Emerson thesis -- Visual and media arts

The persecution of Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual practice in China, has been going on more than a decade. The stories of Steve, a Bostonian, and Biyun, a Chinese torture survivor, interweave in the film from the filmmaker's personal perspective. Throug

We Are Monuments is a band of three friends with a mission to get signed. Their music is good and they have a very strong connection to the industry, but is that enough? We Are Monuments uses their unedited tour diaries to follow them on their tour to the

"Though same-sex marriage is now legal in her hometown, Xin resolves to give up her successful career in the U.S. and return home. Xin's parents eagerly await their daughter's return. However, little do they know about Xin's intentions to take advantage of Taiwan's new same-sex marriage laws. Caught between love and family, Xin risks both her family and lover and is forced to own up to her true feelings." -- Abstract

Weird Little Things is a short film about fear and neuroses told though [sic] a series of narrative, documentary, and experimental vignettes. The idea for the film came out of a desire to have a better understanding of fear, where it comes from and how it

"My proposed short live-action film is about a young Chinese woman who is raised in a single-parent family in a small town in China. She just started her job in Shanghai and finds that she may have to give up motherhood due to a recurring gynecological condition that has given her misery for years. She wrestles with the need to seek support from her mother when she gets back home for the memorial ceremony for her recently departed grandmother." -- Abstract

This audio documentary explores the myths and mysteries of D&D, with hopes to reach beyond its sub-cultural community, to encourage its listeners to think outside the Dungeons & Dragons defined by popular media through the years. -- abstract.

When Spirits Dance: Inside Jazz examines Roxbury jazz. What motivates the art, the love between artist and instrument? It explores how musicians negotiate their craft. Four generations speak practical and emotional truths. They reveal the essence of jazz.

"Where Does She Go is an experimental video that investigates how we distinguish reality from fantasy. Employing a high definition digital camera and casting a nonhuman object as the subject, Where Does She Go documents a mannequin touring across the world. By examining ways and angles of seeing, while also scrutinizing the cognitive structure of hearing, the video attempts to question the authenticity of visual discerning." --Abstract.

"Wiener (2023) is a surreal comedy about a college admissions tour gone wrong." -- Abstract

A student project exploring the wind as a natural phenomenon and a viable source of energy. Animated visuals help to explain and interpret the science behind the wind, while interviews with practitioners in the field supply viable information about wind

"Winter's Passing is a coming-of-age narrative short film. Due to his mother's untimely death and his father's remarriage, an 8-year-old boy has to live with his grandfather who runs a small urn shop. While reluctantly staying at the shop and trying to return to his father, he meets a woman who wants to buy two identical urns. Through their secret deal, the boy gradually learns the meanings of loss and grief." -- Abstract

'Wisdom Candy' is a fourteen minute narrative romantic comedy video. The unexpected death of a young man's boss brings about a series of peculiar circumstances which impel him to break free of his insecurities and pursue his love interest. -- abstract.

A multimedia exhibition that investigates how we experience the passage of time. Comprised of a small installation, 35mm slide projections, and a short experimental film, all the pieces in Witness employ 8mm home movies as the primary source material. As