Crafting Reality: Escapism vs Expression - Interview

Storytelling In the Age of Everything

Can you tell me about the first time that you ever found yourself being in awe of film or story, and thought this is something worth caring about and paying attention to. Do you remember that?

Um, I think, the first movie I ever loved was Rocky, that’s the first movie I remember watching that wasn’t a movie specifically for children, and I think I was able to connect a lot with the Italian American experience in that movie. I love the way it looked, I found myself wishing I could have been a part of the making of the movie I wish I could have been a part of capturing the story.

Okay, in your opinion, what do you think makes storytelling through film and TV such a powerful tool for personal expression?

I think because it’s such a visual form, I think that it allows ideas or emotions to be explored in kind of a subtle way. A lot of the films I liked watching and I knew impacted me, I couldn’t really explain why, because it was something that was bigger than me or maybe subconscious, right? I think an image is far more powerful than words.

Do you think that escapism, through like stories or films, can ever be a positive way to channel energy? Or do you think it only serves to distance us from a reality?

I think like escapism is kind of just part of being a human being, as much as people may not want to recognize that, because there’s a lot of negative things attached to escapism, I think there’s, there’s a balance that needs to be applied, but think escapism is okay in moderation.

But I think for me, because I also love to write and I also love filmmaking, I was able to kind of escape into something that I’m passionate about, which kind of, then, in turn, in turn, like made me feel like I don’t know, more passionate in my own reality.

What were these things that made you feel so good, like, examples or just, like, general sentiments?

I was able to like view characters that kind of already knew who they were, and knew how to like express themselves, and kind of seemed more established than me.

Yeah, that’s something that you felt you were lacking? A sense of self or the expression of oneself, maybe?

I think I felt I didn’t feel much control in my own life. I didn’t need permission to engage in that escapism, I think I felt free.
There is a very specific perspective when it comes to filmmaking.

And, you know who the writer is, who the director is, because ultimately, they’re trying to say something from their experience. Now that I understand that, I’m able to take it more for what it is, instead of creating a whole other reality.

When do you think that shift happened? Do you like? Do you think it correlated with you like being out in the world?

Yeah, I think so. I think I really felt the shift two years ago, when I really started to express myself more outwardly. I didn’t really feel the need to consume something in order to understand how I was feeling, or use media as a gateway into myself. I think I’m relying more on the actual experiences that I have as a person, and I think that’s just part of growing up and seeing more things.

What are you writing now?

I think I’ve written a lot of things that have to do with, family dynamics and very character based writing that reflects my own life, or some of the things I’ve been through and in the future or, what I’ve learned after studying Dramatic Writing is that I want to explore other genres and other ways to represent the same emotions, or explore different character dynamics and family stuff, because I think that I can easily go back to feeling trapped. I think that I can easily feel trapped in the past, because I’m digging up a lot of the same information, and I kind of want to see what I’m capable of when I’m looking in different directions.

Do you think exploring topics that are typically loaded in some kind of trauma through a lens of comedy is beneficial or maybe cathartic for people who have gone through that?

I definitely think it can be cathartic for audience members, and it definitely can be cathartic for the writer as well. But I think there’s only so much you can do with that, right? And I want to try to involve my newer experiences in my writing because I know that I’m not going to be the same person in a few years, and I think always looking to the past can ignore all the growth I’ve done. I just don’t want to, like, beat a dead horse, right?

What would write about if you were to make something that reflects what you’re going through right now,? What kind of themes do you think would be prominent?

It would deal more with topics of friendship, I found that my friendships are the most important thing, or important relationships in my life right now, and that’s what I’m most interested in nurturing. And I guess just self exploration. Because although I’m about to be 22, I think there’s much more to be explored. Which definitely feels hopeful, because I didn’t feel - especially when I was growing up - I didn’t feel like it was safe enough to really figure out who I was andtake up space to be that person. So I think it’d be those two things.

If there was anything, no matter the context of your writing, that you want people to take away like from your work? Any specific
message or feeling you want to convey?

I think I always want to be someone that’s relatable to at least one person. I mean, if I can create something and make one person feel seen or heard, the way I felt. That’ll be good.

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