An alumnus of Kennesaw State University is writing and directing a dark comedy film in Smyrna, Georgia.
“The Head” tells the story of a young man struggling to understand himself through his artwork. The main character asks the question: does he define his art, or does his art define him?
Brent Lambert-Zaffino graduated in May 2013 with a communication degree concentrating in media studies and a film studies minor.
“The degree was helpful because I cannot afford a marketing team, but already having the knowledge of social media and stuff was great because I knew what questions to ask,” Lambert-Zaffino said.
The film has plenty of talent from the Kennesaw community, including current grad student Chris Malloy, a saxophonist creating the music for the film, and music marketing alumnus Adam Orfale, who will be editing that music.
Creating his own film has not been an easy process, Lambert-Zaffino said, in part because raising the funds for this project has been tough. Everything he learned leading up to this chapter in his life, however, has been useful.
“My film studies minor was helpful in learning a lot about the art of film-making, learning how to have a place to discuss film and really immersing yourself in it,” Lambert-Zaffino said. “The first short I did, I was able to show my teachers and get feedback, and that feedback set me in a good direction.”
Lambert-Zaffino’s advice to students wishing to make their own films is not to get caught up or discouraged because you don’t have the equipment or resources you want.
“If you have an iPhone and actors, then you can make a movie,” Lambert-Zaffino said. “Plus, the limitations that you have now will benefit you later because the more resources you get as you go along, the more you’ll be grateful that you learned to solve problems in the past.”
The hardest lesson Lambert-Zaffino said he had to learn was doing things he didn’t like to do, such as editing audio and video and working with lighting.
“I’ve had to learn how to do all of it because you can’t always hire people who are great at it,” Lambert-Zaffino said. “Knowing how to do a little bit of everything gives you the knowledge to communicate with everyone on set, but I was really resistant to that for a long time.”
Lambert-Zaffino’s goal is to get “The Head” into as many film festivals as possible, then distribute the movie through iTunes. Lastly, his fingers are crossed in the hopes that it will eventually be distributed through Netflix or Hulu. Lambert-Zaffino is currently seeking donations for his film at www.seedandspark.com/fund/the-head#wishlist.
He invites anyone interested in participating in the process of making his film to email him at blz123@comcast.net.
“I know I would have liked the opportunity to work on more projects I was interested while in school, but they can be hard to find sometimes,” Lambert-Zaffino said. “We could use help on set for really anything people are interested in, and everyone on set will be credited in the credits for the movie.”
