From script to screen with Giorgio Armani Frames of Life

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By Alexis Roy

As a screenwriter, hearing that someone’s interested in your pitch is an incredible feeling—and seeing that pitch through from script to screen is on another level. For me, pitching and writing a script that would go on to represent Emerson College in the Giorgio Armani Frames of Life Campaign has truly gone above and beyond what I imagined I’d accomplish during my four years as a college student. 
The evolution of a vision—this vision, that I’ve had for quite a few months now—is absolutely incredible. The seed of an idea that started in the car with my mother has grown into something very real, very tangible, and is truly one of the most amazing things I’ve witnessed, especially coming out of our final shoot weekend. 
The Frames of Life campaign, hosted every few years by Giorgio Armani, seeks student filmmakers from around the world to pitch ideas that include the use of the company’s eyewear line. This year, Emerson College is one of the few schools worldwide that was selected to choose a writer, directors and filmmaking team to participate.

Over the summer, I worked collaboratively with some of Emerson College’s professors on submitting draft after draft of what would become the final shooting script for Human Nature, a piece centered around the idea of gratitude and, quite literally, framing one’s life in order to see each and every thing to be grateful for. The process of writing (and, as I learned quickly, lots of rewriting) was new to me. Though I have a portfolio of short scripts and ideas, I had previously never had anything produced for a client. What really stood out about the process was learning to marry my writing style, my ideas, and ultimately that core idea of gratitude to the desires of a very specific client. 
Over the weekends that Human Nature was shot, I had the privilege of seeing my words come to life as imagined by the incredible teams behind pre- and post-production on the project. Filmmaking is a collaborative art, and seeing the outcome of not only my work, but the work and ideas of others is something that reassures me that I am pursuing the right career. 
As we go into the final weeks of post-production—watching rough cuts and piecing together footage to send off to Milan—I think back on how I’ve gotten to where I am right now. With the encouragement of so many incredible teachers at Granby Memorial High School and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, as well as my being honored with the 2013 Granby Drummer scholarship, I was able to come to Emerson, to hone my craft, and to create a short film that will, in a few short months, premier world wide.
And the best part? This is just the beginning.