“If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.”
Betty White
And just like that, it’s another year over. The past few months have been a whirlwind— like accelerating down the first slope of a rollercoaster, screaming your lungs out as the only release while your body is beholden to the machine… and gravity.
Things have been so busy that I never got to write about my first days of grad school. AFI has been such a challenging, yet rewarding experience. I’ve sharpened my craft and developed new producing skills all while working alongside numerous talented collaborators. We shot our first short film exercise, and have two more scheduled for this upcoming semester. COVID is providing a new scope of difficulty, impacting productions and classes, and generally complicating the work of the producers.
Despite this all, I’m proud of what we made and of how far I’ve come creatively in just a few months. In my first semester at AFI, I produced one short film and two visual essays shot on 35mm. I also wrote a short (to more or less success) and started writing a feature script. One of the reasons I ultimately chose to attend this school is the amount of practical filmmaking that occurs, and it’s certainly meeting expectation in this regard.
Currently, I’m home with family on the east coast. In days, I fly back to LA, and I’ve told them I’m not sure I’ll be able to come back before next holiday season. I’ll miss home, but here’s to making the most of the next year, becoming a better filmmaker, and forging a path that will lead to more.
Peri Michael 