By Stephanie Snyder
There are those who sit behind a desk scribbling ideas in their notebooks and there are others who take their ideas and put them in front of a camera. For sophomore Emily Johnson, the act of pulling her words off of a notebook page, and turning them into a story for all to watch, is a dream come true.
“I wrote a short film about Joshua, an eldest son, who creates a life of his own away from his family’s vineyard. He leaves for various reasons [which]I [don’t want] to spoil, but he eventually comes back for what he thinks is a visit.”
“His sister drops a variety of bombs on him and he realizes how fractured his family has become. He has to balance his desire to go back to Chicago, as well as his need to help his family re-grow relationships and save their business.”
From working with the lead actor of the film on the idea for the plot to being on set watching it play out in front of her, Johnson was able to connect on a deeper level with the words she put her heart and soul into.
“The lead actor came to me with the idea and I took over to write it. It became one of those things where we outlined a plot together but individual characters and scenes I put my heart into. They are characters that I have interacted with in some way. I feel like I have met all of these people.”
Besides Johnson’s opportunity of entering her film into film festivals nationally and internationally, she hopes that the experience will help further her work
“Other than getting my work out there and these messages out there, I hope that it leads me to a new understanding of my own personal craft. Like a new way of seeing character development, story development, and the way I write for dialogue. It’s so different from writing a short story.”
“I want [the film]to go all the way on TV or even Netflix. I want it to be something that people are going to see and think ‘Oh I can relate to that’ and find some guidance in it.”
For the next few months Johnson and everyone involved in the filming process will be working hard on creating a potential masterpiece in the film world. Johnson is hoping to bring Blood and Water on campus after it is submitted to various film festivals. Show your support by liking ‘Blood and Water a film’ on Facebook.
“I’m excited to show people this piece of art. This opportunity came to me and I am endlessly grateful to be a part of it with such amazing actors and an amazing producer. I want people to know that it is never too soon to start living your dream.”
