Outenreath-Mastersreport

Jason Eric Outenreath

2016

The report committee for Jason Eric Outenreath certifies that this is the approved version of the following report:

La Sobreviviente / Salvation

APPROVED BY

SUPERVISING COMMITTEE:

Supervisor: ______

Stuart Kelban

______

Andrew Garrison

______

Donna DeCesare

La Sobreviviente / Salvation

Jason Eric Outenreath, B.A.

Report

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School

of the University of Texas at Austin

in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Master of Fine Arts

The University of Texas at Austin

December 2016

Acknowledgements

My graduate thesis film was made possible with the help of many professors, fellow students, and Austin community members. I am indebted to the University of Texas at Austin and the tireless faculty and staff who dedicated their time to helping me make the best film possible. I would like to especially thank my thesis supervisor, Stuart Kelban, as well as Andrew

Garrison, and Donna DeCesare. Without their guidance and inspiration this film could not have come to fruition. I would like to also thank Steve Mims, Charles Ramirez Berg, Jeremy Gruy, and Susanne Kraft. On a personal level I would like to thank my parents for their endless support, as well as the entire cast and crew of the film, without whom the film would not have been possible. Films are truly made with armies, and are collaborative by their very nature.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the exceptional educational program that has guided me these past three years to this point in my life and career. The University of Texas at Austin runs a world-class MFA film program taught by world-class professors. I felt supported at both individual and institutional levels, and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have studied at this school. These past three years have completely changed the trajectory of my life and career, and in particular myself as a filmmaker. In a good way.

Abstract

La Sobreviviente / Salvation

Jason Eric Outenreath, M.F.A.

The University of Texas at Austin, 2016

Supervisor: Stuart Kelban

My thesis as an MFA candidate, La Sobreviviente / Salvation, is a narrative short film.

After Mariela, an undocumented Mexican immigrant is diagnosed with kidney failure, her daughter Jenni and husband Leo must safely smuggle her into Mexico in order for her to receive the dialysis treatments she needs for her survival. Through this paper, I will discuss the process of creating this film. Additionally, this paper will focus on the ways in which writing and directing this film have changed me as a filmmaker and a person. Specifically, how my time at the University of Texas at Austin has completely altered my philosophies on both media creation and ingestion.

Table of Contents

Inspiration and Reflection…………………………………………………………………...... 1

Introduction to Salvation………………………………………………………………………..3

Chapter 1: Pre-Production……………………………………………………………………...4

Chapter 2: Production…………………………………………………………………………..8

Day 1……………………………………………………………………………………...8

Day 2……………………………………………………………………………………...9

Day 3……………………………………………………………………………………..11

Day 4……………………………………………………………………………………..13

Day 5……………………………………………………………………………………..14

Day 6……………………………………………………………………………………..15

Day 7……………………………………………………………………………………..16

Pickups…………………………………………………………………………………...19

Chapter 3: Post-Production……………………………………………………………………20

Chapter 4: Conclusion…………………………………………….……………………....……22

Appendix 1: Shooting Script…………………………………………………………………...23

Appendix 2: Original 2010 Script…………………………………………………….………..39

Inspiration and Reflection

This report acknowledges and reflects upon the completion of my graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. I have always had a difficult time accepting any individual project as a culmination. Partly this is a reflection of the reality of being a filmmaker, in which the pressure to constantly produce new work is virtually never ending. The other part is having the humility to admit, candidly, that the completion of a thesis film at the graduate level, while a worthy accomplishment, provides no guarantees in life, or as a filmmaker.

Students approach film school with many different goals. Some enter with the expectation that their projects will carry their careers to the next level. Others join for the contacts they will make in the industry that will lead them to a job, or to future collaborators. My reason for applying to, and attending the University of Texas at Austin, was simply to learn as much as possible about becoming the best filmmaker I could be. I have never seen the degree in and of itself as an end. It is part of a journey that will continue, hopefully forever. I knew there was no guarantee that I would have a job waiting for me upon graduation, or that any of my projects would achieve even modest acclaim. For me, that wasn’t part of the plan. Improving as a filmmaker and artist was. It would be extremely presumptuous to think that at 29, I have a signature style that I have perfected. I utilized film school to try many different styles of filmmaking, some more successful than others. It was a big experiment for me to discover what kind of filmmaker

I wanted to be. And at the end of three years, I feel I am much closer to discovering that than I was upon coming into the program.

Salvation is my most personal project to date, tying together numerous interests and life events that have occurred over the last fifteen years. I lived in Nicaragua three times over the past ten years, the longest stint being two and a half years as a Peace Corps

Volunteer. I lived and studied in Mexico for a year. And my father suffered from kidney failure. I was the donor. Although I am not Latino, nor do I have Latino roots, I feel a deep connection to Latino culture, the Spanish language, and political issues affecting

Latino communities in the US and abroad. The first draft of Salvation was actually completed in 2010 while I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua. It needed significant changes, however, to arrive at what it became. Much of the credit for those improvements can be credited to professor Stuart Kelban. I have included the 2010 draft as well as the shooting draft as points of contrast in the appendices of this document.

Introduction to Salvation

In 2006, I was a senior at Terra Linda High School. It was a difficult year academically, but also personally. My father, several years earlier, had been diagnosed with kidney failure, and his situation had steadily deteriorated. The transplant happened in June of 2010, right after I got my diploma—I was the donor. At 18 I didn’t really consider the consequences of that turn our family had taken, or my decision to help my father. But later I was told it saved his life, and that he would have died in a matter of months without the transplant. The wait lists for anonymous donors is long, and it would have taken many years for my father to have qualified. My family was fortunate to have health insurance, which paid for the operations. This life event served as the initial inspiration for my thesis film.

