Coming up with this project idea was hard for me. I am usually the one behind the computer cutting up someone else’s idea. I knew I wanted to make a story that mattered and created awareness. I started researching nonprofits in Philadelphia and immediately went right to their “story” page to read about individuals they have helped. I came across Philadelphia Artz, which is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals with Alzheimer’s by having them interact with art. This sparked my idea for my project. 

Dementia is a very common term used for the many forms of mental decline that has unfortunately affected many individuals in some way or another. However, there are glimmers of hope through research and therapies that have helped stall and prevent major symptoms. That is what I wanted to capture in my short. There is hope.

Filming this project was definitely a challenge. Finding an art gallery in Philly to film in was not easy. I emailed, called, showed up and got declined. Eventually a gallery responded to me and it was the perfect spot, The Art Space Gallery. The owners, Chris and Andrea were so supportive and really believed in the story. The film would not have been made without them. 

Directing is something I have not done in several years. I wanted to be the most efficient and effective director for this project by handling my pre-production work as much as possible before the shoot. This definitely helped me, my crew, and cast know what I wanted for this project. 

The shoot went great and that’s all to my crew and cast. They helped me along the way to make this project turn out the best it could be. 

After production, I was in my comfort zone. I immediately started cutting and assembling footage. I found that I did not like the way I set up the props in the beginning shots. I was very frustrated that I didn’t take the time for set design and make sure everything looked good. I ended up cutting out those shots and moving forward. I had as many people as possible watch my cut to receive feedback. I believe feedback is the most important in editing. It helped me make the project stronger.

When I felt happy with the cut I took it into Davinci Resolve and played around with color and movement. I really would have liked the colors to be more practical effects, but the gels we used for the film were not saturated enough for the effect I wanted. However, it made just enough of a color difference in the footage where I was able to key out the colors and manipulate it to what I wanted. I think it’s the best part of the project. 

I am so grateful for all the help and support I received to make this project.