On September 27th and 28th 2018, VSA Ohio and Food for Good Thought, brought together much of the Central Ohio autism community for the 2018 ACT conference. During the Friday panels Nikki and Matt Swift of Nicolettecinemagraphics and Audrey Todd, screenwriter, actress, and founder of Food for Good Thought sat down with attendees to share their story of Autism Film and Micro-Budget Filmmaking as it has applied to Those Who Spring of Me.
“Audrey Todd, Nikki Swift and Matt Swift will be discussing the filmmaking process for their grant-funded micro-budget feature film, Those Who Spring of Me. The film features lead cast members played by amateur autistic actors depicting a young couple (one of whom is non-verbal) who ask if they can get married and have a baby. The collaborative team will discuss their adventures in filmmaking as a grant-funded employment opportunity for persons with autism that has received and generates support to the autism community in Columbus, Ohio. ” (ACT 2018 Program)
During the discussion the three panel members shared their experiences including how the story was inspired, how they all started working together, advice on finding actors for an autistic employment film, acquiring grant funding, and the accessibility factors that need to be considered when working on an autism production.
You can download the PowerPoint at the following link – Micro-Budget Independent Film Making
You can also watch the presentation on YouTube below.