"My Silence, My Grave: The Making Of" Booklet

2. “Hello, friends, family, supporters, and strangers, and
welcome to the making of booklet for our short film, My
Silence, My Grave. The production of this film was one of the
most amazing weeks of my life, and I say that with absolutely
no hyperbole. We’re excited to give you a peek behind the
scenes into our process making this film. I hope that we can
transport you onto our set and give you a sliver of the fun,
creativity, and comradery that the cast and crew experienced
throughout this filmmaking process. Thanks for dropping by,
we hope you enjoy your time with us!”
—Donté Larry,
Writer & Director
Foreword Table of Contents
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Foreword
Table of Contents
Introduct io n
Who’s Who on Set?
Lights, Camera, Action!
a snapshot of each day on set
Inside Scoop
fun facts, trivia, and anecdotes
The Writing Process
• Script
• Pitch Deck
• Director’s Notes
Finding the Look
• Mood Boards
• Shot List
• Posters
Stay in Touch!
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27
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40
46
51
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3. Donté Larry and Mapi Bartolomé were student filmmakers at New York Film
Academy, studying Filmmaking and Cinematography, respectively. During
their separate courses, they did not know each other and were honing their
crafts independently.
As they began planning for their final projects, they met each other through
mutual friends and instructor recommendations to talk about their ideas,
artistic styles, and narrative goals. After a wonderful meeting, they decided
to collaborate on their films with Donté as the Writer & Director and Mapi as
the Director of Photography. My Silence, My Grave served as the final thesis
project for both of their respective programs.
Their shared vision and enthusiasm ensured a strong sense of collaboration
and inclusion among the team, and together they led the cast and crew
through a chaotic, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable production.
“My Silence, My Grave: The Making Of” invites you to join the team as
they work together to write, develop, and shoot My Silence, My Grave.
Introduction Introduction
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Donté Larry
on the set of In the Belly
Mapi Bartolomé
on the set of FLUX
Plot Summary:
In a claustrophobic apartment building, an acquiescent apartment manager
is tasked with cleaning out a unit following a series of gruesome rituals. A
cursed encounter amid the gore finds the protagonist on the run from a
cannibalistic killer, all while her grasp on reality disintegrates.
On the surface, My Silence, My Grave is simple horror story about a woman
trapped between losing her humanity and her life. But under the surface,
where most of society’s pervasive ills lie, it’s a story about one woman’s fight
against a sordid system that pits marginalized peoples against each other.
Through physical horror and psychological unease, the protagonist realizes
that her own inaction has only served to hurt other minorities and to preserve
the power of their oppressors.

4. below
Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Who
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5. Director
Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
“The Director provides the guiding creative vision
for a production. They aren’t necessarily the
ultimate authority on a given project, but they are
responsible for shepherding it creatively through
the entire creative process, meaning they exert
great influence over all other film crew positions.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Donté Larry was born in Washington state to a black father and
white mother and was raised in rural Tennessee. He spent his
undergraduate years at the University of Washington, where he
majored in Sociology with a focus in gender and race theory, and
their intersection with crime and policing. His mixed-race heritage
and formal education have given him a unique lens through which
to experience such vastly different communities and has inspired
him to create films that will speak to people who may not see
themselves in their surroundings.
Preparing the table for the big stunt
Donté Larry
Ritual Sacrifice Scene
Donté Larry
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6. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Director of
Photography
“At her or his core, the Director of Photography is
responsible for recording the images of a film in
accordance with a Director’s vision. That means
that they’re in charge of creating light, bending
light, and capturing light in a way that achieves an
agreed upon look. Technically, the Director of
Photography is the head of the camera
department, but they also guide the creative
decisions made by grip and electric departments.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Mapi Bartolomé is a Cinematographer and multidisciplinary artist
based in Brooklyn. Originally from Guatemala, and having a
background in Advertising and Graphic Design, Mapi is no
stranger to the uneven playing field set for minorities in creative
industries. Mapi has a passion for exploring new visual
techniques, and creating appealing imagery that captivates,
engages, and represents all audiences. Mapi is always seeking to
collaborate with others to create films and crafts that are both
beautiful and impactful.
