Portrait_Rouen_Ericka_Lu_UPenn_filmmaker_student_waterless_film_tony_ward_studio

WATERLESS . A FILM BY RUOWEN LU. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017. . During my childhood there was a beautiful lake by my house. For all the kids growing up in the neighborhood, the lake was like our backyard - a place to play and see friends. About 5 years ago, the city decided to reclaim the lake into land for commercial use. Water was drained and replaced with a luxury shopping district. People got used to the new center quickly, but for me, every time I walked by the mall, I still see the lake I used to play around. With some nostalgia, confusion, and primarily helplessness- Waterless is made. It was my first time making a video and I didn't know any filmmaking techniques or rules. I planned out the scenes in my head and just went for them. When I first started shooting, I only had two scenes in mind and came up with the dream scene much later. Initially, the water balloon part was just to contrast the past with the waterless “reality.” However, my film teacher inspired me with the idea of using a war metaphor to create a sense of irony to the dream scene. Likewise, with other spontaneous decisions, I added random elements to the film but luckily the dots all connected at the end and served the overall story well. Looking back, I am glad this is my first film experience. In a way, ignorance of the filming rules gave me freedom and allowed me to follow my heart. Now after having more experience, I can’t approach a film without worrying about the structure of the story, character development, etc. Sometimes, when I am overthinking my work, I think about Waterless and tell myself to relax because the story will come together at the en

Portrait of Ruowen Lu

a film by ruowen lu waterless

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