Showcase

Introductory Note

Hello! My name is Marisa Novotarski, and I am a film student at Freestyle Academy. Here, I have fostered my interests in film production and analysis. I spend my free time at my part-time job as a barista at Philz Coffee. I love how my job exposes me to many different people and allows me to be more affable and comfortable conversing with the public. I also enjoy event planning, and I have co-hosted both of Freestyle Academy’s dances this past school year. These events included extensive coordination, planning, and advertising. My partner and I enjoyed collaborating in these areas to create fun evenings for our community.

For my Showcase, I have chosen my Senior Narrative and Zenith projects. I chose my Senior Narrative because it is a culmination of all the skills I’ve learned to tell an effective visual narrative. I found my strengths in the areas of professional communication, scheduling, and set coordination, which were essential aspects of production. The second piece I chose was my Zenith project, as I believe it highlights my personal camera skill and editing style. I worked on this project independently, and I believe it represents my storytelling style most effectively.

I would like to know how I can make these projects more engaging. Is my work in narrative stronger than documentary, or vice versa? What are my strengths and weaknesses in each area of film? I would also like guidance on production. Is there a better way to represent my interests in producing than presenting projects? What organizations or jobs should I join or apply for to gain more experience as a film producer?

I am attending Seattle University in the fall, studying Communication and Media, with an emphasis on Communication Studies. I plan on using this as a foundation for a career as a film producer. I look forward to coordinating with those in the film industry by pairing writers, directors, and editors together to bring creative visions to life. I believe the Pacific Northwest is a fantastic center of independent art, and I look forward to joining this creative community to foster my passion for film and production.

You can reach me at marisa.novotarski@gmail.com for any further information or questions.

Mabel, the Professional

An older woman must adjust her disposal plans when she stumbles upon another body while working. 

We were bombarded with lessons on the various aspects of producing a narrative film all throughout first semester. Every week, we had up to two lessons, each giving us more understanding on every aspect of film production from writing to cinematography. I enjoyed these lessons immensely, and I was able to understand why seemingly small elements, such as characters’ movements, shot composition, framing, color, and sound, can all work together to evoke emotion from the audience. I found this quite interesting, and I wanted to include some of these more subtle tactics in our narrative. This started with the writing. After our pitch session, we drafted, tweaked, and refined a rough draft into a complete, polished story. We annotated this script for the cinematic techniques we wanted to include in certain shots or made notes on what foley or ambience we needed. We incorporated these elements both on set and in the editing room.  We tried to mix sound in a manner that reflected Mabel’s growing frustration and overwhelmed feeling. We attempted to show how regular, mundane noises were a great bother to her and emphasized this is throughout the film. In the end, right as she is arrested, the noises were to come to a climax, followed by a calm shot of her in the prison. This contrast would work to make the audience empathize with Mabel as she became more and more desperate. This was something we tried to incorporate, but it was difficult to include something so subtle effectively. We also used color to our advantage, making Mabel appear more vibrant than her surroundings. This helped to emphasize her role as the main character, as well as create more dissonance between her warm-hearted appearance and gruesome job. Overall, my partner and I incorporated aspects of cinematography throughout our film, using the lessons and notes from class to come out with a strong product. I feel I learned and effectively applied lessons in cinematography. However, I was able to improve on my skills in writing and editing as well, refining them more for work with narrative film than previous projects.

The senior narrative project was meaningful and impactful in so many different ways. It allowed me to develop not only a deeper understanding of the film industry and the workflow on set, but also to learn to be quick on my feet, be prepared for anything, and communicate with everyone involved in production to make everything run as smoothly as possible. I was excited to work on my partner’s idea. Our combined creativity produced an idea that was fun and challenging. We were able to work together well, communicating who needed to bring what to shoots and similar tasks. Our peers were also a huge help, and we often exchanged being light or sound techs for snacks. We had a lot of fun making our short film, and we maintained the ability to be professional when it really counted. This project gave me the communication skills that would be vital for my success later on with my zenith project. I was able to learn to write messages to my cast and crew, establishing where and when we should meet, how long shoots would be, and any necessary props or equipment we needed. It was fun to talk to people and have them take me seriously as a creative professional. It was nice to be seen as someone in charge rather than a kid making a home movie. It was also incredibly stressful. I learned to manage my time well, and I was often accompanied by other students in my film class after hours in the editing room. We were able to take breaks from our own work to review others’ honestly and constructively. It was fun and helped us build trust with one another; we could rely on each other to be candid and review our work fairly. Overall, I think the most meaningful aspects of this project were the interpersonal relationships that were strengthened and formed, as well as the development of my professional communication skills.

I will have memories from this project forever. I will keep this experience in mind going forward, and I will seek out more opportunities to be on set and part of a crew. Though it is amazing seeing a finished product, it is much more personally fulfilling to be able to connect with people on set and discuss the project and maintain a good attitude. Though some shoots could be long, rainy, or otherwise uncomfortable, the cast and crew were always able to work together to create an uplifting, hardworking, and persistently fun environment. Because of this, I know I will find myself on a set again, and I hope to do so as a producer sometime in the future.

Behind the Curtain 

A short observational documentary on a local Bay Area drag queen’s seemingly contrasting personalities of drag persona and law enforcement officer. 

For this project, I decided early on that I wanted to do a non-traditional style of documentary. I was inspired by watching the short documentary projects White Earth and Undercity as research t. I enjoyed the handheld style of shooting that immersed the audience into the events of the documentary. I then decide that I wanted to emulate this style, falling away from the traditional documentary I had previously done. I also took note that the documentaries I was engaged with were subject-based documentaries. In the past, I had only ever done one documentary that was location-based, so I was eager to document a subject. I finally decided to shoot my entire project on a 50mm lens. This was, in part, inspired by the style signature of Barry Jenkins. I enjoyed the dreaminess and softness a 50mm lens could add to a shot, and I was excited for the opportunity to try and reflect this style in my own work. In the editing room, I decided to have contrasting visuals and audio, so the audio was not a direct reflection of the shot, or vice versa. This created a less traditional viewing experience, as the audio did not always line up directly with the visuals.

This project was incredibly fun overall. George and I were not only professional colleagues, but friends who exchanged stories. He let me into his home, let me meet his dog, and generally made me laugh. This emphasized the importance of having a trusting relationship with your documentary subject. In the year prior, I had a partner who had previously known one of our interviewees, making access to the location uncomplicated. Because I was solo on this project, I had to form a relationship with my subject alone, meeting him for dinner to discuss my vision for the project and his boundaries. This was new and exciting for me, and I took it as an opportunity to build on my professional communication skills. We ultimately ended up becoming friendly acquaintances, and I appreciated that he respected my creative vision and engaged with the camera and project. I found myself most engaged in the pre-production phases, finding ease in scheduling.This made me solidify my previous notion that I may want to pursue a career as a film producer. As stated previously, I found my skills were a lot stronger in the planning aspects of the Senior Narrative project, so I was excited to apply the skills used on that project in a slightly different manner, as narrative film production can vary greatly from documentary filmmaking.

I look forward to using this experience to strengthen my passion for film production. This project has strengthened my ability to for interpersonal, yet professional experience, as well as solidifying my trust in my own work and skills. I am excited to tackle my next project with these tools to create more refined and polished work.