror film set, getting to see first hand the special and practical effects needed to create the project. I also enjoy meeting new people so working with an ensemble cast is also something I’d enjoy. In my senior thesis I really want to be able to utilize all of the techniques I've learned during my years at Pratt to create a film that aesthetically represents the types of films I want to continue to make after graduation and in my future career.