ROUTEBACKHOME was my first “big” web project—with production beginning in October 2021 and concluding in October 2023–and a massive step in my creative ambitions. The project used a video diary format to explore the protagonist’s wandering thoughts and complicated family history. This format also placed the audience in the front seat when threats inevitably appeared from the darkness.

This series was shot on my iPhone 13 Pro and a thrifted digital camcorder, and was edited entirely on an iPad Pro with LumaFusion. It is gritty, grainy, and rough around the edges, but these constraints allowed me to explore filmmaking on a tight budget and tools I already had on hand. ROUTEBACKHOME is also where I discovered my love for prop-making, from a living, bleeding baseball bat to fake wounds. Tucked away in my bedroom, I learned how to sketch, prototype, and design unnerving prostheses using cardboard, duct tape, plaster, and lots and lots of liquid latex.