Meet Sofie Edwards (B.A. ’24), a Cinema major recipient of a VCUarts Undergraduate Research Grant to produce, Floating, a short film about a ghost who falls in love with a balloon. As the balloon slowly deflates, it teaches the ghost the importance of letting go. As a film without dialogue, Floating is supported by an inventive original soundscape and score and is shot on increasingly expired film to mirror the characters’ journey toward death. This interdisciplinary project is a meditation on love and loss, aimed at making grief accessible to audiences of all ages.
With her team of Cinema Majors, Rania Ashoor, Aurelio Babbet, Chei-Ayn Mikell, Music major Rachel Perlish, and Faculty mentor, Sheree Chen, Floating was successfully produced thanks to the funding support of the VCUarts Undergraduate Research Grant. The film is currently being submitted to festivals and the team is eagerly waiting to hear back!
Administrative Affairs Coordinator, Taylor Colimore, and current undergraduate student, Hamida Osman, spoke with Sofie about her experience receiving an Undergraduate Research Grant to support the production of her project.
What was your preparation for the application process? Was there anything specifically challenging for you?
Sofie Edwards: In applying for the grant, I spent the most time working on the larger personal statement section of the application. It was incredibly difficult for me to summarize all the reasons I wanted to make the film, especially with it having been born out of such personal elements as grief and personal reflection brought on by loss. In this phase, working with my mentor, Sheree Chen, was the most important tool to my success. Bouncing my thoughts off of someone with so much experience and wisdom helped me to narrow down the many answers I had to the questions the grant application asked. My biggest takeaway from that application is that simplicity is key to being coherent. Get straight to the point; and, with your remaining word count after that, bring in the personal side of your project. I was caught up in conveying the nonsensical nature of my narrative, but it was ultimately a concise and personal statement that got me the grant.
What was your connection to the faculty member and how did they support your project?
SE: Sheree [Chen] was the first Cinema professor I ever met. I immediately felt a lot of respect for her because of her teaching style and her enthusiasm for students going out and expanding on the work they did in class. This project was actually first imagined in a sketch for her summer intensive course, which has really made the intention of that intensive come full circle for me. When I came to her with the idea of recreating it on 16mm film, she was very supportive and immediately offered me ideas, inspiration, and a steadfast belief that we could create something really magical. I might never have made this film in the first place without her initial guidance on the original sketch. It’s really special to have one of my professors connect so deeply with this project. The process of making this film has been one of my favorite memories to come out of my time at VCU.
How did receiving this grant make your project possible? 
SE: The grant made this project possible by funding our use of 16mm film. While it certainly might’ve been possible to bring it to life digitally through our crowdfunding efforts, I knew from the start of the grant application process that the project was meant for film. I wanted to learn the process of shooting on films, something which I am much more comfortable with now, and the story was one I felt would best be represented by the vibrance of analog film. Additionally, we wanted to experiment with the textural and visual differences between expired and fresh film. This all paid off immensely in the final product, which is beautifully colorful and sharp in contrast with the expired film in the final scene.
What was your experience like creating this project with students from different majors?
SE: Working with students of other majors and minors really grew my respect for the craft of post production especially. It was really exciting to work with people who could take your vision and use their skills and experience to create something that balanced your ideas with their style. I had a blast with the composers especially, who I worked with on a very short timeline to produce a lovely score. Their expertise made finding a sound for the different beats of the story an exciting process of discovery. They created music that both perfectly captured the emotional ebbs and flows of the story, while also being completely beyond what I expected or imagined. I also enjoyed the process of discovery with my sound designer when creating the specific sound of the “void” in the film. He did some really phenomenal work bending and reshaping organic foley into some really haunting options. In post sound/composition especially, where I have minimal experience, it is such a rewarding feeling to trust someone with your art and watch them create something truly special. My piece of advice in this department would be to work with people with vastly different skill sets than you. It will fill you with appreciation, respect, and more enthusiasm to explore the many elements of filmmaking.
What advice would you give to students who are considering applying for the grant?
SE: Give yourself plenty of time for the application and take the time to sit down and iron out completely what your key points are: i.e. project specifics, research elements (be very specific and concise here), personal elements of the project, and why you need the grant. I know personally how easy it is to either procrastinate or jump right into the personal statement with no plan (or often both), but with this application process it is essential that you appreciate all of the resources around you and get all the random thoughts out before the deadline is looming over you. Read it over with your advisor, and then when it’s finished, read it over with someone else too.