Two years earlier I had served as an Amigos de las Americas volunteer in

Nicaragua for a summer. Basically, the high school version of Peace Corps. You sell poinsettias and boxes of grapefruit to fund your trip, and spend two months in a rural community assisting in teaching classes. Of course, I was pretty useless. My Spanish was poor, I was timid, and did not have much to offer a community that had lived fine without me before I arrived. That said, the experience did leave a deep impression on me that would direct my work as a filmmaker as well as a person. In 2010 I joined the Peace

Corps out of college and was sent back to Nicaragua. That’s when I wrote the first draft of Salvation. I was inspired by the political and social problems surrounding healthcare in the United States, and re-imagined my father’s situation in the context of an undocumented immigrant family.

Chapter 1: Pre-Production

Pre-production for Salvation began in the fall of 2015. It was during that time that

I met Sheridan Aguirre, who would become one of the producers of the film. While I continued to edit the script, Sheridan and I began visiting locations, talking about scenes in the film, and discussing the logistics related to the shoot which was slated to happen in

February of 2016. It soon became clear, however, that a February shoot date was overly optimistic. There were major logistical hurdles to overcome, including finding a location for the border checkpoint scene, gaining access to an operational dialysis clinic, and finding a house that was consistent with the vision of the film. Not to mention casting, which took a long time, but was made a wonderful experience by my collaboration with

Christine Grasso, an undergraduate RTF student. She ended up becoming an extremely reliable and critical person in the pre-production of the film.

We had three casting sessions for the four principal characters, as well as an additional day reserved for the doctor and border guard. The most difficult role to cast was that of the young girl, Jenni. Not only were we searching for a talented younger actress, but also one who was natively fluent in both English and Spanish. We auditioned many who were deficient enough in one language or the other as to stand out to a native audience, regardless of their acting talents. The girl we ended up casting, Regina Casillas, was the first actress offered a role. She brought professionalism and a dedicated work ethic to the film, and had, up until then, never acted in a movie before.

It was during this time that Sheridan expressed a desire to bring on additional producers, since he was extremely busy in his final semester as a student in the RTF program. At that point, I brought on Ihsanul Huq, a former UT Austin student, as well as

Mireydi Mendieta, who would end up becoming the principle producer for the film. With them on board, locations, casting, and other logistics were arranged quickly. It was clear, however, that we would not complete preproduction in time for our scheduled shooting date in February. At that point, with the support of my thesis committee, the shooting date was pushed back to late April.

One person of critical importance was Austin community member José Chavez.

He assisted in finding a number of locations used in the film, and provided support during the casting process. I had experience working with him as a producer on Juan Pablo

Gonzalez’s thesis film in the spring of 2015.

Roughly 8 weeks before shooting began, I hired a production designer. This after contacting many student production designers with no success. The production designer visited one of the locations, and attended a number of production meetings, but the partnership did not last long. This individual had served as production designer on a couple of short films locally, as well as assisted in the art direction of some larger projects. One critical mistake I made in regards to this individual was not conducting a rigorous interview before the hiring. I had seen this individual’s work on the internet and we had met for coffee but it was all very casual. I learned that as a producer and director at the student level there is a responsibility to treat paid employees as just that, rather than friends. In this case, despite being paid and provided the financial means to begin buying

5 props, costumes, and set decorations, the production designer did nothing for six weeks. I sent friendly emails following up as to the progress of key production design elements which were brushed off. Ultimately this individual was replaced by an up-and-coming

Mexican production designer living in Austin, Denisse Garcia. Her cultural awareness, work ethic, and interest in the film, were what held it together in the end. We were two weeks out from shooting with still some very big question marks in regard to key props costumes and set decorations. Denisse resolved these problems.

In the days leading up to the shoot, I felt myself getting sick. By the first day of shooting I was extremely ill. I had a fever, accompanied by an uncontrollable cough. It was the first time that I had been extremely sick during one of my own shoots, and added immeasurably to the difficulty of the production. But it could not be postponed again, so I worked through the illness, which lasted well through the duration of the shoot. There was a measure of irony on the days we were filming at various hospital locations, including the student health services building at the University of Texas at Austin. Me coughing violently between takes as we filmed a scene with an actress pretending to be gravely ill.

One additional collaboration which was crucial to the production, and worth mentioning, is with Caleb Kuntz, who ended up serving as the cinematographer. He has a relentless dedication to craft, but also brings an energizing attitude to set which picked everybody up considerably during the roller coaster ride of making the film. Throughout this process, I remained in close contact with my thesis committee head, Stuart Kelban.

Before shooting began, we also organized two rehearsals with the principle cast members. These rehearsals ended up being instrumental in the family dynamic that evolved on set with the cast. Through the rehearsal process I acquired a greater appreciation for practice. To do as much as possible ahead of time.

Chapter 2: Production

Day One – 4/23/16

The temperature in Texas was beginning to rise substantially. The first day of shooting we began with the scene that involved putting Rocio, the mother, in the back of the car. Our day began late in the afternoon. It was important to capture the right time of day, and get the sun when it was at least a little bit lower in the sky. The thinking of myself along with the producers was also that beginning with some of the more simple scenes in the script would get us off on the right foot and jumpstart the production, giving us momentum moving forward. This plan ended up not being successful for one reason.

