The Story
Violets tells the story of John, a faithful father, son, husband, and LAPD officer grappling with gender identity. It will follow the journey of John and John's wife Violet as they struggle to navigate love and life within their predominately Christian, African-American community in South Central Los Angeles.
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Director's Statement
I came up with the concept for Violets eight years ago as an undergraduate student. A large part of my passion for this project comes from my desire to present my interpretation of a social issue, which I feel needs to be addressed. Moreover, I am devoted to telling a personal human story unique to these characters. This is a film, which beckons its viewers to unearth the courage to be human, to be authentic and kind with one another and themselves. If there is anything I have discovered in my life thus far, it is that my greatest aim is to find the strength to be real with myself, and in doing so, fight to always be real with those who surround me. There are so many challenges and circumstances, which make self-acceptance and self-love difficult to achieve and truly realize. Through good and bad times, I consistently remind myself that love has the power to conquer all. But, I also believe that strength doesn’t only come from within, it comes from listening, seeing, learning, and communicating with others; it comes from being open to opportunities and encouraging others to do so as well. In a world so preoccupied with the violent urge to compete, label, marginalize and defeat individuals or groups thereof, I aim to tell stories about the power of human kindness and courage; I think and I hope that stories such as that of Violets will illustrate the potential to shed light upon this aim.
Budget
Filming will take place in January 2017 over the course of 9 days, however we cannot begin production without your help! We are raising at least $20,000 to cover costs including:
-- Equipment and rentals
-- Locations throughout Los Angeles
-- Production Design & Wardrobe
--Hard drives for the editorial process
-- Travel expenses and food for our crew while shooting
-- Post costs: Color correction, music recording and sound mixing
-- Film Festivals and distribution
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The Filmmakers
A film takes a village to make. We are a diverse group of filmmakers hailing from USC, Chapman University and the professional world who are dedicated to this project and the issues it serves. Outside of our production crew, there are a number of supporters, collaborators and advisors on our team with whom we have consulted, from the LGBTQ community, Christian church, as well as the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
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Maren H. Jensen (Director/Writer) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University as well as Prague’s Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) where she studied advanced screenwriting and production design. She has a background in fine arts, classical voice and piano, and theater. Maren continues to treasure the collaborative nature of the cinematic medium and industry. She considers each member of her team to be fundamental to the success of any projects with which she is involved. Maren strives to dedicate her efforts to telling human stories about all kinds of people, from all walks of life, and is ever determined to emphasize the power of humanity to rise above campaigns of hate, discrimination, and violence within and across cultures. She is currently earning her MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California - School of Cinematic Arts.
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Monica Johnson Harris (Producer) is a graduate of Mount St. Mary's University, where she earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in Film and Social Justice, graduating Cum Laude in 2013. Ms. Johnson Harris began her career in the arts as an actress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She has several scripts registered with the Writers Guild of America. Currently, she is a M.F.A. Candidate at the University of Southern California and was the recipient of the USC 2014-2015 Muller Family Scholarship and Samuel and Lorenza Gary Memorial Award.
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Sadé Clacken Joseph (Producer) was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. After graduating with a degree in Anthropology from Columbia University in 2011, she joined the production team for the ABC Daytime Television show the The View. Over four years she developed her skills as an executive assistant, production assistant and associate producer on the show before deciding to move to Los Angeles to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts. Sadé is dedicated to giving others, particularly people of color, children and women, the opportunity to tell their own stories and showcase themselves as they see themselves through her work. She is the recipient of the 2016-2017 Director's Guild of America John Frankenheimer Fellowship and 2016 Inaugural 30 Under 30 Caribbean-American Emerging Leader and Change Maker Award recipient for which she was honored at the White House.
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Carter Vincent (Associate Producer) Growing up I've always had a passion for acting; however there was a major obstacle positioned in my way. I was struggling with my gender identity. I was born biologically female, but never connected with that side of me. I began transitioning when I was twenty years old, and I have never been more comfortable in my own skin. Since I was able to navigate within myself, I found enjoyment in front of the camera. I started loving who I was, inside out. I then realized, my whole life I portrayed a character for society. I had to play a role they wanted to see, and make it believable. When I thought of it that way, I've been acting my whole life. Now that I've found my authentic self, I'm able to play characters and get in touch with that side of who I am. I will forever have gratitude for the battles I've encountered throughout this journey thus far. I look forward to growing my knowledge of film in front and behind the camera. Film needs to have more Trans stories told in story lines which is the main reason I am so drawn to this heroic project.
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Kevin Alexander Gallo (Associate Producer) is a writer, director, and actor born and raised in New Jersey. Before coming to USC's Graduate Film/TV program, he received his BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of Arts' Experimental Theatre Wing. Kevin recently produced the music video for "Care" the debut single from The Voice's Anita Antoinette. Kevin's work explores the dynamics of personal storytelling and engages in transforming the representation of minorities-- specifically LGBTQ narratives--in films. He is thrilled to part of the producing team on Violets!
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Mykaila Williams (Associate Producer) Filmmaker by trade, photographer by chance, and student, activist, adventurer by choice, Mykaila Williams grew up in Miami, FL before moving to California to attend Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Now at USC for her undergraduate degree, Mykaila is studying Film and Television Production with a minor in African American Studies. Additionally, Mykaila is the Director of Diversity Affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government, and a member of Delta sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Through Violets, she hopes to bring her community the inclusive content that it wants as well as an important story that it needs. In her free time, she enjoys watching television, retweeting Black Twitter, creating films, and giving back to her community.
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Siman "Cathy" Chen (Associate Producer) originally from China, Cathy is now pursuing her Master’s Degree in Cultural Industry Management in a joint program between USC Marshall School of Business and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She loves watching movies and TV dramas and has been working on writing novels since high school. Cathy believes that a good story has the strength to positively influence people in their own life’s, and she believes Violets has this potential.
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Nick Ramsey (Director of Photography) is a So-Cal based cinematographer with an electric passion for art and technology. Originally hailing from Virginia Beach, VA, he’s worked in film, television, commercials, music videos and more.With a keen eye and stellar instinct, he aims to paint a visual style both rich and immersive through the camera. In a testament to that effort, his work has received plentiful acclaim. Recognition includes a Student Academy Award® for Rocket, a 1950’s racing drama, as well as a nomination for the 2016 ASC Vilmos Zsigmond Student Heritage Award for the Los Angeles based drama, Angeltown.
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Tiffany D. Brooks (Editor) was born in Oakland CA. She enjoys the creativity behind film making and has found her passion in film editing. She is working to receive her MFA at the University of Southern California in the Film and Television Production Program in order to make her dream of becoming a professional editor her reality. When Tiffany is not editing, she is binge watching TV series such as “The Following” and indulging in Netflix. She also enjoys listening to music, traveling and experiencing new cultures and cuisines.
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Jeff Cendejas ( Post Production Sound) graduated from USC’s Film Production program in May 2016. Deciding to focus on sound design his last year, he was part of the sound team for the thesis Belly, then lead his own team on another thesis, Mr. Chu’s Evaluations. Through working on these productions and the guidance of stellar professors, Jeff became proficient in every aspect of film sound design. This included everything from Dialogue and FX editing to final mixing on a professional sound stage. Since graduating Jeff has worked sound design on a plethora of short films, commercials, and documentaries.
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Carol Gao (Production Sound) is from China. Her Chinese name Yingjuan means cherry blossom. Sound has opened a new world for Carol. She likes stories that tell people's everyday life. She loves cooking, which is a way to understand life!