Department of English

I am grateful to have worked with Professor Stefans to create About Face, a screenplay with a corresponding video miniseries about young adults at Los Angeles Air Force Base. This story is a concentrated summary of five people’s life choices: an 18-year-old Bostonian, fresh from Basic Training, decides whether he can handle military life on the West Coast; a misunderstood civilian girl struggles to form a real romantic relationship; a plucky 19-year-old Airman and his former high school sweetheart, now wife, question whether they should have ever gotten married; and a career-driven female Airman realizes she is pregnant.

I decided to take my thesis one step further, beyond the written word, by creating a video miniseries of my thesis. To develop this miniseries, I storyboarded key scenes, created a detailed shotlist of the scenes to be filmed, acted as a lead character, directed 10 actors, filmed for dozens of hours, and edited the entire miniseries into a 40-minute film. While I learned many technical, creative, and interpersonal skills developing this video miniseries, my primary concerns were incorporating what I learned in my English classes: narrative, characters, and culture. My main goal was to create a compelling story, build three-dimensional characters, and reflect the current zeitgeist.

I appreciate that the English Department allowed me to create this piece, which helped me grow as a creative writer and as a person. I am thrilled to present this piece for your consideration.