The actor playing Chucho, Azgad Crisostomo, did not arrive on set. He wasn't answering his phone, his agent wasn't aware that he was working on this project, and he was virtually unreachable. In the script, he had some substantial lines, especially with Jenni.

Nobody was panicked, but the tone on set that day was definitely more tense than I would have liked. We waited, and we waited some more. After three hours, I decided to rewrite the scene without Chucho. Fortunately, his presence wasn't absolutely essential in this scene, however, it worried me going forward. He had some important scenes in the future, but at this point we all gave him the benefit of the doubt that an emergency or other accident had occurred making it impossible for him to call or arrive at the time all of the other cast and crew members arrived. Later we would find out when he arrived at around sunset, that he had simply forgotten. All of the other cast and crew members were

8 calm during the unfurling of this hiccup in production. Still, once he arrived everyone was put at greater ease.

Later in the evening, we filmed the final scene in the movie, which we ultimately had to reshoot. The set up was wrong, with the staging too far away from the house, making it seem as though Chucho, was dropping her off on a rural road in Texas, rather than her house. Moreover, by the time we completed the lighting for the scene, the sky had lost nearly all of its color. Unfortunately, it had to be reshot. We completed day one at around midnight, right before a torrential rain. The exterior of the house was acquired thanks to producer Mireydi Mendieta, who had family that lived there.

Day Two — 4/24/16

The entirety of day two was spent at university health services. Not for my own health, but to film various scenes of Salvation. We were to film the dialysis clinic scene, the waiting room scene, and the hospital room scene where the mother is initially diagnosed. I was barely coherent during the entire day, coughing violently between takes, and carrying a bottle of cough syrup in my pocket. Despite my sickness, the day was very successful. We got the coverage that we needed and finished a few minutes ahead of schedule. We would end up reshooting the dialysis clinic scene in an actual clinic a month later. There are two kinds of dialysis, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis. At the time, we had not secured an actual dialysis facility at which to film, therefore we filmed peritoneal dialysis, which could more easily be facilitated, since it does not require the use of a machine. That said, it is used far less often, and we were hoping to hear back

9 from one of the number of dialysis clinics that we had contacted in the weeks preceding the shoot. Fortunately, we did. It's worth mentioning that throughout the entire shoot we utilized a relatively small crew. There was never more than one camera assistant, no production assistants, and in general, we had a very welcoming and familial atmosphere.

I've realized over the course of my time here at UT Austin, that I prefer small crews to large ones on my own films. There are projects that would benefit from having larger crews without question, but there are definite advantages to keeping a crew small. For one it is cheaper. It is also possible to move much more quickly as a unit, as well as making all of the crew members feel truly valued and essential to the production, which they are in such an environment.

That evening while listening and watching the footage, I began to notice a number of deficiencies in the quality of the audio that was being recorded onset. Unable to find a quality sound recordist for free, I had ended up hiring one on the cheap locally in Austin.

This was a mistake, resulting again from me failing to vet an individual on the crew. The evening of the second day of shooting, I realized in a panicked state, that the current sound recordist would have to be replaced. This was agonizing. At midnight, I was contacting every professional sound recordist I knew in Austin to see if anybody could take over the job in the next twelve hours. Fortunately, I was able to bring on Lee Caffee, with whom I had worked on my pre-thesis film. I knew what I could expect from him, and that the audio would be of the highest quality. This mistake of mine, along with that of hiring the initial production designer without verifying professional qualifications, made me reflect deeply on the profound importance of contacting the right people for the

10 job. There is a premium placed on working with those you already know, which makes sense, but that isn't always possible. In the future, when working with new collaborators,

I would go about it with much greater care and purpose.

Day Three — 4/25/16

Day three began with me replacing the initial sound recordist with Lee Caffee. It was a painful thing to do. I truly wanted everything to be working without hitches by day three. Once Lee arrived, I never had to think about sound again, because I knew he would do a quality job, which he did. The entire day was spent at a closed Latino flea market in

Austin. We were filming the checkpoint scene, as well as a brief scene in which they just crossed the border. I had hoped to have a very elaborate border checkpoint, within the budget of course. Mireydi had secured the location well in advance, however, this proved to be the scene that would suffer the most as a result of the wasted weeks by the first production designer. By necessity we had to use relatively tight shots at the checkpoint.

There are many films depicting checkpoints which I feel are overly elaborate. Having crossed the US — Mexican border by car at many checkpoints, I can say that each is unique and different. While it would have been great to have had the heat streaks of thousands of cars with a huge sign overhead and aerial drone shots, from a reality standpoint, there were no qualms. There are extremely small checkpoints along the border, that almost don't even feel like you're at the border. So, by necessity, we ended up being forced to go in that direction. This was in part to budgetary constraints, but was

11 also the result of an absentee production designer during a large portion of the preproduction phase.

The border checkpoint scene, which is the climax of the entire film, was extremely important to get right. There was a lot of nuance to the scene that needed to be captured in order for it to work. As always there are things I would have done differently, particularly with managing the very end of the scene and their escape. That said, I'm happy with how it turned out, as well as the style of both the shooting and editing. It's interesting to note, that there was considerably more to this scene than what made it into the final cut, including an entire dialogue scene between Jenni and Chucho. For some reason in the writing phase, I felt there needed to be a moment of levity before they crossed the border. I was very wrong. Levity was unnecessary. I will never know how

Caleb, the cinematographer, was physically capable of handholding the Arri Alexa for the vast majority of the day. The actors also showed incredible dedication to the project on this day. Regina, who played Jenni, had an incredible focus, despite the emotion of the scene as well as the extreme heat we were facing that day. It was impressive to watch.

