Fall 1999 Newsletter

"Brace Now" An Excerpt from the Project Summary of Alexis Wruble '99, BiGALA Summer Intern

As a BiGALA intern, I worked on the film "Brace Now." My sister, Vanessa '96, acts as director, but also doubles as editor and subject. Over the past three years, we have had a non-traditional arrangement: I have been the main subject, but also have contributed to the editing. This summer I was able to be more intimately involved in the making of the film. During that time we shot six additional hours of footage and then began the editing process. From this experience I learned that editing is not just the manual piecing together of footage, but the creation of the storyline. The easiest aspect of editing is the manual control of the equipment, while the most difficult and mind-knotting part is the creation of narrative from fragments otherwise discontinuous in space and time. Before we even touched the Avid editing equipment we had to figure out what the documentary was about. What story were we trying to tell? Why? And to whom? The initial story was the coming out of two lesbians (myself and my girlfriend Alex) and our experience with family and friends. As the project evolved the story ended up focusing on how I have not yet told my parents about my sexuality, what kind of family dynamic creates my silence, and the relationships between me, my friends, and family members. In addition, the new subjects the film explores are why my sister decided to document this part of my life, and how my sisters and I came to be who we are. The documentary has expanded its concentration to my whole family through the telling of my story.

The subject matter "Brace Now" explores can help people experiencing similar identity and societal conflicts. I hope that viewers can connect with my coming out experience and realize they are not alone in their conflicts. Although each coming out experience is unique, there are shared peer and family conflicts common to the coming out experience. If I had been able to see a video like "Brace Now" during the beginning of my questioning of my sexuality, some problems during my experience would have been alleviated.

The BiGALA internship has given me the opportunity to work freely, full-time on this documentary. It has made a huge impact on our accomplishments and goals. The video has been in the making for three years, but has been in the background of our lives. This grant has enabled us to concentrate solely on the video and has brought us nearly to the end of our journey.

Alexis Wruble '99 is one of the two Summer 1999 BiGALA interns. The above text is excerpted from her report to the Executive Committee, Sept. 18, 1999.

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