Full Sail Stories

“I always loved movies. I had an unhealthy obsession with them even as a child,” says Michael Romano, a Full Sail University Digital Cinematography grad and filmmaker. Michael’s deep fondness for movies compelled him to create Jogger, a short film that has won Best Horror Film at the Hollywood Gold Awards Film Festival. It’s also earned nominations in several categories at various film festivals around the world, including Best Special Makeup at Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles, Best Special Effects at New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival in Atlantic City, and an honorable mention for Best Director at Absurd Film Festival in Milan, Italy.

A self-proclaimed film snob and cinephile, Michael took inspiration from horror and noir films to create Jogger for a class assignment at Full Sail during his Digital Cinematography degree program. The short film follows the story of a woman’s ghost as she seeks revenge on her killer after her untimely death. Michael wrote, edited, directed, and produced the film himself, and got a camera operator friend of his to join the project, as well as a Grammy-winning sound designer friend to clean up the audio. Michael also crafted props for the film, which was shot at his apartment, a friend’s house, and a local park.

Michael also took on the task of special effects makeup after the professional makeup artist he’d booked canceled at the last minute. Twenty-four hours before filming was planned to begin, Michael watched makeup tutorials on YouTube to create the illusion of characters’ bleeding wounds and missing teeth. He also improvised a way to feature projectile vomit in a scene. His ingenuity paid off, as Jogger has since been nominated for awards in Best Special Effects and Best Special Makeup at film festivals.

After three days of filming, Michael had everything he needed. Then over the course of a month, he edited the film and made it what it is today. Weeks before graduating from Full Sail, Michael began submitting Jogger to film festivals. Since its debut, the film has been screened at more than eight festivals across the world, and Michael is grateful for the positivity it has received.

“I’m proud of the recognition that I was able to garner from [Jogger],” Michael shares. “I felt good that some piece of art that I did was enjoyed by others.

“I really wanted to try as hard as I could… to make sound effects that bugged people out,” he continues. “And a few people really said, ‘It disturbed me.’ So I said, ‘All right. Goal accomplished.’”

Currently, Michael works on film projects through the production company he started, MSR Pictures. Also through MSR Pictures, he’s utilized his skills to create commercials for local businesses and music videos for bands, and even a public service announcement video for the New York Department of Health. He also recently finished drafting a script for a new short film.

To aspiring filmmakers, Michael says: “[Making films] is a lot of work, but it's not impossible. So just don't give up. Don't listen to the detractors and the naysayers, you don't need them. Just get out there and do it and you'll be successful.”