✍️ The 2 Struggles Every Young Filmmaker Must Overcome

Young filmmakers often encounter two major obstacles. Today, we dig into a Chapman student film that overcomes both.

October 17, 2022

Every Young Filmmaker Needs To...

  1. Understand the technical skills behind filmmaking

  2. Integrate the themes and subject matter that speak to them in their writing

For Lonely Nights, a short film from Veronica Tullo, combines an intimate understanding of cinematography and sound editing with a deeply personal story. 

Veronica is a junior at Chapman. 

What we Learn from For Lonely Nights

✅ For Lonely Nights is being screened in high school film classrooms across the United States.

For Lonely Nights follows Lily, a young woman convinced she's incapable of love, as she attempts to cool her insecurities with the sound of a familiar, potentially unsettling, voice. 

The film is based on Veronica's personal experiences battling depression. Throughout the film, you can tell that Lily struggles with the same mental health battles that thousands of other young people overcome every day.

Giving more details would ruin a terrific ending, so be sure to click the link above and watch the full film. 

👀 While you watch, notice ...

📹 The Intimate Cinematography

  • The shallow depth of field

  • Extensive use of close-up shots

  • The two lead actors often occupy most of the frame

🎙️ The Audio Mixing

  • Contrast the crisp audio of JD’s voice with the naturalistic texture of Lily’s voice and the accompanying ambiance

  • While these characters may appear to share the same physical space, the audio subtly and continually reminds us that this is not the case...

🏡 The Setting

  • For Lonely Nights is a “bottle” film, taking place (and consequently filmed) entirely in one confined location mood

🌧️ The Mood

  • The depth of field, audio mixing, framing, and score all help to convey a dreamy and impressionistic atmosphere

  • Through these elements, the audience is invited to share in the intimacy of Lily’s late-night fantasy

📮 Filmmaking Fan Mail 📮

Reply to this email with your most common questions related to starting your career in filmmaking, college admissions, and producing student films. We'll send a few to Veronica and post her responses at the end of a future issue of the newsletter!