Writing & Voiceover: Gio Calandrella, Ms. Conner's Advanced Creative Writing Class (2024)
My role: Editor / Director
Producer: Amber Geiger-Morgan
Camera: Reed Harkness
Music: Dustin O'Halloran (piano), with additional music by Mr. Gerolami's Advanced Concert Band Class
A short fundraiser film made for the da Vinci Arts Middle School, a magnet school in Portland, Oregon.
I thought I was doing a favor for some nice people at my child's school, and then I fell for the project. Our early interviews with busy teachers and staff weren’t quite capturing the heart and energy the film needed, and with the deadline looming, I decided to take a leap of faith. My instinct told me this was a story that needed to be told through a student’s eyes.
da Vinci’s creative writing teacher knew the right student for the job. Gio took that idea and ran with it, writing an introspective, deeply moving piece that absolutely blew us away. I still cry when I watch it.