Julia Crescitelli is a current freshman at New York University studying film and television in the Tisch School of the Arts. Born and raised on Staten Island, Ms. Crescitelli is a Staten Island Technical Alumnus who wrote and directed a winning SING – a musical competition between the grades – her senior year. As a first semester student at Tisch, Ms. Crescitelli is just beginning her professional exploration of the dynamics behind the film and television industry. After she graduates however, she would like to become a screenwriter.
Rebecca: What initially attracted you to screenwriting?
Julia Crescitelli: I always loved writing both short and long stories, but sometimes felt frustrated I couldn’t express some things as visually as I wanted. I’ve always loved movies and storytelling, so I found screenwriting would be the perfect combination of all my passions.
Rebecca: Does your love of English and knack for writing play a role in your intended field of study?
Julia Crescitelli: Absolutely. Although screenplays aren’t written in prose, the quality of writing still plays a very important role.
Rebecca: What was the first film you made?
Julia Crescitelli: Probably a movie about three sisters entering the music industry. I forced my two friends to star alongside me in my basement, when we were all about eight.
Rebecca: Why did you decide to make this film? What was your ultimate goal?
Julia Crescitelli: My Dad had just given me his old video camera, and I was just dying to use it. I couldn’t wait to bring a story I had written to life
Rebecca: I know you had to create a short film for your NYU application, how did you generate the story line for this work?
Julia Crescitelli: When I try to think of an original story, I try to brainstorm the main theme behind the story before I think of any specifics. That way, I know that my story will have substance, and I will have some sort of idea or moral or realization to help structure my plot
Rebecca: Whom did you enlist to stare in this short film? How did they perform?
Julia Crescitelli: Actually, I had to beg all my friends to help me last minute, and I was honestly surprised with how well they did. Of course they weren’t professionals, but they did their job.
Rebecca: Were technical difficulties a problem?
Julia Crescitelli: My lens’ autofocus had broken the week before, so I had to manually focus the entire movie, which is basically impossible to do while shooting film. Also, the lighting in my locations was very poor.
Rebecca: How do you wish the film could have been translated?
Julia Crescitelli: Overall I felt the production value could have been higher. I also pretty much ignored sound, a horrible mistake
Rebecca: What did to you learn from creating this short film?
Julia Crescitelli: Do NOT wait till the last minute.
Rebecca: When you were accepted to Tisch what was your initial reaction and why?
Julia Crescitelli: I honestly believed they made a mistake. I waited ten minutes to tell anyone because I was expecting a rescind email. Tisch is the number two undergraduate film school in the world, impossible to get into, so I couldn’t believe I had.
Rebecca: Although you are only in your first semester do you believe you made the right choice by choosing Tisch?
Julia Crescitelli: Absolutely. I’m learning so much, love all my classes, and love the environment here not only in Tisch but also in NYU in general.
Rebecca: Do you believe Tisch will help you in pursuing your ultimate goal of becoming a screenwriter? If so, how?
Julia Crescitelli: Yes. I am currently in a screenwriting class now and there are dozens of others for me to take. In addition to screenwriting classes, all my other classes help with screenwriting by broadening my understanding of film in general.
Rebecca: What other classes are you taking?
Julia Crescitelli: I’m currently taking Storytelling Strategies which is my screenwriting class, Performance Strategies (Acting and Directing) Sound Image (A six-hour sound production lab and class) Writing the Essay: Art in the World, and When Nightmare is Real: Childhood Trauma.
Rebecca: What current project(s) are you working on?
Julia Crescitelli: I’m currently working on a group sound project – a 7-10 minute audio story of our choosing. We are working on a horror story placed in a haunted spaceship. Also, I’m working on a video project where we received a short film without any sound, and our task is to completely mix the sound back in using our own recordings. I am also about to begin a vocalization project, where we have to make a sound piece only using our voices. Finally, I am brainstorming ideas for my final individual sound project, completely up to us what we want to do
Rebecca: Are you finding these projects to be worthwhile or tedious?
Julia Crescitelli: All of these projects are very tedious and time consuming, but totally worth it. It is such great experience and practice that I wouldn’t and couldn’t conduct on my own.
Rebecca: What is your favorite part of the assignment and why?
Julia Crescitelli: My favorite part about all these assignments is that I get to be freely creative and constantly thinking. We have to come up with our own ideas and the guidelines are very loose. Although some may be frustrated by the lack of instructions, it offers complete creative control. We also get access to world-class sound equipment and labs that is awesome.
Rebecca: What is it like to finally be able to concentrate on your passion and interest?
Julia Crescitelli: A breath of fresh air. Going to a math and engineering high school was torture for me – I had absolutely no interest in the material. Now, I enjoy learning and going to school. Everyday is exciting.
Rebecca: On the short term, what do you hope to learn from your current classes?
Julia Crescitelli: The basics and fundamentals of all the areas I’m studying in. You need to know the basics so you can eventually complicate and expand upon them.
Rebecca: Long term, where do you see yourself?
Julia Crescitelli: Hopefully writing (and selling) my own screenplays, or being the head writer of an HBO or Showtime Series
