Additional SUBMISSION

Fall 2024 MFA Documentary Media MFA

FILM SUBMISSION (for shortlisted consideration)

Zach [She/Her] (2021)

Written, Directed, and Performed by Tiffany Thomas (aka Tommy B. Coyote); Projection & Animation by Mackenzie Bedford; Illustrations by Harvey Nichol.

Performed and recorded at Motel Theatre in Calgary AB, December 2021.

Roles: Director of Photography, Camera Op, Film Editor: Tim Nguyen

Synopsis: Zach [She/Her] is a one-woman autobiographical folk opera exploring the nuance and stifling nature of growing up without an identity. Thomas recounts being raised as a First Nations foster child, finding her trans identity, and the whiplash discovery that she is in fact, Filipinx by descent. These discoveries are all made through processes of social ostracization familiar to growing up in the prairies. Created with the support of Canada Council for the Arts.

The film is a one-shot recording of the full 30-minute performance, which can be viewed in its entirety using the link below. This was the fourth of six productions of the show to be performed since 2017.

Approach: Director Thomas and I collaborated over a two week workshop period to create the final film with multiple recordings and rewrites each day. She empowered me to explore the venue and approach camera movement differently for each take, allowing me to find compositions in a reactive approach similar to my stills work. These choices were examined and expanded upon throughout the workshop and would define the film’s personification of the camera.

Excerpt: We begin 5 minutes into the film as Thomas completes a song and recalls being racially profiled at a Greyhound depot and meeting an elderly woman that may or may not be herself from the future. The clip showcases the seamless movement between main playing stage and “offstage” areas, allowing the film’s viewer to see behind the scenes of the play in a similar way that they would in a live venue performance. Forced perspective and shadow play bring the audience intimately close to the storytelling.

Embedded Youtube Video:

Youtube Text Link: https://youtu.be/Pswx792s5n8

Vimeo Text Link: https://vimeo.com/901731176

Full Film, Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pnNwJiEzqU