L'amour Interdit

In 2022, I went to University of North Carolina's School of the Arts film camp. It was so magical to have an outlet for my unexpressed creativity. Each of us attendees was given the opportunity to try various roles on a film set, the most exciting being writer and director of our own short film. I had big ideas, fantastical dreams, and a zealous drive to realize them.

Lacking experience, I was apprehensive about the writing process. I was not familiar with storytelling principles. I was not well-versed in writing or directing natural dialogue. I had no experience in this realm of auteurs. All I leaned on was the memory of my high school Introduction to Theater class assignment, my classmates elected me to direct a play. My teacher assigned us to condense a two-hour work into a 10-minute production, all within one week of classes.

I was running around my theater classroom, shortening the script with the help of a girl who loved to write, giving people advice for playing their roles, setting up the props, and blocking scenes. I experienced true joy when my classmates came up to me and asked for my opinion on logistical and artistic decisions. We almost missed our deadline, but with teamwork and drive, we prevailed.

I needed to experience it again. Thus, when I toured UNCSA with my godmother, a UNCSA film school graduate, and found out about their film camp, I knew what I needed to do.

Film camp was another world away from the Sweet Home Alabama where I grew up. My peers in film camp all had differently colored hair and strong opinions. They became very close friends. I worked with them on their own short films as a cinematographer, a director's assistant, a gaffer, and an editor, among many other things. Being on the film set in any capacity meant I was a unique individual, working with a team of unique individuals, toward a common vision.

My film was an absolute chaos and joy to create. Both of my actresses backed out at the last minute, one of the costumes did not arrive on time, and there was an evil and sweltering heat outside. I worried for a moment that this project would be a failure.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/6e2fb9_ad5f7b1437c744b59e1028117631f476/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

But I was not raised to sulk or quit. After my backup actresses reported being unavailable as well, I found two friends who were willing to step in. I asked around for a dress of any kind, and one girl had a dress that matched the setting. Unfortunately, I could not cool down the sun. By some miracle, my team fought through the humid heat with the help of lots of water.

L'amour Interdit is not, by any means, a display of skilled technique. But to me, it represents the lengths I will go to in order for an idea to be realized. Artistic direction was no less special in that blazing heat than it was in my high school theater class. I had the best time of my life, and this film is what came of it.