The mother came for the second scene we shot on day three. When she arrived, however, she realized she had forgotten to bring the correct costume, since the actors were responsible for their own dress. Without any complaints, she drove back to her house, which was over an hour away, and then back to set to do the brief scene in which she doesn't even have dialogue. The day went extremely smooth, and we were able to get all of the coverage that we required. It is perhaps the scene that I feel the most regret for having not found a way to create a more convincing border. But as a student project,

12 there are an infinite number of limitations which require creative solutions to overcome. I am reminded particularly of Cary Fukunaga’s thesis film from New York University. In his film, Victoria Para Chino, there is also a border crossing. It also uses very tight shots, and you never see the heat streaks, or the thousands of cars in line, or even a border patrol guard. It is summed up in a brief conversation with a man wearing a tan button up shirt standing at a tollbooth. And it doesn't matter, because it's still a great film. I was heavily influenced by that film in the making of my own film. You do what you can with what you have, and that is kind of the theme of all student filmmaking.

Day Four – 4/28/16

April 28th is my birthday. It also happened to be a lighter shooting day. I found a great deal of value in dispersing the difficult days throughout the duration of the shoot, rather than clumping them together either at the beginning or middle. I would assume that it is different for every filmmaker, but it served to pace everyone's energy during the shoot. Although the scenes we were filming on day four were logistically easier to get, it was also a day that required quite a bit of travel. We traveled with a minimal crew including Mireydi, Caleb, and myself. The day began at DaVita dialysis clinic, where we were granted permission to film for a number of hours. This was a big deal, as these facilities contain millions of dollars of highly sensitive equipment, while serving one of the most debilitated clientele in the country. We were able to shoot after hours and were given a free reign, they even assisted us in setting up an actual dialysis machine with the mother's character. Overall it was an impressive set up. For this particular scene, I would

13 have gotten more coverage than we did, but ultimately I feel that the scene does in fact work. Being in an actual dialysis clinic, which has a very unique feel, definitely changed the performances from our first time doing the scene. This was a reshoot, and one that was well worth the extra work and time. Besides the location of the scene, there were no additional changes made to the script. Later that day we traveled to a park to get a single shot for the film of Regina in a swing in slow-motion. This was a moment that I was not at the time 100% sure how it would fit into the overall scheme of the film, but which I felt turned the lens inward on our protagonist at a catastrophic moment in her life. It started to rain right after we got the last take, and we traveled to the house that we would use for all of the interior coverage. The scenes we shot at the house, were relatively simple, requiring the participation of only our lead actress, Regina.

Day 5 – 4/29/16

Day five we were shooting entirely at the taco stand which was on the outskirts of

Austin. We were shooting the opening scene, which ultimately we would end up reshooting due to some awkward blocking and even less successful dialogue. In other words, I had to completely rewrite the scene. On this particular day, I staged the conversation between the family directly in front of the taco stand. Chucho had a more prominent role in the scene at this point, and I had no idea how to properly block the scene to adequately cover the lines spoken by all four characters. It wasn't a sitcom after all, but there was a lot of information that I was trying to convey in this first scene.

Ultimately I realized there was too much information, which detracted from the power of

14 the scene as well as the focus. In a short film, there's so little time to establish what's going on, as well as who the characters are. So, there was an inefficiency in how I wrote the scene, but there was greater deficiency and how I chose to cover the scene. It felt awkward for the actors, and for everyone else who is there. That said, I do feel that the rehearsal that ended up being this entire evening, became useful when we reshot the scene. It was not a total loss.

Day 6 – 4/30/2016

This day was spent entirely in the house shooting interior scenes. On this day, we shot the scene on the couch, kitchen, bedroom, and at the dinner table. It was a lot to cover, but we had a larger crew on this day to help in the set ups. One essential factor in the efficiency was the ability for crew to begin setting up the next scene while we were shooting another scene. We used the same house for all of the interiors. The majority of the setups also used minimal coverage. I feel in retrospect that for the majority of the scenes the minimal coverage approach worked well, but there were some scenes that I wish I had gotten more coverage on. In the future, I would not limit myself as much. I feel this stemmed from my effort to edit the film in my head as we were shooting, rather than letting the edit emerge later. Another factor in the approach, however, was that I really wanted the movie to be driven forward by the performances. I felt really confident in the acting ability of my cast, and wanted the performances to be unaffected and uncut to the extent possible. I didn't want to intervene. Now, I realize I should have, perhaps.

The house belonged to a Latino family, therefore the production design was minimal. To

15 the extent possible, we utilized what the house already offered. It was one of the few locations that Caleb, myself, and Denisse the production designer, visited before shooting began. When possible we visited other locations, but it wasn't always something that could happen. Given the majority of the scenes occur at the house, it was an essential location, and one of the first we were able to acquire with the help of José Chavez.

Although we ended up paying for the location as a gesture of appreciation, it was generously offered to us for free by the owner, and we were given unfettered access to the entire house. That has gradually dawned on me over my time at UT Austin, the enormous importance of choosing locations. It seems convenient many times to pick the first location that comes along. The first location is rarely the best. We looked at a number of houses before deciding upon this one for many reasons. Perhaps there was no greater example of the understated importance of location, than in the dialysis facility, versus the UT Health Center. However, the house was another prime example of how much a location can affect the production for the better or the worse.

