Ashley Jones '24

Here's What You Missed

"Here's What You Missed" is a Department of Communications honors thesis film that seeks to "feminize" the action heist genre of filmmaking. Research involved studying genre, authorship and feminism with the intent to write and develop a "feminist action" script. The film centers around a group of college girls who organize a heist into a frat house. Their goal? Stealing back a stuffed otter - or maybe more than that?

Q&A

Fellowship Cohort: Fall 2023

Why did you choose this project?
I chose this project because I love filmmaking. I think storytelling is incredibly important, and I think that it's also important to look at who we center in our stories. This project started with me wondering why complex female characters aren't often the star of action movies. And wondering why female directors were so underrepresented in the genre. In choosing this project, I was able to test my filmmaking chops and tell a story that I'm proud to tell. It was such a blast! 

How was this fellowship meaningful or impactful to you?
This fellowship was extremely impactful for me! Without the funding from the fellowship, I wouldn't have been able to buy costumes, props, set pieces or even compensate my crew members. I'm so proud of the art production aspect of this film, and I'm so thankful that the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts was able to fund my thesis journey!

What future plans do you have related to this work, if any?
I'm hoping to do another round of editing before the end of the month, then start submitting to festivals!