MEET THE CREW
DARCY LONG
Director
Darcy Long is currently a student at Penn State University, pursuing a dual degree in Film and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. With much experience in both short narrative and short documentary, they have worn just about every hat in film production - directing, producing, filming, and editing many films covering transgender students, artists, The AIDS epidemic, and homelessness. “Sugarcoated” is their second short film as Director and is both a creative and political effort to bring awareness to Domestic Violence. They hope to continually challenge both themselves and the audience, creatively and intellectually.
PETER D. RIVERA
Writer/Producer
A senior studying Business Management and Film/Video, Peter Rivera is both screenwriter and producer. Peter has been writing the script to "Sugarcoated" for over two years and is elated at the chance to finally bring it to life. This story is very close to his heart as he feels it brings awareness to many issues such as domestic violence, abusive relationships, effects of suicide, coping with grief, and the double standard regarding gender expectations. Moreover, Peter strongly believes that this film will showcase the complexities and nuances of Latino culture, which remains an immensely underrepresented demographic in cinema.
SARAH BRESSLER
Director of Photography
As a senior studying Film/Video, Sarah Bressler is an eager cinematographer and editor. Sarah has been working with cameras since she was around the age of 13 and has experience working with Nikon, Panasonic, and Canon cameras. She is efficient in Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas editing softwares, attempting to learn After Effects is something we’re not going to talk about. Sarah shot, edited, and finalized a promotional video for Zimmerman Shoes, located in Orwigsburg, PA in May, 2018. She is interested in creating experimental and miniature docu-series but is excited to take on the role of director of photography on this narrative piece.
NICK SIVAK
Editor
A Senior majoring in Film and Video Production, Nick is focused in the field of post-production and is the editor on "Sugarcoated". From a young age Nick was always fascinated with video making and that fascination moved with him throughout his education. Along with this title, Nick has previously worked as an assistant editor for Cube812 in State College PA, editing instructional videos for Better Kid Care, a Penn State extension program. Nick has worked with the World in Conversation department at Penn State where he edited social media videos for the SOC 119 class. And in 2015 Nick was awarded the Stephen Beck Yeagley Memorial Technology Education Award. Nick is excited to be working on this project with his peers!
EMILY YARNALL
Assistant Director
Emily is a senior at Penn State University studying Film and Spanish, minoring in International Studies. She hopes to pursue writing, directing and lighting post graduation. Emily has an acute desire to write and direct stories that explore the authenticity of human relationships. She especially loves delving into the dynamics of the “nuclear family” and dating culture. She aims to cultivate an intimacy with her audience as she devises obstacles for her characters to overcome. As Assistant Director of "Sugarcoated", she hopes to help bring this same human emotion to life.
MEGAN BURKE
Assistant Producer
Megan is a senior studying Film/Video, and has always had an interest in filmmaking and storytelling in general. As a filmmaker, she loves stories that look into the inner workings of the mind because of her background and fascination with psychology. She is passionate about scripts in both the sense of writing and bringing them to life, which is why she is so excited to be a part of the process of making "Sugarcoated" as Assistant Producer. With a keen eye for detail and organization, Megan is looking forward to helping in making this script come to life on screen.
JURIJ KOKOLSKYJ
Sound Recordist, Sound Editor
Jurij is a senior at Penn State University majoring in Film/Video production, with a current focus in video/sound editing. Jurij has been interested in filmmaking from a very young age debuting his first ever film, Monster News at 10 (2006), at the age of nine. Today there is no existing footage of the film but we have a statement from Jurij himself with a review of his work - “It was good, I promise.”
Jurij believes that sound is one of the most important aspects in film. He would argue it can really help drive emotion that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Jurij looks forward to working on a more focused aspect in an overall larger picture.
RUIDAN LI
Photography Documentarian/Behind The Scenes
A Junior studying Media Studies, Ruidan Li works on the field of film theories and the role of movie in mass culture. Absorbed in recording moment of daily life, Ruidan taught herself how to use digital camera and do photography. Furthermore, she is skilled in creating graphic design and was able to portray her viewpoint with visualized content.
Ruidan is excited to documenting the process of making "Sugarcoated" through the use of photography and behind-the-scenes footage.
