Explanation of Supporting Materials

1. Excerpts from Jouir de la VieThis is a 6 minute clip, featuring two excerpts from the feature film Jouir de la Vie which I wrote, directed and produced. The film was made on a budget of $4,400 which was a monstrous feat and an achievement I am greatly proud of. It proved I was able to manage a budget as well as stretch one to achieve things cinematically that many people wouldn't consider possible for such a meager amount of money. The film went on to screen publicly in the U.S. and Taiwan. It premiered in competition at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. At the festival, it received an aggregate audience rating of 4.1 stars out of 5, the highest rating of any locally-produced narrative features.

2. Jouir de la Vie TrailerThis is the trailer for Jouir de la Vie. It gives an idea of the general tone of the film, while showcasing the film's aesthetic and the lovely, original piece of music which was composed for the film.

3. Windshield Wiper FluidThis is a short film I shot on 16mm color negative stock and also on a Canon T2i. It is a film exploring the differences between digital and analog formats. It utilizes the 16mm film to expressionistically reflect upon past events of the main character's love life, while using the digital footage to show the current emptiness in a more literal manner. The sterile quality of HD video provides the perfect contrast to the rich textures of the more tangible film format. It was an experiment (as all my short films tend to be) of the different expressive capacities of the formats. It played at the Augsburg College Student Film Showcase, where it won best editing. ccccccccc

4. The SquattersThis was a short film, shot digitally on the Canon T2i. This is a film that was produced on a $0 budget during my undergraduate studies at Augsburg College. I am proud of it nonetheless as it was the film that helped me to realize the expressive capabilities of the medium. I made it at a time when I was becoming overwhelmed with college administration and bureaucracy and I was able to express that feeling, without the need for a literal interpretation. I've always avoided literal stories within my short films, as I don't think 5 or even 10 minutes is a proper amount of time to truly develop a character or fully explore a meaningful theme. I've always tried to reduce my shorts down to a basic aesthetic and expressive work, more like music than narrative film. This was the first time I truly felt I was successful in doing so.

5. Jouir de la Vie ScriptThis is offered as an example of my narrative capabilities. My shorts being so focused on technical experimentation comes with the drawback of not necessarily providing a particular insight into who I am as a storyteller. This script provides a fully fleshed-out example of a story that, while certainly not typical, befits a more traditional cinematic narrative arc. The script is also an apt example of my method of thematic exploration and my penchant for engaging dialogue.

6. Last Year at Gare D'Austerlitz ScriptThis is the script for a film for which I am currently in pre-production. This script is very different than the one for Jouir de la Vie. It is more of a blueprint than a literary work in its

own right, as this movie is so much more dependent on the other aspects of the film. The cinematography, the staging, and the rhythm of the movements will all become equally, if not more, important that what is written on the page. The most important component of the script is the structure it lays out. It is in three acts and is palindromic. It begins in the 11 th arrondissement in Paris and is nearly silent. As it progresses towards the center of the city and more characters enter, it becomes a heavily dialogue-based narrative. The exact center, pivoting point is a story within the story taking place in Taipei, Taiwan. Then, we slowly work back to the center of the city. And then again almost silently back to the 11th arrondissement. All the events in the final portion eerily mirror the shots from the beginning, but this time the narrative events which have occurred give them new meaning. The script also heavily outlays the thematic groundwork for the film. The concepts of living abroad, trying to expand culturally yet somehow always regressing back to your own cultural background. The script is best viewed in context with some other elements of the film, which I have included.

7. Last Year at Gare D'Austerlitz Artistic StatementThis is an explanation of the value and motivation behind this film as my next project and also provides some insight into the process I am interested in taking to complete the film.

8. Last Year at Gare D'Austerlitz Cinematography Proof of ConceptThis is meant to accompany the script for the film. Providing a light example of the film's general aesthetic approach (at least for the nearly silent portions of the film.) The shots are not in Paris and don't represent anything other than the tone of the scenes. These were shot so the cinematographer for the film can develop the best approach for capturing the scenes.

9. Last Year at Gare D'Austerlitz Concept PhotosWhere the Cinematography Proof of Concept videos gives a sense of the type of speed and movement we will be going for, it lacks the strong sense of place that the movie will thrive upon. This is a series of photos I took in Paris which captures the melancholy sense of the city that I hope to utilize in the film. Viewed in conjuction with the cinematography videos it helps to understand more fully what the final product will look like.