Day 7 – 5/1/16

Although day seven was the final day of principle photography, there were a number of scenes we had planned ahead of time to shoot as pickups. We began the day setting up for one of the more emotional scenes in the film, when the mother is on the couch writhing in pain. They decide to take her to the hospital. It was emotionally very taxing for Rocio, the actress. The most challenging aspect of that first scene was finding the correct blocking. Originally the setup felt awkwardly staged, and not believable. It did

16 not look good due in large part to how I chose for the actors to be set. We lost several hours trying to figure out a better way for the scene to work. Ultimately we ended up deciding to shoot it in a similar way to how we would end up reshooting the first scene – that is a moving camera. We had the camera roam from one character to the next.

Although this was not a preplanned camera technique, it would end up being a style we would mimic in other scenes. What I like most about this technique is how it allows actors to perform in a fluid fashion, and for those performances to translate in the editing process. It's almost as though it were a documentary and we the filmmakers are merely documenting what is actually happening. I also like the movement, and the way in which it created an uneasy tension in the scenes in which it was used. Of course, it is a limiting technique. In for a penny, in for a pound. It is extremely difficult to cut to any other shot away from these roaming camera movements. So, it became clear that we couldn't rely on the technique for every scene, and that it had to be used at very particular emotional moments in the film.

From there we went into the kitchen, where we filmed the critical scene in which the family realizes they don't have enough money to support the treatment for the mother's illness. This was another scene that I had difficulty blocking. I realize that one of my weaknesses as a director was determining natural ways for the actors to move in the spaces. They are there sitting at the dinner table counting money, and I lacked the imagination to think of an interesting way for them to be spaced, or for them to move in the space. The wide shot was unusable. The cinematography was great, the lighting was amazing, and the performances were strong. However, they were sitting in a line along

17 the table, like the Last Supper. It looked extremely awkward in retrospect. Incidentally, this is also how I had initially covered the first scene of the film, with the family members sitting on stools in front of the taco shop in a line. It was completely unusable.

Unfortunately, when you're looking at the brushstroke level of the story, it can be difficult to step back during production to see the larger consequences of your decisions.

Fortunately, this was a scene that we got better coverage for, therefore, I was able to utilize different shots and avoid the wide entirely. Originally, Jenni goes into her room during the scene to bring her own money to the table, that she had saved from working at the taco stand. This ended up taking over a minute to establish, and was more trouble than it was worth. It was also a pacing nightmare, as it feels as though the story comes to a screeching halt. Still, we shot that part of the scene, but ended up not using it. The scenes we shot on this particular day taught me a great deal about the virtue of simplicity when conceiving of and shooting scenes. Even in the most complex scene with many characters, and great movement, there has to be a clear focus and drive to the action. And then the camera needs to reflect that focus, rather than going off topic. Another lesson I learned from this day, is the importance of coverage. I found myself at times, destructively so, almost editing the film in my head as we went along – at least trying to anyways. While the sentiment is good, I overestimate my abilities. For every scene, I would have gotten an extra shot or two at least to have more options in the editing room.

The final scene of the day, was actually at night. It was the reshoot of the opening scene. Upon seeing how I had chosen to stage the scene initially, I immediately realized it wasn't working how I had imagined. Besides staging them awkwardly, I'd wasted a great

18 deal of time filming a prelude to the story with Jenni talking with Chucho in the taco stand trailer about her passport. Completely unnecessary work, but still a process that I had to go through to arrive at the answer. We painstakingly reshot the first scene, and it was much more successful.

Pickup Days

Due to time constraints, and the additional equipment that we would need, we ended up scheduling all of the car shots as pickup days. We rented a car mount from MPS video, and gathered half of the cast to film this last leg of the production. This was the only moment of the production in which we encountered some technical difficulties. At first we had some minor challenges assembling the car rig, and later, difficulties getting an external recorder to function properly. Due to the weight of the Arri Alexa, it was impractical to mount it on the car. Instead, we mounted a C 100 mark ii. It has great image quality, but we rented an external recorder to improve the quality further, with the hopes that there were would be no difficulties matching the footage with the Alexa later in post-production. The software on the external recorder had not been updated, and there was a bug that did not permit the recorder to shoot at 23.976 frames per second, only 25 frames per second. The difference is negligible, but we wasted about an hour trying to figure out if there was a way to make it work the way we wanted it to. In the end, all of the car days took at least three hours just to set up everything properly. Fortunately, we had accounted for this.

Chapter 3: Post-Production

Post production began immediately after we completed the pickups in mid-May. I collaborated with Van Lam, who served as the main editor on the film. Besides having incredible instinct as an editor, and artistic sensibility, he also is a technical genius. I felt very comfortable with him managing the postproduction of the film. We had some minor disagreements about a number of scenes, but the dialogue was always productive, and we were always able to find a common ground to work from. We went through about twenty drafts of the film at least, before we began to feel really good about it. One interesting wrinkle that came to light, was that we had originally intended to crop in to a 2:35 aspect ratio. What the footage revealed however, was that a number of the shots were framed too tightly to accommodate that particular aspect ratio. We ended up deciding to crop to a

2:1 one aspect ratio, also called Univisium. It is a standard that was created by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, and has been used on a number of recent films and TV shows, such as House of Cards, and Jurassic World. Not that Salvation was similar to those projects in any way, but the 16 x 9 aspect ratio didn't work either. About three quarters of the way through the editing process, I began my second collaboration with composers Matt Read and Nate Rendon. I had worked with them before on Dead Sites, and they had done an excellent job. Originally when I was writing the screenplay, I didn't imagine that music was going to play a crucial role in the film, and that I would rely more heavily on sound design. In the end, I realized that music would play a critical role in managing the tone of the film, while also driving forward the story. The sound design and mixing were carried out by Korey Pereira, with whom I've collaborated on every film

20 project I've done since 2013. He is a rare talent, and an incredible person to work with.

