Emily DiBernardo/ BFA Film and Media Arts and Minor in Advertising ’23 / Senior
When I was younger, I was convinced I was going to be an actress in Hollywood. I did anything and everything I could do to get on a stage. Plays, musicals, summer camps, and workshops practically consumed all of my time and I loved every minute of it. When it came time for me to start middle school, my parents sat me down and told me that acting was a good hobby, but I needed to start thinking of something more sustainable for a possible career. As heartbroken as I was, I understood where my parents were coming from and shifted gears to focus on pursuing a career in the medical field, even though I knew it wasn’t what I really wanted to do. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I found my love for film again, this time however, in film production. That summer, I was invited to a two-week summer film program at Duke University and I decided that this opportunity would determine whether or not I could see myself pursuing filmmaking as a career. Safe to say by the end of the two weeks, I knew that I belonged in film.
As I started learning about the filmmaking process, I noticed I would gravitate towards the weird and unexpected but never knew what that meant for me in my career, as my style was different from my classmates. Experimental filmmaking was something that I found an appreciation and love for after learning about it in my college film courses. The ability to “break” traditional formats of film and create something unique and thought-provoking, to me, is a beautiful thing.
My love for experimental filmmaking also led me to learn about video and performance art. Seeing as I am a poet, I’ve always tried to find interesting ways to include my poetry in my art. Through video and performance art, I’ve been able to take my poetry and enhance its message through the visuals I pair with it. Typically, I am the one to perform all my pieces, so it has also led me to step out of my comfort zone. A lot of what I write and perform revolve around societal issues that either I’ve faced or I feel need to be addressed and they can get uncomfortable to talk about and portray, especially in front of a live audience. I am, however, of the belief that we as artists should be comfortable getting uncomfortable because that means our message needs to be seen and heard.
Although it has been great learning about these art forms in some of my film classes, I’ve been very limited in the ones that educate on them within my degree. Wanting to discover more about art aside from film has led me to look into pursuing a master’s degree in fine art. I’ve always known that postgraduate school was something I wanted to pursue because I want to be a professor one day. My goal is to teach students about experimental film and along with it, the world of video and performance art. Studying abroad has also been something I have wanted to do but never got a chance to do during my undergraduate degree. I decided that pursuing my postgraduate degree in the UK would be a great experience in that, not only does it have a rich history in the arts, but it would also broaden my horizons and open up my mind to new experiences and opportunities surrounding the fine arts.