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The film is about a female who lives in an imperfect world. She gets into a fight with an anonymous being that knocks her into a world that many desire, one that is seamless and “ideal”. As the two worlds meet, she now has to face the consequences of what she did and who she has become. Its intention was to get the audience to think about a backstory that is never explained or shown. I wanted them to be able to piece their own story together with the minimal information given.
Unacquainted
Me (left) and my cousin Lauren Moulton (right) Day 1 of filming for 'Unacquainted'
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My cousin Lauren Moulton is a certified beautician who has used her skills in a few indie films in the past. When we first started talking about working together, it was more about the aesthetic than the narrative. We had ideas of what we wanted the girls to wear and the outdoor setting figured out before we had begun. We knew we wanted to show unity between the girls in some way, as they are apart of the same world. Ultimately, they would be in white dresses and have parts of their faces painted.
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When we got together to discuss the overall look, I knew I wanted an overgrown, organic and earthy environment to work with. It would reference a modern Avante Garde style that I admired from art history. We discussed places to shoot such as ‘The Five Rivers’, a nature reserve in Upstate NY, The ‘Yaddo Gardens’ in Saratoga, NY and a few other places. We realized that these public places would be difficult to be where there are a lot of people around.
'Unacquainted' film still
'Unacquainted' film still
Behind the scenes of Lauren Moulton doing makeup and hair.
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With Lauren’s experience, she was able to put makeup on four faces, sew and combine outfits for each body type, and assist with the camera when I was in the frame. Since she has been on a set before, she knew how to plan ahead of time with a production schedule. She managed everything from the times we met for breakfast, to the last scene destination of the day.
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In the beginning, I thought we orchestrated a good idea for the film. I was going to “wing it” the day of by shooting as many different angles as possible to get enough footage. After we were done working with the girls, I was editing and realized it looked like a frilly perfume advertisement. It did not feel like my style at all and I wanted to make sure my voice was present. After discussing this with Lauren, we dove right in on the “other world”. This would bring in a darker, gritty feeling to add to the pure surrealistic footage of the girls.
12:00pm - 1:00pm --- Travel to First Location (Yaddo Gardens, Saratoga)
1:00pm - 3:00pm --- Filming @ First Location (Yaddo)
3:00pm - 4:00pm --- Travel to Second Location + Lunch (Congress Park, Saratoga) (Saratoga National Historical Park) - by 5 o’clock
4:00pm - 6:00pm --- Filming @ Second Location
6:00pm - 7:00pm --- Travel to Third Location
7:00pm - 9:00pm --- Filming @ Third Location
9:00pm --- Wrap + Dinner
Behind the scenes of me filming.
Tentative Schedule:
Close up of one of the girls in hair and makeup by Lauren Moulton.
Two out of the four outfits made by Lauren Moulton.
'Unacquainted' film still
'Unacquainted' film still
Behind the scenes view of the girls in white.
One of the benefits of working with family is that they will be completely honest with
you when you expect it naturally. I remember showing some B-roll to Lauren and she gave me
constructive feedback to consider it differently. Before this, I had only worked by myself.
It was difficult to manage everything I wanted to do alone, but I made it work. Although my
cousin helped with the schedule, she also kept me on track. She was able to remind me of the
importance of staying organized, as she has seen what can happen on other sets. This made me realize how important the process can be. Today when I plan a film, I spend more time with
the concept. I try not to overlook the story structure and skip to how it should be visually.
Washed off the bloody knuckles for a lunch break.
Bloody knuckles and face ready for filming the fight sequence.
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On Saturday, September 28th, 2019, my family and I attended the 15 Minutes Max 8th Annual Film Festival. That summer I had submitted “Unacquainted” and was one of 13 to have been chosen to be shown at the screening in September. After watching each film, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were awarded by the jurors. I was given 3rd place. I was very pleased, as I never expected my film to be viewed by more than 10 people. There were juror awards and an audience award to be given that evening. After everyone voted, “Unacquainted” was called a second time. It meant a lot to me that both sets of grandparents were there to support me. They have always been supportive of my decisions to become a filmmaker. It was a wonderful opportunity to be considered at this festival. It gave me the confidence to work harder on my next project.