Post production was the smoothest aspect of this production. The only thing I can possibly attribute to that, is the fact that I have worked multiple times with all involved on previous projects. I feel strongly that that shared history plays an enormous role in the ease with which we collaborate at this point, and I hope to continue those collaborations in the future. Van, the editor, has been a close friend since middle school. So much of filmmaking has to be relationship based. Either building new ones, or enjoying old ones.

Chapter 4: Conclusion

When I came into the program have the impression that I had greater knowledge about the craft of filmmaking than I actually did. I am deeply indebted to my classmates, professors, and the University of Texas, for constantly pushing me, and showing me how little I truly knew. Everyone pursues an MFA degree for different reasons. For me, I needed to explore a wide range of styles and approaches to achieve a better understanding of the kinds of stories I hope to tell in the future. I feel as though it will be an ongoing process, even after I graduate. However, I feel that I have the tools necessary to continue this journey even after graduation. I entered the program with a particular interest in documentary filmmaking. While that is a road I hope to continue walking down, I also realize the deep connection between documentary and fiction filmmaking. In many ways, they are two sides of the same coin. What I have learned in fiction filmmaking has benefited my documentary filmmaking, and vice versa.

Initially, I had been hesitant about going to film school. There are many articles on the Internet, and many well-known voices of film, who speak out against film school.

Film is something that can be learned without any formal training, they say. Everyone has different needs though, when it comes to learning. One of the enormous benefits of film school, is the dialogue that exists between students, professors, and institutions. These are invaluable resources they give perspective to your work, while pushing you to think critically about other people's work as well. Filmmaking being the collaborative art that it is, communication is essential. Everything has to be articulated to someone else. Whether it's a director instructing an editor, or directing an actor. Through the program, I feel that

I became much better at articulating my feelings about film, as well as discussing what I want for my own films.

Appendix 1: Shooting Script

La Sobreviviente / Salvation

Written by

Jason Outenreath

Address Phone Number

1 EXT. TACO STAND - EVENING 1 Looking through the trailer window. JENNI, 13, fills a bowl with limes, and looks for the red salsa. CHUCHO, early thirties, finishes preparing tacos al pastor beside her on two plates. CHUCHO Hurry up, your parents are hungry. JENNI Do you think it arrived? CHUCHO For the tenth time, I have no idea. Go ask. She finds the salsa and leaves the trailer to bring them out to her parents LEO and MARIELA, both early forties. Leo takes out a thick envelope. LEO You got some mail today. JENNI Finally! Her face lights up as she sets down the tacos and takes the envelope. Hastily opening it, she removes a shiny new passport and hugs both of her parents. MARIELA Felicidades mija. Leo WHISTLES. LEO (to Chucho) Chucho, my daughter just got her passport. CHUCHO (O.S.) Maybe she’ll stop talking about it all the time now. I’ve got one too, you know? But nobody made a big deal about it or anything. Chucho steps out of the trailer beside the family. He shakes Leo’s hand, and gives Mariela the customary cheek kiss. They’ve known each other for years.

LEO Unlike you, she’s got an American passport. CHUCHO (glancing at the photo) That’s great, but look at that photo... Your hair is all messed up. You need a new one. Chucho lights up a cigarette, as business is slow. LEO (through a mouthful of taco) Let me see it. JENNI Your hands are dirty. LEO Just let me see it, please. He wipes his hand on his pants. Jenni hands him her passport. He opens it and looks hard at the picture. LEO (CONT’D) (softly) The first Herrera-López to get a passport. He gives it back. JENNI (containing her excitement) Grandma will be excited. Now I can visit her over the summer. MARIELA (smiling softly) Take care of it. CHUCHO (loud) Congrats Jenni. He holds out his hand for a fist bump, Jenni sees it, but turns away. He shrugs his shoulders with a sigh and heads back into the trailer. Mariela sets down her plate, only half eaten. LEO Are you going to finish that?

MARIELA My stomach hurts. Mariela grimaces as she puts a hand to her stomach, trailing it to her lower back.

2 INT. BATHROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT 2 Mariela throws up violently in the bathroom. By the time she finishes, she gasps for breath. Getting unsteadily to her feet, she rinses her mouth out and holds the sink for support.

3 INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT 3 Jenni does homework at a plastic table in the kitchen. Her father hurriedly comes in and fills a glass with water. JENNI How is she? LEO Not good. Jenni stares at her math homework, unable to concentrate. Again her father enters the kitchen. LEO (CONT’D) Jenni, go into the medicine cabinet and bring me the pills in the white bottle. JENNI I’ll be right back. She leaves the kitchen.

4 INT. LIVING ROOM 4 Mariela lies on the couch with a wet rag on her head, and a glass of water on the floor beside her. Jenni comes in with the pill bottle. Leo stabilizes Mariela in a position where she can drink the water. MARIELA It hurts!

LEO (giving her the pills) Take this. MARIELA It hurts so much. LEO Don’t move. Where does it hurt? She motions to her lower back. JENNI We could call an ambulance. LEO We can’t. JENNI Why not? Leo gives her a look of “You know why not.”

