Support DEFINITION. - A BFA Senior Thesis Dramedy Film

Defining Statement:

What defines you?

To the person reading this, I must repeat that very question: what defines you? Does that award-winning feat that you achieved many moons ago define it? Is it that embarrassing moment from high school years back? How about that beautiful destination spot that you took your second half, and later married partner, to? Maybe it’s that one really tough speech you had to give at that important event? Y’know… the life-changing one? Whatever that so-called defining moment may be, I want you to hold on to that.

I’m going to take you on a journey, real quick.

About the Director:

2024 Directing Reel - https://vimeo.com/1005467156

Backyards (Experimental Family Documentary) - https://vimeo.com/1013544625

Shapes (Recent Work) - https://vimeo.com/1008834650

Definitions and what defines one another has surrounded my life for as long as I can remember.

Growing up in South Jersey, I was involved in a number of extracurricular activities: writing competitions, student council, wrestling, honor societies, debate club, theatre, robotics, and stage crew just to name a few. Of course, with these activities came the insane amount of pressure of continuing to appeal to loved ones, keeping those ‘A’ grades up, the numerous competitions, and trying to catch up with time…

…and it is so, so hard trying to catch up with time. No matter how much you practice or study, you will always enter that next room feeling as if you haven’t done enough. As a student at Temple University, that pressure reaches up tenfold and can consume me and a lot of my peers by the end of a semester, month, week, and even a day. While I have stopped being a part of many of these clubs in order to focus more on my filming efforts and my work in the BFA Narrative Directing concentration, these experiences have remained crucial in the writing processes of my next work — this next work.

My name is T.C.

You probably know me as Tyler.

And this… is DEFINITION.

About that DEFINITION.:

DEFINITION. Teaser #1 - https://vimeo.com/1035091883

DEFINITION. is a PG-13 music dramedy that follows an individual, one Hana Turner, as she navigates herself and her best friend, Bee Wells, through the backstage turmoils of their university’s talent show. With only an hour until their highly anticipated act, the two must confront their personal and external challenges in order to pull off the best performance possible.

Mixed with my previous background in the musical stage industry, this is a film that represents the great, unpleasant, and chaotic parts of the filmmaking experience not just for me, but for my senior cohorts as well:

DEFINITION. serves as a culmination of everything that we have learned here not just in the Temple film program, but throughout every single class combined. From experimental methods to race relations to classic film stocks to marketing methods to even old tactics of defamiliarization, I aim to tell a story familiar to the mind’s eye while still implementing touches of our respective styles. The connections we have to different art forms, moments through time, and especially with one another is key to many of our personal goals. Keeping in line with personal themes, DEFINITION. assures the viewer many things regarding failure and loss as we grow older. How we address and react to them with our everlasting connections is how we push to move forward in life.

About the Donations:

Your funds and support means so much to us and the production of this film.

Locations - We need your help in securing the main settings of this film: the theater in which our ensemble will perform their many showcases, the backstage area in which the chaos unfolds, and our bench setting that serves as the most important scene in Hana’s story.

Set Design - The colorful production design helps make our shots themselves come alive in this dark setting, and its visual countdown is a distinct feature that sets the tone for its quick-paced atmosphere.

Equipment Rentals - We yearn to shoot on the powerful RED Komodo and Cooke Speed Panchros to help give us that warm, filmic look that is prominent in the social media marketing thus far.

Costume Design - Each character in this story acts as if they’ve been ripped from different points in time (Shakespeare, 90s pop, 50s jazz, etc,), which will be highlighted even more with their outfits as well.

Catering - Every set needs some valued meals, and I think we’re personally tired of constant pizza. Help us make sure our cast and crew is active throughout these long shoot days!

Safety Protocols - A safe set is the best set. Help us ensure the proper insurance as well as medical equipment for any concerning health issues.

Defining Statement Part II:

Earlier, I asked: what defines you? When thinking of yourself, what square definition pops up in that space? Regardless if it’s positive or negative, I’m proud of you. Thank you for your donation. If you couldn’t donate, then thank you for sharing this with someone. If you couldn’t share this with someone, then thank you for reading all of this through. If you couldn’t read all of this the whole way through, then thank you for being here, in this moment. I know, but you know even more, that it took a lot to get here. And believe it or not, you still have so many more tales and stories to experience, to share. So I then have to ask you:

Are you ready?