Every morning, Chicago wakes up early in the morning. It stretches its arms and yawns  as the hustle and bustle of the town slowly starts to come alive, with the numerous college campuses become active. Students from all over start to go about their daily lives. One such school, DePaul University, hosts over 20,000 students from all over the world. One might wonder how this college all the way in Chicago has any connection or significance to the relatively small Stillwater Area High School. Liv Krusinski is the reason.

A graduate of the the class of 2017, Liv is a proud example of a Stillwater alumni, as she has found great success being a freshman at DePaul. She is majoring in film and concentrating on the directing aspect while learning about the film industry. She plans to use film to promote diversity and equality. Liv participates in the production of a number of different short films while taking classes at DePaul.

Lights, camera, action!

“Typically I am called for 7 a.m., but higher positions start earlier…I assist the talent and everyone on set with random tasks. They do not waste any time…it’s incredible how much lingo and skills you learn from one day on set,” Liv said.

As Liv wipes the sleep from her eyes and wraps her hands around a cup of coffee, a crazy whirlwind of action happens on the set of her upcoming short film, “Ashes to Ashes,” about five chain-smoking grandmas. A comedy, yes, but nothing on the set screams humor. The director and the assistant director stick to an extremely strict schedule to finish the shots needed before sundown, and this race to beat the clock gets quite tense when things don’t go as planned. Liv does a variety of tasks, from running to buy food or retrieving props to doing camera work.

“I’m excited [about “Ashes to Ashes”] because my name is in the credits three times and is being submitted to Sundance! It was a cool experience because I started as a production assistant and because one of the senior group members flaked, I got to take over her position as first assistant camera! I would never get that opportunity as a freshman,” Liv said.

Sundance Film Festival is an annual event held in Utah, one of the largest independent film festivals in the US. Liv’s bright personality and determination helped her rise to be the first assistant camera. During her high school career, Liv was always taking part in the theatre productions in the auditorium, not on stage but behind the scenes. As the actors get the spotlight and recognition for being on stage, the technicians work tirelessly to help the actors and the production as a whole succeed. Liv was commander in chief of the technicians in her senior year at the high school and worked on lighting and sound. On top of this, she also did camera and editing for the Pony Express TV, giving her a leg up on the competition.

Walking the red carpet

“As far as red carpet events, I have worked two film festivals…Cinepocalypse and The Reeling Film Festival. I got the opportunity to work camera and sound on the press line, meaning I recorded all of the interviews with the directors and cast,” Liv proudly described.

Liv was definitely anxious going into these red carpet events. Experiences like these are not usually allowed for freshman, but because of her savviness in technical work and film, she has become much more involved than the other film majors in her year. She proudly displays on her social media the time she met celebrities Jenna Ushkoitz and Tyler Blackburn while interviewing the guests coming to The Reeling Film Festival, the second oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in the US. As far as LGBTQ+ issues go, Liv hopes to use her knowledge of film to resolve issues surrounding representation of LGBTQ+ people in mainstream media.

Representation matters

“Growing up it was hard to me to identify with characters in movies and shows. I never saw myself represented and it led me to feel like there was something wrong with me. [After college] I’d love to tell stories that resonate with people and have accurate representation. I’m tired of stereotyped genders, races, sexualities, and body types. I believe media is the biggest influence on society,” Liv stated.

Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Liv struggled throughout her high school career to find her own voice and become a participant in LGBTQ+ activism. She started the GSA back up again at SAHS in her senior year of high school, becoming the president. As she gradually climbs the ranks towards becoming her own screenwriter, Liv holds high aspirations to shed light on LGBTQ+ issues through the media of creative storytelling.

As advice to those struggling to find their own passions, Liv says:

“Believe in yourself, even if you’re the only one who does right now, they’ll catch on…I’d encourage anyone, whether you’re looking into the creative arts or not, to please pursue something you love. You’ll thank yourself for the rest of your life.”