JENNI (CONT’D) She can’t stay like this. Leo thinks. He grimaces. LEO We’ll take her to the emergency room. Whatever happens, happens. Now help me. Leo and Jenni lift Mariela off of the sofa and towards the door.

5 EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT 5 They prop her up as they carry her towards the truck. MARIELA (grimacing) I can’t sit. LEO Ride with her in the back. JENNI Won’t that be worse?

LEO I have a saddle blanket in the front seat, go get it. Jenni leaves her father and lays it down in the truck, where her father heaves Mariela into the back. They drive away into the night.

6 EXT. BACK OF MOVING TRUCK - NIGHT 6 Jenni sits beside her ailing mother with a worried expression. Streets lamps flicker across their faces.

7 INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM - NIGHT 7 Leo and Jenni sit beside Mariela, who has glassy eyes. Mariela’s eyes become bleary, and she becomes off balance, as if overcome with exhaustion. Her eyes flicker. Slowly, she slumps down. It takes a moment for anyone to notice. Leo turns towards her.

8 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 8 Mariela is barely awake. Leo and Jenni stand off to the side, exhausted, as the DOCTOR, late 40’s, checks her heart with his stethoscope and writes a few notes on a clipboard. Dialysis machines BEEP. DOCTOR (addressing Leo) You’re the husband? Leo looks at Jenni who looks at the doctor and nods. JENNI Leo, he’s my dad. LEO (to Jenni) Ask what’s wrong with her. Leo shakes the doctor’s hand. DOCTOR (turning his attention to Mariela) It’s good you brought her here when you did.

JENNI What’s wrong with her? The doctor pauses. DOCTOR We ran some blood tests, and I’m afraid Mariela is in the late stages of kidney failure. Jenni looks at her mother. LEO What does she have? JENNI (to mom) You have kidney failure. LEO Can he make her better? DOCTOR I would make an appointment with a nephrologist as soon as possible. Ongoing dialysis treatments are probably your best option at the moment. JENNI (numb) What’s dialysis? The doctor gestures towards the dialysis machine and the tubes that connect to Mariela’s forearm, filled with blood. DOCTOR It filters the blood-- ideally three times a week. If you’re insured, it shouldn’t be a problem, otherwise, it can get expensive. LEO What did he say? Jenni’s breath is shallow and her face pales. Mariela looks at her, waiting for an answer. JENNI (to mom) He says you’re going to be okay, but you need dialysis.

9 INT. FAMILY KITCHEN - LATE MORNING 9 Jenni CRACKS an egg on the counter and makes a mess. She CRACKS another, this time making it to the frying pan with a sizzle. The egg cooks over easy, and when it’s done she moves it to a plate and carefully cuts out the yolk from the middle. She puts some rice on the plate, and pours a cup of water.

10 INT. BEDROOM 10 Jenni quietly enters her mother’s darkened bedroom, which is spotless.

JENNI I brought you an egg. MARIELA Where’s the yolk? JENNI The yolk is bad for you. I looked it up. MARIELA That was thoughtful. Mariela yawns. JENNI You need to rest, but I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything. Mariela starts to fall back asleep. Jenni pulls the blankets up a little and gently closes the door.

11 EXT. BASTROP STREETS 11 Jenni rides her bike fast along an isolated road, with houses to one side and pastures to the other.

12 EXT. PARK - DAY 12 Jenni sits thoughtfully on a swing set, slightly rocking back and forth. There is a playground off to the side. She looks as if she’s processing everything that has happened in the past couple of days. She closes her eyes and takes a deep, trembling breath.

13 INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT 13 The family sits at the dinner table, aggressively counting money. Mariela sets apart twenty dollar bills. JENNI Let me check one more place. LEO There is no more, this is all of it. She gets up anyway.

14 INT. JENNI’S ROOM 14 Jenni pulls out a brightly decorated box and counts some money.

15 INT. KITCHEN 15 Her parents are finished counting the money, and Leo crunches some numbers on a calculator. JENNI I found eighty more, and- She counts the coins quickly. JENNI (CONT’D) Seventy-three cents. LEO No coins. Her money gets added in. They finish and Leo sighs. MARIELA How much is it? LEO Not enough. JENNI What do you mean? LEO It’s enough for three, maybe four treatments.

MARIELA (avoiding eye contact) I’m sorry. JENNI It’s not your fault. Jenni stares at the money solemnly. Her mother looks devastated. Leo has a stony, unchanging expression of grief. JENNI (CONT’D) You could go back to Mexico. It’s cheaper there, right? MARIELA I don’t have ID, they won’t let me cross. JENNI We can hide you.

16 INT. JENNI’S ROOM - NIGHT 16 On the side of her bed, Jenni makes a phone call. JENNI Chucho, it’s Jenni. I need a favor.

17 INT. KITCHEN - MORNING 17 Jenni stayed up all night cooking Mariela’s favorite Mexican dish, pozole, with only the hominy, no meat. She stirs it, and carefully adds some spices before tasting it. She washes the tasting spoon she used and puts it back in the drawer. She serves her mother, who sits listlessly at the table across from Leo, who has his fingers laced. MARIELA Is there any Jamaica left? Jenni already has two glasses filled that she brings over. There’s not enough for three, so she drinks water. JENNI It’s a little bitter. LEO Bring me the sugar.

10.

She brings him a sugar jar and he takes a big scoop that he stirs into his drink. Jenni goes back to get utensils for Leo. Jenni takes a seat with her parents. MARIELA (tasting the soup) It’s good. JENNI I had a good teacher. MARIELA It’s better than mine.

