What most surprised you once you started working on the project?

What surprised me the most was how complicated it was to create the illusion of an actor playing the piano. Only one of my film’s three actors were real-life pianists. It was a lot of meticulous planning and trial and error with camera angles hiding the hands, giving the theme song in advance for the actor to practice the movements, and sound design to create the illusion.

What was a highlight of living and studying in New York City?

I’m a New Yorker born and raised in the Long Island/Queens area, but suburbia is much different than the city. Not only have I met invaluable mentors and professors, but I’ve genuinely had meaningful film connections and friendships from SVA, and I see myself working with many of them in the future.

What is something you learned at SVA that you'll always take with you?

Putting yourself out there. Someone’s lying to you if they say it’s easy to ask for help, pitch yourself, ask someone or a professor with amazing credits if they want to work with you, or give advice. I’ve worked with really talented people because of the ability to push past that.

Was there a teacher or course that was essential for you?

I’ve had many great teachers during my time here. The class that was most essential for my thesis was Advanced Directing, taught by my thesis advisor, Jenna Ricker. That class was invaluable for learning about storytelling, directing and receiving meaningful feedback.

Features

The fourth-year BFA Film student’s award-winning thesis project is a short film called ‘Good Enough.’