

As a young boy or girl, Cal Point out Fullerton alumna Natalie Rodriguez recalled watching a assortment of movies with her mother and grandmother, such as “The Sound of New music,” “West Facet Story” and the “Scream” franchise — her earliest memory of movie.
While Rodriguez’s passion for film made at an early age, her inclination toward producing and storytelling came afterwards, at age 11, when she wrote her very first shorter story for a college venture.
“I don’t forget just after I wrote that tale, I would run dwelling after class and secretly include much more to it,” shared Rodriguez ’14 (B.A. radio-Television-movie). “As the people in the tale have been growing up, so was I and my instincts stored telling me I desired to transfer forward with it. This plot in fact later morphed into my 1st younger adult novel, ‘Elephant.’”
While studying at CSUF, Rodriguez interned at the Conan O’Brien demonstrate and Mandalay Images generation company, where by she worked in the places of work of producers Matthew Rhodes and Academy Award-winner Cathy Schulman.
In 2017, Rodriguez took a significant move and started Amazing Photographs, a creation organization centered on movies, television and social challenge projects these types of as psychological overall health and restoration. “The Remarkable Everyday,” which facts the mental well being journey of a younger school university student, was Rodriguez’s 1st directorial feature film.
“The main character, Erica, has a record with nervousness and worry attacks stemming from a traumatic earlier working experience,” mentioned Rodriguez. “Her junior calendar year of university, she decides to transfer across the region to try and overcome some of her triggers and anxieties, so she undergoes an interior journey just as considerably as a actual physical just one.
“The movie touches closely on psychological overall health, precisely the aftermath of tragedy or decline. How does a single cope with it 5 a long time down the highway?” Rodriguez continued. “A common concept all over the film is that Erica has all the applications to be independent and pursue her goals. Ultimately, she finds some peace with the place she’s at in her journey with the aid of some friends together the way.”
“The Incredible Regular,” which won Greatest Movie About Women’s Empowerment at the 2019 Glendale Global Film Competition, was motivated in section by Rodriguez’s individual struggles with mental overall health, but was at first achieved with skepticism.
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“I begun encountering significant anxiousness my junior year of school and sooner or later sought remedy,” shared Rodriguez. “As I continued to workshop the script, I realized that Erica’s tale could parallel my personal. It was extra of an intuitional pull and a little something I felt compelled to create about.
“I had individuals convey to me that I would fall short, that no one particular would view a film about psychological overall health,” extra Rodriguez. “They told me to create my Marvel movie as my 1st aspect — that only created me want to stick to by way of with it even extra and confirm them incorrect.”
Rodriguez credits CSUF for connecting her with very important mentors, such as Professor of Cinema and Tv Arts Edward Fink.
“Ed Fink was the first professor who examine a short script of mine and instructed me to submit it to the CSU Media Arts Festival,” she said. “I was usually heading back again to him for suggestions and information about my function. He was the kind of man or woman who if he did not have an response, he would request about or see if somebody else could support me.”
In addition to her get the job done in film, Rodriguez has written for publications like HuffPost and the Anxiety Resource Heart and has served as a panelist for gatherings hosted by organizations including Google, YouTube and Los Angeles Comedian Con.
In the coming yrs, Rodriguez continue to sees herself on established, but hopes to develop her repertoire by composing and directing for distinctive genres of movie.
To learn much more about CSUF’s cinema and tv arts choices, go to the division web-site.