Browsing by Subject "MFA"
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Item Borderline(2014-12) Ratner, Rebecca Hilary; Spiro, EllenThis report tracks the process of researching, developing, casting, directing and editing BORDERLINE, an hour-long documentary film. The film was produced as my graduate thesis film in the department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin in partial fulfillment of a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production. The film aims to get inside the psyche of Regina V, a woman living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The appeal of filming someone with this diagnosis was due to a common experience of those who diagnostically qualify: extreme emotional pain. Hence, in order to unravel the riddle of Borderline, one must understand the architecture of suffering, suffering as process, as action, an action I wanted to capture and detail. 80% of this population attempt suicide, 10% succeed. Approximately 2% of the US population meet criteria for BPD, and few practitioners have the skill or desire to treat it. As if mental “illness” were not already stigmatized, this diagnosis carries the most stigma within the mental health profession, many practitioners speaking in derogatory ways about those who diagnostically qualify. In essence, the hands that should feed and help those so afflicted are the very hands that shoo them away. Because Borderline is a diagnosis that points directly to an individual’s attachment issues and interpersonal dysregulation, I anticipated interpersonal challenges would emerge between me and the film’s main subject, Regina. I hoped that the complex dynamics within our relationship, if properly maneuvered, would translate to affects Regina expressed on camera and that these quick shifting affects would generate an experience for the audience that might jar their emotional space, offer a small taste of how Regina lives daily, an increased understanding of what generates emotional pain, and maybe inspire a shard of empathy, if not curiosity, for people who behave badly. If nothing else, film offers the opportunity to change a person’s feelings, on a minute-by-minute, scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot, blink-by-blink basis, such that we become hyper conscious of the blow-by blow emotional shifts that life events generate. With this film, I hope to take people on an emotional trip.Item Entiérrenme(2015-08) González González, Juan Pablo; Raval, P. J. (Paul James); Gopalan, Lalitha; Howard, Don W; Kelban, StuartThis report is about my thesis film Entiérrenme that in English translates to "Bury Me." In the following pages I do a recounting of the entire process for completing this piece from its conception, writing, pre-production, production and postproduction. The report begins with an introduction that explains the genesis of "Entiérrenme": Why I started getting interested in the subject and how I decided to write it. It also speaks about the circumstances that led me to put the project on hold for over one year, how I returned to it and what happened after that. After that it continues to address every one of the stages of production (pre, pro and post) in the form of a diary. It finally concludes with a reflection on what these years at the University of Texas at Austin have meant for me as a filmmaker and future educator.Item Fat Camp : the development of a half hour series(2015-08) Mahoney, Chelsea Taylor; Kelban, Stuart; Lewis, RichardThis report describes the journey of Chelsea Mahoney as a writer, along with the development and evolution of the half hour series Fat Camp. It analyzes the start of the writer's development, to her time at the University of Texas, and the teachers that impacted her strongly. The writer investigates her insecurities and their impact on her writing. Additionally, the paper examines the initial concept of Fat Camp, the process of re-writing the script, as well as the finished product.Item How Jane Austen fixed everything : an examination of a television pilot from idea to second draft(2014-08) Warner, Teresa Rose; Lewis, Richard M., M.F.A.This report covers the development of the pilot episode and show bible of How Jane Austen Ruined My Life. It covers the moment the writer conceived of the idea to the completion of the second draft and finally the planning of the third draft. Furthermore, this report will cover the writer's growth, detailing the two years spent at the University of Texas and how that time molded her into the writer she is today.Item In the waiting room(2010-05) Debuys, Catherine Dew; Douglas, Lucien; Christian, PamelaThis thesis consists of two major sections. The first is the text of the play In The Waiting Room that I wrote and performed on April 16, 2010 in the Lab Theater on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The second section is a paper on the process of writing and performing the piece, including script development and the rehearsal process, as well as final reflections on my work and the time I spent here in the MFA in Acting program.Item Just making some pizza : writing "Pizza Stoned"(2016-08) Maiuro, Travis Austin; Berg, Charles Ramírez, 1947-; McCreery, CindyThe following report details the process of writing the feature screenplay Pizza Stoned, from genesis of initial idea to early outlines, first draft and rewrite. The report also provides commentary on each stage of the writing process and retrospective reflection.Item Make no assumptions : an invitation to the theatre(2014-05) Wilson, Steven M.; Rasmussen, SarahAn in-depth look at my how my desire to make no assumptions with regards to creating art led me to invitation as a guiding principle when directing for the theatre. This thesis will cite examples from three productions I’ve directed as a Master of Fine Arts candidate in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin.Item Shut up and simplify : the writing process of Shut up and sing(2013-08) Bellina, John Gregory; Lewis, Richard M., M.F.A.This report documents the initial inspiration, development, and rewrites that went into the creation of John Gregory Bellina’s screenplay Shut Up and Sing. Furthermore, the following pages trace the evolution of the author’s writing during the entirety of his program experience.