Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucca Vieira
Hi Lucca, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I must have been about four years old when I borrowed my mom’s little Sony point-and-shoot camera out of curiosity. Soon I couldn’t let go of any camera that was nearby. I discovered what went behind making the movies I watched, and how simple it was to film a story in your living room and share it to the Internet. At the age of 8, with my parents’ support, I started my own YouTube channel, where I would upload skits and mashups.
My breakthrough came when I was 12; having just relocated from my native home of Brazil to South Florida, I was introduced to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I knew right then and there I wanted to be a film director.
I spent the entire summer before 7th grade glued to my computer screen, learning how to edit videos and create special effects. By the time summer had ended, I was proficient in both Final Cut Pro and After Effects, and had just started teaching myself animation.
I’ve just recently turned 22, and am a senior Film and Television major at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’ve written and directed over five award-winning short films, just completed production on my senior thesis, and, most recently, my debut feature film, ‘The Midway Point,’ starring Thora Birch (‘American Beauty,’ ‘Ghost World’) Julie Benz (‘Dexter,’ ‘Jawbreaker’) and Wes Studi (‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ ‘Heat’) was just screened at four film festivals across North America.
Writing ‘The Midway Point,’ a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama, was very therapeutic for me; Having been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of 12, I was always surrounded with the notion that I was somehow “different.” I struggled to deeply connect with my high school peers, afraid of being seen as awkward. I was seeing friends starting romantic relationships and hosting parties, while I was stuck in my bedroom making videos.
One morning, during my junior year of high school in Florida, I was riding to school in a gloomy mood, earphones plugged, when I suddenly pictured a scene from a film with this exact concept.
I instantly thought to myself: “I could make something really special out of this!”
I was tired of seeing modern-day coming-of-age films made by much older directors with no knowledge of my current generation. I also knew it was possible to make a heartfelt coming-of-age drama with a low budget, which further compelled me in wanting to make the film as soon as possible.
I spent the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic writing the script, loosely based on experiences I’d had in high school. I then spent another year pitching it to everyone and anyone I could find with even the slightest connection to the film industry, with little to no success. Then, through complete coincidence, I bumped into a series of producers through mutual connections. Those connections eventually snowballed, and I suddenly found myself in the director’s chair within less than a year.
In writing The Midway Point, I explored themes of loneliness and alienation, both being important themes within the digital age, and something which I felt was underrepresented in stories featuring Generation Z. I was heavily inspired by films with similar subject matter, such as Lost in Translation and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
So much of our generation is surrounded by a constant sea of noise, disruption, and mistrust of the world, that I felt compelled to make a story featuring characters who, despite all the odds, find a way out into a better world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve definitely had my fair share of struggles. Getting ‘The Midway Point’ off the ground was definitely the hardest thing I’ve had to do. Not only was I having to pitch the project around what little filmmaking connections I had in my small South Florida town, but doing so knowing that many would doubt I could even pull it off because of my age, as I was 19 at the time. Once those connections were found, the next struggle was keeping my creative vision intact when my other, more experienced crew members were trying to interfere with it; The main thing I had to prove then was not only that I knew what I was talking about regardless of my age, but that I could also pull the project off.
Being an indie filmmaker always has its ups and downs. From crew members quitting only days prior to filming to dealing with rejection from film festivals and other platforms, it’s never a perfectly smooth ride. However, once a film is complete and your work is done, nothing can beat the feeling of accomplishment one feels afterwards.
As Stanley Kubrick once said: “Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write “War and Peace” in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an independent filmmaker soon to graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’ve written and directed over seven award-winning short films, and my debut feature film, ‘The Midway Point,’ was just selected at five film festivals across North America.
I’m extremely interested in making psychological dramas portraying characters struggling with loneliness, alienation, and their own well-being. They’re a fascinating look at the very root of human behavior, and a wonderfully rich area to explore through the visual medium of film.
I’m also particularly fond of horror, and have made several short films in that genre. Not only do horror films allow for deeper, less restrictive explorations of human psychology and visual metaphors, but are also incredibly cathartic experiences.
Apart from filmmaking, I’m also an accomplished electronic musician, having just released my latest EP this past year, an animator, as well as the creator of a YouTube channel with over 23,000 subscribers.
My latest short film, ‘Shift,’ is a body horror proof-of-concept project involving a self-conscious teenage model who begins injecting herself with a mysterious new cosmetic drug, only for horrific side effects to ensue.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was arguably the first time I got to edit a YouTube video. I was about 8 when I made my first video, a crudely-edited skit involving my toy trains. With some help from my uncle and an editing software, I was able to eventually put all of my footage together, and was ecstatic when I saw the final result. I realized then the true possibilities of filmmaking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luccavieira.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luccavieirafilms/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucca-v-975297138/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@luccavieirafilms – https://www.youtube.com/@MisterLucca
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lukevera
