DCT’s newest faculty member, Sorraya Brashear-Evans, is celebrating the release of two feature films for which she developed graphics and visual effects.
The sci-fi drama Omni Loop — starring Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri — first premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin in March, but recently enjoyed a wider theatrical release, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The neo-noir thriller A Desert was screened at major film festivals over the summer and is expected to reach U.S. theaters and streaming services soon.
Brashear-Evans was able to contribute to the films while simultaneously pursuing her master’s degree from the Academy of Art University. She explains her decision to go to graduate school to make the shift from television commercials to movies in the film industry. “At the heart of it, I knew that I needed some more education. I was hoping to at least get some type of opportunity to make some cool stuff while I was there and I’m happy that I chose correctly.” She was able to work from home in New Jersey by remotely accessing specialized computers in the university’s VFX studio in San Francisco. This arrangement has allowed her to pursue a range of projects over the past two years, including short films, music videos, and occasionally feature films. For Brashear-Evans, these projects embody the passion and commitment required in the VFX industry. “You never know how significant your shots will be until the final cut,” she stated.
Brashear-Evans graduated from TCNJ in 2016 with a dual degree in Interactive Multimedia and Journalism/Professional Writing. “I was an unhappy bio major who was part of the student film union, which happened to have some IMM majors in there, and they were talking about how much fun they were having doing filmmaking, animation, and visual effects,” Brashear-Evans explains how she made the transition from biology to journalism/IMM as a student. “Everybody in the bio department told me I was making a mistake and that I would regret it for the rest of my life and I’ve never regretted it.” Once a student and now a professor, Brashear-Evans experience and commitment demonstrate to current students the importance of seizing every opportunity.
