For the last two years, I've been working towards getting an MFA in Visual Narrative from the School of Visual Arts in New York, in addition to continuing my freelance client work as a designer and illustrator.  During the final year of the MFA program, the members of my class have been working to complete our thesis projects —  comprehensive, no-holds-barred narratives of our choosing for which we create both the writing and the artwork.

My thesis project, entitled Landfall, is a multimedia graphic novel featuring a combination of illustration, photography, live action video and a touch of animation. It's meant to be not just a story, but an experience for the audience.


Here's a summary of the story:

Landfall tells the story of Maya, a smart but jaded paramedic living in Galveston, Texas, who has emotionally shut herself off from the world in the aftermath of losing a much-loved friend and mentor. However, cracks form in Maya's steely exterior when she unexpectedly crosses paths with Tareen, a reluctant young gang member with whom she discovers she shares a hidden secret. When a hurricane strikes the island, Maya has an opportunity to help Tareen escape her tortured life in the gang, but will she risk shedding her layers of emotional protection not to mention the retaliation of a sadistic gang boss in order to save Tareen's life?


Here's why I'm telling it:

Although I've been writing and creating art my entire life, for nearly a decade I volunteered and worked in emergency medical services (EMS) as an EMT-Basic, EMT-Paramedic and an emergency medicine administrator. When I left EMS and returned to creative work, I became fascinated by the staunch difference in what makes someone a successful EMS provider versus what makes someone a successful artist or writer. As an EMS provider, emotional vulnerability can be a death sentence; protocols and stoicism are of utmost importance. In creative work, emotional vulnerability is a must; self-awareness and a willingness to think outside the box are key.

Regardless of the factors that make one proficient in a given role, what happens when one gives oneself over completely to achieving that role's ultimate persona? What happens when an paramedic becomes too jaded to maintain normal relationships? What happens when a gang member sacrifices her morals to maintain her role in the "family?" What happens when a boss becomes over-reliant on manipulation rather than motivation to fulfill her goals?

On top of exploring these imbalances, Landfall ultimately asks the question, "What do you believe in?" What's your purpose in life? Do things happen for a reason, or is life just a bunch of random occurrences, and we are on our own to make sense of it? Do you believe in something greater than yourself? Who are you accountable to, if anyone, in the grandest sense? 

Landfall, with it's bold and diverse cast of characters, pushes its viewers through these questions in a fast-paced, high-stakes set of circumstances captured in a rich multimedia format. Sometimes the viewer has control over the pace as he or she swipes through static, graphic-novel-style images, and sometimes the viewer is more passive in watching a live-action video sequence in which I've assumed control of the flow.

With Landfall, I hope that my audience enters the story with preconceived notions of what these characters, their worlds and their beliefs might be like. I hope they leave the story with not only a better understanding of what each character believes in, but the desire to point the question back at themselves.


So why the GoFundMe page?

Just as any other project that involves filming live action, the expenses are a little (okay, a LOT) overwhelming, especially for a student and freelance artist like myself. For example, I've hired a top-notch video production team and a professional makeup artist, both for several days' worth of work. The cast I've been able to hire over the past several weeks is a wonderfully diverse group of talented local actors, and although they've agreed to work for free, I would love to pay them, even just a small amount.

I have a vision for this project, and it is happening regardless of how I pay for it. My hope, though, is that the anxiety over expenses generated by this project don't overshadow the joy and passion it inspires in me. This project needs to and will be the best example of my work to date, and will serve as a demonstration of the kind of work I hope to get going forward. 

Anyone who contributes will receive credit in the final project, which will be a website.

Please visit my online portfolio to see a comprehensive collection of my artwork: www.christinamattison.com

Thank you for any help you can offer! I can't tell you how much I would appreciate any assistance I can get.