For the DGS film festival, Junior Faith Nelson created a short film entitled “Disclaimer” detailing some of the struggles she has had fitting into the world. Since she transferred to DGS at the beginning of her sophomore year, Nelson has been heavily involved in the drama and fine arts departments. Recently, she challenged herself to undertake making a film and found a new passion.

Q: How did you decide on a topic for your short film?
A: I actually didn’t decide on a topic until I filmed like 90% of the film! It was a lot of just talking and filming until it all fit together like a puzzle.

Q: What did the filming process entail?
A: I chose to start with a narration and filled in the rest with video clips that demonstrated the words I am saying. All it took was a camera and a tripod and I just carried it with me for a few days to get the clips that I needed. My favorite part was when I stuck the camera out of the sunroof on my mom’s car and made her drive away!

Q: Did you run into challenges you weren’t expecting to? If so, describe how you problem-solved.
A: The editing process actually took way longer than I had expected. For a 3:30 minute film, it took me over 30 hours to put it all together. I just became so invested in the material and the process that it became an escape for me and I wanted to keep going and building onto what I had.

Q: What is the most important message you wish for the audience to walk away with?
A: If anyone that has ever felt like they needed to come with a disclaimer so that people don’t run away, they just haven’t found the right people yet. Your job as a person isn’t to conform to the perceptions others make for you.

Q: Finally, what did you learn from this experience, and how will you use this in the future?
A: This experience helped me find the beauty in the small details and left me with a greater appreciation in myself along with other people. Being able to produce a visual representation of my internal dialogue helped me realize that I’m definitely not alone in anything that I experience.