What if your sketchbook drawings came to life? The possibilities of an open page are exciting, but being erasable has its drawbacks.

Interview with Director Michaela Wadzinski

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I am currently a senior film and new media student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I made Negative Spaces as my advanced project, which is the main film project of our junior year.

We are allowed to pitch whatever we want to make. I wanted to combine traditional 2D animation with video footage and tell a compelling story at the same time.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Negative Spaces challenges the viewer to think about some of the hardest times they’ve had and how they were able to rise above them or push through.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Throughout the story the ballerina, our main character, must learn to love and take care herself. She has to go through a lot of hard experiences but eventually finds happiness in herself. This is shown though the concept of an artist expressing themselves through their art.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The concept started as an exploration of self-worth. The design really helped pushed that idea. I knew I wanted it to be a combination of live action background plates with traditional animation. I think the realism helped ground the topic while still keeping the charm of animation. The script went through several renditions, but the core stayed pretty much the same. The bulk of the film is done all in one shot, so I knew that once it was shot there wasn’t much wiggle room for story changes.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I’ve had a lot of people tell me that the story really resonated with them. They understood what the character was going through and empathized with her. Which is something I was worried wouldn’t read.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I was delighted to hear that people were responding to it in an emotional way. Negative Spaces is really personal to me and my own struggles with self-worth. It’s hard to put yourself out there emotionally and it makes me happy to see that other people are connecting with it.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I’d love to have more people learn about the film, it’s a project that’s very close to my heart that I want to share with as many people as possible.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I’d love to get Negative Spaces into more film festivals.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I’d love for people to connect to it emotionally, and for the reception to be positive and the story to stick with them after they’ve watched it.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How does art help people express themselves and work though any issues they may be having?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Michaela Wadzinski is currently working on two projects as part of her senior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. One is a live action coming of age story titled “1995.” The other is an animated fantasy titled “Protector of the Center of the Earth.” Both are expected to be done by May of next year.

Interview: November 2018

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Negative Spaces

What if your sketchbook drawings came to life? The possibilities of an open page are exciting, but being erasable has its drawbacks.

Length: 6 Minutes

Director: Michaela Wadzinski

Producer: Michaela Wadzinski

Writer: Michaela Wadzinski

About the writer, director and producer: Michaela Wadzinski is a senior film and new media student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She emphasizes in both animation and direction.

Key cast: Emmalee Allen

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Film Festival Directors

Social media handles:

Facebook: N/A

Twitter: @Michaela_Wadz

Instagram: mnwadzinski

Other:

Hashtags you use: #negativespaces

Where was this filmed (useful for Instagram tagging)? Lincoln, Nebraska

Funders: N/A

Made in association with:The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film