Awake, Maybe Dreaming

A 15-minute short film about schizophrenia, made over a summer in high school.

Why I made it

I learned about a distant cousin who has struggled with schizophrenia. It made me think more about what reality really means and how our society decides what it means to be asleep and awake.

I wrote, cast, filmed, and produced a 15-minute short film over a summer in high school with the hope of raising awareness and empathy for people struggling with schizophrenia. I cast real actors who came in from LA, and a professional cameraman offered to do the project pro bono because he was friends with the actors.

On set

Two actors on a bench during filming, with a boom microphone and camera in frame Crew member holding a boom microphone on a shoreline location Filming a scene on a playing field, boom microphone over two actors lying in the grass Four cast and crew members in a kitchen, one holding a script