Quiet on the Set!

All I can say is that this has been the most amazing experience! I am so exhausted and sleep deprived and I am certain that my body hates me…but it was totally worth it.  

Thanks to my crew-Leya and Jackeline for all their help and hard work!

And a VERY special thanks to my better half, Thomas Mentel. Not only did he do an amazing job with cinematography but he edited the fine cut and was very sweet to me even though I know that it must have been pretty difficult.

THANK YOU. 

The documentary-gifted. will screen tonight at 7pm in Taper Hall at the University of Southern California.

Hope to see you all there!

~Tish

Today as we started editing and our film starts to form we are excited about the awareness this film will bring to the giftedness of youth with autism.

Throughout the filmmaking and editing process, we have come to find that our doc is distinguishable from others being made because it sends a powerful message to our community that empowerment is everything. Individuals on the “spectrum,” or Autism Spectrum Disorder, only have limits if we have limits in place, so it is up to us to remove those barriers. To do this requires us to change the way we think about the ASD population! As Yudi Bennett told us in her interview, we have to be “out of the box.” We have had the opportunity to interview such amazing people and been witness to the filmmaking process of individuals on the spectrum—they have taught us so much and we hope that this film will bring awareness to and inspire others to empower this population! We’ll keep you posted on how the music turns out too—eating Cheez-its and muffins seems to be helping.

What do you guys think of our tentative production name-3 Change Agents Productions?

Inclusion Films was amazing (again)! The students are all so inspiring and a joy to work with-Tommy (Director of Photography) and I (Tish/Director) did not want to leave!

We were able to view footage of student shorts and participated in class activities-setting up lights and hooking up sound!

Completely thrilled with the footage, I wanted to set it up to final cut pro immediately….however, when I came home I noticed that my computer had FREAKED out and it took over 25 hours to transfer footage. I was worried that footage was going to be lost and that we weren’t going to be able to successfully upload everything.

Fortunately,  everything was fixed and is ready for editing (Thanks Tommy)! 

We have an abundance of amazing footage and we cannot wait to put this film together!

Hey Everyone! On Thursday 4/5 Whole Foods in Tustin is donating 5% of funds to Talk About Curing Autism! Pop in and buy some super delicious healthy food and support a good cause!

http://www.tacanow.org/event-list/whole-foods-community-support-day/

Hello everyone!

We just finished day 1 of filming at Inclusion films! Inclusion films is an organization that offers practical workshops to individuals with developmental disabilities in addition to nationwide film camps for youth with Autism!!!!

Everyone was extremely friendly and made us feel at home. We had an amazing time interviewing founder Joey Travolta and the director of classes Raymond Martino. We were also fortunate enough to speak to instructors and students at Inclusion Films.

Here is their website—check it out!!

http://www.inclusionfilms.com/

“The fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2012. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising andawareness-raising events. How will you celebrate? To share your events, please “Like” the World Autism Awareness Day page on Facebook and submit your events by posting the information on the wall.  

Thank you for celebrating the wonderful people in our lives affected by autism on April 2 and throughout April which was Autism Awareness Month. We look forward to celebrating with you on April 2, 2012!”

-Autism Speaks!

http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/waad

National Autism Awareness Month in April started in the United States in the 1970s in an attempt to draw attention to the urgency for awareness and concern about autism and the challenges faced by the autistic community.

Autism prevalence currently stands at one in every 110 children in America. There is no cure for autism and there is an ever-growing need for services and support for autistic community.

By participating in the National Awareness Month in April, 2012, we promote awareness through education and we join in celebrateing the autistic community’s uniqueness, strengths, and abilities.

http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/national-autism-awareness-month/

Hello and welcome to our blog!

We are three social workers with a passion to bring awareness to the visual giftedness of ASD transitional age youth and their potential to be filmmakers!

This blog will provide you all with resources, ASD and film related events, and keep you updated on our filmmaking journey!

Please Stay Tuned!

<3

Tish, Leya, and Jackeline