Pause. JENNI Dad, what do you think? He sips it. LEO It tastes like your mother’s. Jenni smiles with satisfaction.

18 EXT. HOUSE - CLOUDY MORNING 18 A nondescript, dull blue Honda Civic from the 1990’s pulls up to the house. With the support of Leo and Jenni, Mariela slowly makes her way towards the car. Chucho, gets out to help, holding a cigarette in one hand. They greet each other. Jenni recognizes him from the taco stand. CHUCHO (to Mariela) It’s about a three and a half hour drive, four in traffic. Will you make it? He takes a long drag. MARIELA I’ll be fine. LEO It’s been a few days since her last treatment. (MORE)

11. LEO (CONT'D) Take her straight to the dialysis clinic. The one I told you about. CHUCHO For sure. Check it out- He points to the back of the car and opens the trunk. CHUCHO (CONT’D) You’ll be in there. It isn’t the most comfortable seat, I’ll admit. Is anyone else coming? LEO I don’t think so.

Jenni tugs his hand. JENNI (quietly) I’ll go with her. LEO Stay here, Chucho will care for her.

She’s already heading for the car. JENNI I’m saying goodbye to her. LEO Say goodbye to her now. JENNI No. CHUCHO We should get going. Chucho starts for the car. THROUGH THE BACK WINDSHIELD FROM JENNI’S POV Mariela and Leo kiss, not knowing when they will see each other again. Leo passes her the money. Leo helps Mariela in the trunk, and CLOSES IT.

19 EXT. SOUTH TEXAS HIGHWAY - DAY 19 The car drives on the highway.

12.

Jenni looks out the window before glancing back.

20 INT. CAR - FOUR HOURS LATER 20 The car slows. JENNI You’re sure this is going to work? CHUCHO Don’t worry. I go to Mexico every week for fresh ingredients. How do you think my restaurant stays in business?

JENNI It’s a trailer. CHUCHO (getting worked up) How can you trust a tomato from a country where the people don’t know what a pipian is? JENNI I don’t know what that means, but no one ever buys your pipian verde. CHUCHO But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good! Chucho stubs out a cigarette in a religious themed ash tray sitting between the front seats. A BORDER PATROL GUARD in his early twenties waves through the car in front of them before stepping towards theirs. BORDER PATROL (routine) Passports. They hand over their passports, and the border patrol guard looks at them nonchalantly. BORDER PATROL (CONT’D) What brings you to Mexico? CHUCHO (motioning to Jenni) Going to a clinic, she doesn’t feel well.

13.

Jenni is slumped down in her seat. BORDER PATROL Where ya’ll coming from? CHUCHO Austin. The border patrol guard looks at their passports. BORDER PATROL (casual) Your last name’s, they’re different. Chucho’s eyes go blank momentarily. JENNI Chucho is a family friend. BORDER PATROL (to Jenni) Your parents didn’t want to go to the doctor with you? JENNI They have work today. BORDER PATROL Open the trunk for me please. The border patrol officer walks back towards the booth and writes something on a clipboard. Jenni gives Chucho a nervous look, his hand rests on the lever beside the seat that opens the trunk. The border patrol officer starts for the trunk. Jenni sticks her index and middle fingers in her mouth, and begins to gag. Chucho knows the tactic. CHUCHO Not in the car... I just got it vacuumed and everything. The border patrol officer taps on the back windshield. BORDER PATROL Sir, open the trunk. Jenni gets out of the car, doubled over.

14.

BORDER PATROL (OFF SCREEN) (CONT’D) Are you okay? She puts her hands on her knees and bends over. She is sweating, and nearly hyperventilating. She throws up violently. Some of it gets on her clothes. She falls to the ground. The officer approaches her, and helps her back into the car. He gets some vomit on the cuffs of his uniform, and tries hopelessly to wipe it off, annoyed. CHUCHO She doesn’t feel good. BORDER PATROL (through the window impatiently) You’re good. He waves them through. Jenni looks miserable, but manages a small smile as they pass the checkpoint. CUT TO BLACK.

21 EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY 21 Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Chucho’s car pulls into an empty parking lot, and Jenni immediately jumps out, and opens the trunk. Her mother is barely conscious, and passes out in the parking lot once Jenni helps her out.

22 INT. DIALYSIS CLINIC - DAY 22 Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. A BEEPING DIALYSIS MACHINE. Blood flows through the tubes. Mariela is receiving a dialysis treatment, and looks healthier. Jenni sits beside her. JENNI They’re selling rice pudding and tamales outside. Are you hungry? MARIELA That’s okay, just pass me the glass of water.

15.

Jenni hands her the glass and she takes a sip. JENNI Chucho is waiting outside. MARIELA Go, I’ll be fine. JENNI I’ll come back every week. MARIELA How are you going to do that? JENNI I have the passport. Chucho will give me a ride, he just doesn’t know it yet. MARIELA May God guide and take care of you. JENNI I love you. MARIELA I love you too. Jenni hugs Mariela. Mariela gives Jenni her Mexican style shawl (reboso) as a gift.

23 INT. CAR - LATE AFTERNOON 23 Jenni stares sadly out the window as the sun dips over the cattle farms in southern Texas.

24 EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT 24 The car pulls into Jenni’s driveway, she gets out, and it drives away. She stands there, slightly shaking in the night. She takes her mother’s shawl and drapes it over her shoulders. CUT TO BLACK.

Appendix 2: Original 2010 Script