A follow shot: senior’s artistic sense fills film and music

David Monlux, Cub Reporter
Originally published December 16, 2013

A guitar in one hand and a camera in the other… Nobody else is more familiar with this combination than senior Lorenzo Rossi.

Rossi says he has just always loved to make videos and watch movies, and that is what interested him in film in the first place.

Rossi joined the Video Production Program, taught by Matt Lawrence, when he was a sophomore, and has loved filmmaking ever since.  “I really love to make videos and share them with other people,” Rossi said.

Lorenzo Rossi

Film, however, is not Rossi’s only passion; he is also involved with music and is the lead singer for his band “Yellow Peril.”

“Lorenzo’s experience with music really gives him a sense of rhythm and beat,” Lawrence said.  “So it’s no surprise that he has a very good rhythm and beat in all of his videos.”

Not only does music help Rossi with his rhythm and beat, but it also serves as a creative idea for a film project.  This idea helped Rossi make a video that would assert himself as an excellent filmmaker.

Rossi and his film partners– Marlene Anderson, Khasbold Bataa, Gabe Fabens, and Zach Green– made the music video “Stop Pretending” written by Yellow Peril. The music video was submitted to Fresh Film Northwest (a competitive regional film festival in Oregon), and won the “Creative Self-Expression Award” for “outstanding achievement in cinematic storytelling” in November.

This year there were a total of 117 entries to Fresh Film Northwest, and only 14 were given awards including “Stop Pretending.”  Rossi and his partners also recently submitted their project to National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), and are currently awaiting the results.

“I really like this particular film because I can really relate to it since it uses my band’s song,” Rossi said.  “And also because it shows a unique deeper meaning.”

So what really is that deeper meaning?  According to Rossi, it concerns relationships that are held together by social expectations.

One of Rossi’s biggest strengths however, is actually his leadership ability.

“He is a great leader and a wonderful collaborator,” Lawrence said.  “He is one of those people that can always make you laugh.”

Rossi says that he just wants to be the best filmmaker he can, and who could blame him?  With his great work ethic and leadership qualities, his fellow peers really think he can achieve his potential.

“He is a really professional person to work with,” Green said.  “He goes above and beyond his fair share of work and won’t stop until he thinks it’s perfect.”

Rossi hopes he can have film in his future and he has applied to many powerhouse film schools.  According ton Lawrence, Rossi has a very good chance of getting accepted.

When Rossi goes off to college after this year, he plans to pack a guitar and a camera, his own unique combination.