Mapi Bartolomé
Planning the shot
from left to right:
Florian Gunzenhauser
Aishwarya Narayanan
Mapi Bartolomé
Alexandra Spradling
Thomas Marchese
Gregory Morelo
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7. Producers
Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
“The Producer is one of the most fundamental of all film
set roles. It’s one of many film crew job titles that can carry
any part of a wide range of responsibilities, but, primarily,
Producers are responsible for securing funding, setting a
project into motion, and providing high level organizational
guidelines. In other words, without a solid Producer—or
team of Producers—there would be no movie.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Sandesh Agrawal was born in Nagpur, India into a family
of 16 people. He spent his school years away from home
at diverse boarding schools Good Shepherd International
School and The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. He
decided to pursue a degree in film at San Francisco State
University until finally finding his comfort zone at New
York Film Academy. Having spent most of his years away
from home and in diverse environments, Sandesh has
accumulated stories and experiences that now allow him
to have a unique perspective that he can call his own.
Sandesh uses his extensive background to tell stories
using that prerogative, stories that need to be told, stories
that push people out of their comfort zone and encourage
them to inspect their own perspective on mortality and
the comforts of life.
Sandesh Agrawal
Ready to assist wherever he’s needed
Sandesh Agrawal
Grace Ward is a Director, Producer, and
Production Coordinator who graduated from New
York Film Academy. After high school, she started
working in media and marketing in Papua New
Guinea, Australia, and the Philippines for four
years. She now works as a freelance producer
under her production company, Dark Sun
Pictures, and part-time in development for Chick
Entertainment in NYC. She has directed short
documentaries that have aired on national
television and is now in pre-production for her
first documentary feature.
Grace Ward
Ensuring the cast & crew is well fed
Grace Ward
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8. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
1st
Assistant
Director
“The job of 1st Assistant Director both is and isn’t exactly what it
sounds like. On one hand, the 1st AD’s mandate is simply to assist the
director in achieving their vision. On the other hand, their day-to-day
responsibilities stretch far beyond the creative concerns of the
director and are crucial to keeping any production on its feet. The 1st
AD is responsible for crafting the shooting schedule, running the set,
making sure that all other film crew positions are functioning on time,
and dealing with the thousands of daily problems that arise on even
the smoothest of productions. Their minds are both highly active in
the present yet always calculating circumstances in the future
ahead.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Florian Gunzenhauser was born in Basel, Switzerland. After getting a
bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Winterthur, he decided
to take his first steps at the radio station Basilisk in his hometown Basel.
After a short stint at the local newspaper, he took a job at the biggest private
TV station in Switzerland, 3plus. For five years, Florian was responsible for
the casting and directing of shows like The Bachelor and The Voice of
Switzerland. Shortly before turning 30, Florian, now an established TV
director, decided to try something else and see what this exciting life has to
offer. He quit his job to move to New York City and study filmmaking at the
New York Film Academy. He now works as a freelance 1st Assistant
Director, while continuing to write and direct his own personal projects.
Florian Gunzenhauser
Preparing for the next day’s shoot
Mapi Bartolomé and Florian Gunzenhauser
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9. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Alexia Haick is the founder of "The 35' Club" community founded
last year, with the purpose of creating a plural community
interconnected through the production of photographic material
through the analogic medium. In the last years, she has worked as
a photographer, director of photography and assistant director for
numerous projects, including many such as Vogue Italia and Iconic
Magazine. She studied filmmaking at the Faculty Armando Álvares
Penteado, Academy Internacional of Cinema and Arts and New
York Film Academy. She has now received the Silas H. Rhodes
Scholarship to deepen her photography work at the School of
Visual Arts in New York City.
Alexia with her actors
from left to right:
Andreas Pliatsikas
GeronimoAmos
Alexia Haick
Cindy Xu (bottom)
Alexia Haick
Casting
Director
“The Casting Director is in charge of finding the right
performers for a given project. For obvious reasons, the
casting director’s job is often finished long before physical
production begins, and, in that sense, they operate
entirely outside of the day-to-day film crew hierarchy.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Editor’s note: Although you won’t usually find a Casting Director on
set, Alexia Haick performed far above and beyond her responsibilities
in this role, assisting wherever she was needed. It would be criminal
not to include such an amazing person in this section.
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10. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Location scout
Christina Shrewsbury
Production
Designer
“The Production Designer is the head of the art department.
