Sage Boutelle (she/they)
BFA in Film and Media Arts
Fall 2023 /// Expected Graduation Spring 2025
The start of my love for filmmaking began in high school, where I took a cinema elective on a whim. I ended up finding a field where I am truly passionate about the work and am constantly amazed by its intricacies. When I decided to go to college for film, I was not sure if it was the right choice. The thought that I was making the wrong choice stuck with me at the start but faded as I learned more, developed skills, and talked to my professors. In particular, Professor Taylor Curry helped me a lot with talking through what working in film actually means and the creative process. I use my degree program as a safe space to try all kinds of things. To be able to find out what works and what doesn’t.
My work often goes into extremely intimate places with honesty and vulnerability. The omnipresence of my trans-ness defines both me as an artist and my work. My best pieces involve matters of identity. The use of visual metaphor is a strong point, placing strong emphasis on visuals to convey meaning.
As a student with a broad interest in filmmaking as a process, I took classes on a wide variety of topics. This had the consequence of my training having a “jack of all trades, master of none” slant to it. I do not have a set of hyper focused skills in one area, but I do have a baseline understanding of all areas of film. This means I can effectively communicate with people in all corners of the industry. It also means that I have a foundational set of knowledge to tap into for whatever I am tasked with.
After graduation I plan on moving out of Florida and finding any work I can on film sets. I would love to be able to find work on documentary projects. Additionally, I am pursuing work for the tech end of film festivals, similar to my internship working for Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The technical skills and connections I have garnered through my academics will be the basis of my career. I do not plan to ever stop learning, but moving forward my learning will be in the deep end of the industry.