Heidi Abramavicius

Spring 2023

Expected Graduation – Spring 2024

For as long as I can remember, I have always a storyteller. Whether it was me, laying in bed trying to go to sleep, or a class project about where we would see ourselves in 50 years, I always had creative juices flowing. Now I’m not saying that these were very good stories, but I always made a point to share my ideas with whoever, or whatever would listen (my dog was an excellent listener). My friends and I soon discovered YouTube, and I thought this was the perfect way to share my passions with the world. I took it upon myself to make videos much like the ones seen on YouTube, from vlogs to “get ready with me”s up until middle school but I had no where to share the content I was making because my parents were smart enough to not let me have a YouTube channel at that young age. It wasn’t until high school where I took a multimedia class where you could tell stories by making videos. After I took that class everything clicked and fell into place. Sadly I was hesitant to make film my major due to pressure from my parents.

Coming into UT as a freshman I originally went in with a marine biology major, but I was miserable the whole time. I realized my passion didn’t include exact answers and set in stone rules. I wanted a place to let my creativity flow and be able to tell my stories again. Lucky for me, UT also has an excellent film program and with a little convincing to my parents I switched majors. I can thank Warren Cockerham and his SIM class for getting me started in the film program. Yes, it is an introductory course but the way he taught it, he was able to break down the big scary film terms and helped them make sense, as well as teaching basic skills on how to use the equipment which goes a long way. Taylor Curry was also a big help when I first took her in screenwriting fundamentals. Still being new to the film scene, she told us how the real film world worked but she also made me feel like I had a place in it. She made me feel seen and no matter how silly an idea was, she never gave up on it and she put her heart and soul into the feedback she gave so we could all have the best possible script that we could.

When I first made the transition to being a filmmaker, the last thing I expected to enjoy the most was editing. However thanks to Dana Play’s Advanced Post Production class I have found myself more comfortable and confident in the editing room. And I found my skills carry over into her experimental class as well. Something about when both the preproduction and production aspects pay off in postproduction and seeing the hard work of everyone come together in the end puts a smile on my face. However, I have room to grow when it comes to cinematography. I want to get better at it because it is a crucial point of storytelling but I still haven’t found the magic touch to let the story be told though camera movements as I have with dialog. But, with time, practice and help from others I’m sure my skills can only improve.

Although I still have much to learn I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the great people I’ve met and experiences I was given. For the future, like many, I hope one day I can put myself in the directors chair but for now I want to focus on advancing my editing skills and learn new software as my student film maker journey continues down the road. I am proud of how far I’ve come and excited to see where I go. Who knows, maybe one day millions of people, other than my dog, will get to enjoy the stories I create as well.