They work with the director and director of photography to
craft an overall look for a film, achieving it with the help of a
wide variety of movie set jobs found deeper within their
department. Given that a large portion of their time is
occupied by high-level decision-making activities, the most
important skills for a professional production designer are
the abilities to communicate and delegate.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Christina Shrewsbury is from Point Pleasant, NJ. However, she also
grew up in Washington Heights and the Riverdale section of the
Bronx. Her Mother is from the Dominican Republic and her Father
is of English, Irish, and German descent. She studied English and
Theater while pursuing a career in the arts as an Actress, Burlesque
Performer, and Production Designer. The diversity she has
experienced in her life has inspired her artistry to provide the
audience with insight into what different cultures, religions,
musical influences, and time periods can offer, and how we can all
learn, experience, appreciate, and partake in these differences.
Building the grave
Christina Shrewsbury
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11. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Brittney Roberts, or as her friends know her, Brit, was born and raised in
Charleston, South Carolina. In 2006, she moved to New York City, where she
studied advanced character development, fundamental techniques in
beauty and avant-garde make-up, prosthetic application and special effects
make-up. Over the next seven years, Brit lived in Los Angeles, CA where she
pursued her passion for make-up by working in film, television, and fashion.
She was fortunate to have studied under award winning special fx artist and
Academy Award winner, Michael Westmore, whose accomplishments
include Star Trek and Rocky. Back in NYC, Brit continues to apply her make-
up and special fx skills within film, television, fashion, runway and bridal.
Preparing the rat gag
Brittney Roberts and Florian Gunzenhauser
The Witch’s big attack
Brittney Roberts
Key Makeup &
Special FX Artist
“The Key Make-up Artist is in charge of setting the talent’s look for a
given scene. They work closely with not only the Director but also the
Production Designer, Director of Photography, and Wardrobe
Designer to craft a cohesive look that contributes to the film’s overall
aesthetic. The Special Effects Make-up Artist specializes in achieving
looks that go well-beyond the requirements of standard make-up
and hair styling techniques. Whether it’s silicone-molded facial
prosthetics or hidden squibs, the work of the Special FX Artist is
quietly behind many of your favorite moments of movie magic.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
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12. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Costume
Designer
“The Costume Designer is the head of the wardrobe department. In
collaboration with the Director, they craft the creative drive behind all
clothing that the audience sees on screen. Depending on the size and
requirements of the production, the Costume Designer may preside
over a large number of film crew positions within their department,
granting them creative access to a wide variety of external expertise
that reinforce their own professional skills in the textile arts.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Sannette Gaia grew up in the valley of Oregon. At 16, she began to
pursue film and photography seriously, working on commercial
photoshoots and short films throughout high school. She recently
graduated from the New York Film Academy and is now heavily
involved on films and music videos in roles such as Directing,
Producing, and the Art Department. She has a passion for
combining multiple art forms and utilizing hardships in each
individual story to create aesthetically enticing frames.
SannetteGaia
Preparing The Witch to attack
Adra Mayer, Sannette Gaia
Brittney Roberts (in mirror)
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13. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Adrian P. Reyes was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. He graduated
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in audio and visual communications and
started a career in TV as a camera operator at the young age of 21. Adrian
has collaborated on TV shows such as Master Chef, The X Factor, The Voice
Spain and documentaries like Mujeres al Poder and Retratos con Alma. He
then spent a few years in New York City where he studied cinematography at
the New York Film Academy and worked freelance. Adrian now works full
time as a freelance cinematographer.
The man of the hour
top row: Gregory Morelo, Adrian Reyes, Mapi Bartolomé, Florian Gunzenhauser, and Donté Larry
bottom row: Andreas Pliatsikasand NoWa Clark
Measuringthe light
Adrian Reyes
“The Gaffer is a production’s chief lighting
technician and head of the electric
department. They plan and coordinate the
placement and powering of lights to achieve
the level of illumination desired by the director
of photography. The best Gaffers are also
excellent collaborators, crafting technical
solutions to solve creative challenges.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Gaffer
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14. Who’s Who on Set? Who’s Who on Set?
Sound Mixer
“The Production Sound Mixer is in charge of recording all relevant
sound on the shooting day. That includes everything from principal
dialogue to room tone to wild lines to limited sound effects. On set,
the role of the Production Sound Mixer is quite different than that of a
sound mixer in post. The Production Sound Mixer is concerned with
gathering high-quality raw audio materials that will only later be
layered into a film or television show’s final mix.”
