he she they i HD

he she they i Ari Newman and Zachary Miller As we reflect on our Story of Now, from process to product, Zachary and I can’t help but think, Never has the phrase “kill your darlings” seemed more applicable. he she they i is not the project Zachary and I were expecting to show you today. What began as an effort to criticize the stigma around “looking good” for the camera, evolved into a poetic depiction of my best friend Lucas’s transition from “he” to “they.” The pivotal moment in our Story of Now process came from the rough-cut critiques. We heard the comment we dreaded hearing: your footage doesn’t really say what you are saying. Immediately, the panic set in. Our talent returned to Michigan two days ago. How were we supposed to reshoot everything? Then, the heavens opened up and we heard a voice from above singing, “Kill your darlings.” Or maybe that was just Erin. Regardless, we realized that our footage had a mind of its own, and rather than fight it, we should allow our footage to guide us. I really had to let go of my seething hatred for Shut Up and Shoot, chapter ten, and shut up and listen. Luckily, I had Zachary, who took our footage and molded it into the story it was meant to be: A story of Lucas, a story of ambiguity, and a story of acceptance. Zachary and I found a balance of both of our voices, and ultimately produced a piece that resonates with both of us. Ultimately, we feel that our film much better depicts a Story of Now. We shot he she they i with three different cameras: a GoPro, a Canon 60D and a Canon T5i. The 60D acted as our primary camera, set up as if for an interview. The T5i and GoPro exposed the backstage of this interview. The backstage invites a viewer to understand how we made this piece. Honesty was our primary goal for this piece, both onscreen and off. For the same reason, we showed Lucas’ transformation in front of the camera. Zachary and I wanted to keep the visuals simple, so that Lucas remained the primary subject through the entire short film. We wrote a poem over to voice over the top of our footage, guiding the viewer through our specific message about pronouns and how pronouns illustrate identity. In editing, we color corrected so that all cameras matched the T5i’s tone. We included a piece by my composer friend Rena, along with Zachary’s voice reading the poem as Lucas. he she they i is for Lucas. I have trouble remembering to refer to Lucas as “they” instead of “he.” I can make excuses: Lucas went by “he” when I met them, so I have a really hard time adjusting. However, excuse is just a synonym for lazy. Of course the change is challenging, in the same way that learning a foreign language is challenging. Conjugating Dutch verbs from simple present into present perfect is a nightmare. But like Dutch, and any foreign language, new vocabulary, with repetition, becomes a part of ones muscle memory. Zachary and I hope that he she they i encourages people with a non-gender conforming friend