How many times have you wondered what will come of your education here at William and Mary- what will I do, what will my job be? At least one student has already figured it out.
Senior Caitlin Clements, a Film Studies major, premiered her newest film on Friday at Kimball Theater. Rough Draft follows a screenwriter named Charlotte who finds inspiration in the life story of Tom Montgomery, a WWII-era screenwriter whose final work was lost when he was killed overseas. Inspiration for the plot came from Ernest Hemingway, who infamously lost a suitcase containing almost all of his manuscripts at a train station. “I found the concept of these lost works, and what their fate might have ultimately been — to be extremely interesting, and I ended up taking that vague concept and adapting it for the purposes of the film,” noted Clements. The writer and director also claims to connect with the main character, “Like Charlotte, I have always been a big classic movie enthusiast so my own personal taste definitely shines through in the film.” Apparently so, as Clements founded the Classic Movie Club here at William and Mary three years ago.
Not only is Rough Draftan achievement for Caitlin, but also for the W&M community. The film was produced from start to finish entirely by William and Mary students and teachers. Script writing began in Fall 2009 and by August 2011 filming began. “ We had a fantastic crew of current students, recent alums, and even a few high school age interns,” added Clements. Help from fellow twamps went as far as a music major composing an original score.
This is, however, not Caitlin’s first experience with filmmaking as it “began in high school as I started making short films to submit to the local deadCENTER Film Festival in my hometown of Oklahoma City.” Years later, she found herself traveling all over the country to produce a full-length feature film. Clements has studied at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute and was accepted into the Murray Scholars Program in 2007. This film was funded through a scholarship from the same program.
Just to show how hard work pays off, Clements will be an instructor at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute of which she is a product. She’s also got big things coming her way, “I’ve been accepted to MA programs at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts — so I will either be in NY or LA this time next year.”
Knowing what I now know about Caitlin Clements and Rough Draft, I can’t wait to see the film and how the W&M community has put its stamp on it. Keep a lookout for Caitlin Clements- big time screenwriter and director and product of a twamp-tastic education.