—Loring Weisenberger, Wrapbook
Born and raised in the Bronx, Gregory Morelo always grew up with an
interest in music and audio since the age of 13 when he was gifted
an electric guitar. Gregory's interest in film started when he was
accepted to a high school focused in introducing cinematography to
urban youth, The Cinema School. In college, he continued to pursue
music, earning his Bachelor's Degree in Music from Lehman College
in 2020 and was also employed on campus as an audio technician
in the Lovinger Theatre. After the pandemic, he soon discovered
how to combine his two passions and does freelance work as a film
composer and as a sound mixer.
Gregory Morelo
Must get every gruesome sound
Gregory Morelo
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15. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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16. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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17. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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18. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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19. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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20. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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21. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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22. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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23. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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24. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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25. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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26. Lights, Camera, Action! Lights, Camera, Action!
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“I Felt a Funeral in my Brain” by Boris Groh

27. Inside Scoop Inside Scoop
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28. Inside Scoop Inside Scoop
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29. The Writing Process Script
Fundraisingpromotional image
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“Like the foundation that creates the groundwork for a house, a movie
script is the foundation upon which a movie is built. A movie script is a
written document that details all of the narrative and visual elements for
a feature-length or short movie. This document includes very specific
formatting, namely action paragraphs, character dialogue, and in some
cases, visual and sound cues. Movie scripts are used as a roadmap by
the director, producers, crew, and cast throughout the production of a
movie to keep them all unified under a singular creative vision.”
—Andrew Stamm, Celtx

30. Script Script
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31. Script Script
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32. Script Script
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33. Script Script
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34. Script Script
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35. Script Script
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36. Script Script
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37. Script Script
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38. Script Script
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39. Developing the shootingschedule
Donté Larry, Mapi Bartolomé, and Florian Gunzenhauser
Making the website
Donté Larry
Script Script
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40. “The term ‘pitch deck’ emerged from the startup culture of Silicon Valley
as the premier mode of presentation that entrepreneurs used to pitch
potential investors. Hollywood has followed suit with screenwriters
using the format to pitch spec scripts and filmmakers using them to
apply for grants or pitch their projects to potential investors and
distributors. It has become an essential agent to complement a
screenplay, further a film’s creative development, and communicate
ideas, concepts, and imagery to potential collaborators.”
—Sapna Gandhi, We Make Movies
Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
Simbal Karma in In the Belly
(movie still)
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41. Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
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42. Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
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43. Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
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44. Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
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45. Pitch Deck Pitch Deck
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46. Director’s Notes Director’s Notes
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47. Director’s Notes Director’s Notes
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48. Director’s Notes Director’s Notes
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49. Director’s Notes Director’s Notes
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50. Director’s Notes Director’s Notes
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51. Finding the Look Mood Boards
On the set of FLUX
Mapi Bartolomé
My Silence, My Grave location scout
Mapi Bartolomé
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“A film mood board conveys the feel and look of a project or specific
scene. You can use the mood board to illustrate how all elements would
fit together to quickly get the aesthetic. Mood boards show you what you
can expect your project to look like...Every filmmaker has a particular
style, from the cinematography, production design, wardrobe, and set,
their goal is to ensure their unique vision is delivered, and mood boards
can help with that perfectly.”
—Risha Kapoor, Paus

52. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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53. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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54. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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55. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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56. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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57. Mood Boards Mood Boards
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58. Shot List Shot List
Theatre Scene reference photos& storyboard art
by Mapi Bartolomé
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“A shot list is a document that maps out everything that will happen in a scene of a film,
or video, by describing each shot within that film or video. It serves as a kind of checklist,
providing the project with a sense of direction and preparedness for the film crew. It is
typically made in collaboration with the director, cinematographer, and even first
assistant director. Shot lists are especially critical in managing and preparing for film
scenes. Making a movie demands knowledge of shot type, camera movement, lighting,
actor staging, and much more. Putting this information down in a shot list helps the
filmmakers remember what it is they wanted, and how to execute. With so many moving
parts, having a concrete document stating which shots demand what equipment, and
how long shot setups will take, determine so much of the schedule and budget.”
—Alyssa Maio, Studio Binder

59. Shot List Shot List
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60. Shot List Shot List
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61. Posters Posters
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62. Stay in Touch Stay in Touch
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Thanks for joining up on this trip, we hope you
enjoyed your time with us.
The My Silence, My Grave adventure is far from
over! Please check out the film’s website for more
information and don’t forget to follow our
Instagram page for more updates and content.
Thanks again and we’ll see you for the next one!
Official Website:
https://www.dontelarry.com/my-silence-my-grave
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/silenceandgrave/