Cinema major Leo Caserta ’23 is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming an independent filmmaker, having already completed a portfolio that earned him a Creativity Award from UHart’s School of Communication. Over the past year, Leo has worked as a crew member on a couple of Lifetime films, as well as an interview with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) martial artist Alex Pereria at ESPN, a Gatorade commercial with UCONN women's basketball player Paige Bueckers, and other corporate and narrative jobs.
“I primarily work within the grip and lighting department and the level of responsibility ranges depending on how ‘big’ the job is,” says Leo. He explains that every job he’s gotten has stemmed from a conversation or a previous work experience. “A degree is great, but building a foundation of contacts during school was priceless.”
Leo says he started out as an electrical engineering major in UHart’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, and after two years, switched to cinema in the School of Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It was a hard decision to justify at the time, but I trusted my gut, and have zero regrets,” he says.
His senior thesis film, The Fear of Getting Old, focuses on the temporality of time and the inevitability of change. “This film undoubtedly stems from my own personal fears of not having enough time to accomplish what I want, or not being able to hold on to those I love,” says Leo. He explains he only recently realized that his work has a specific style. “I tend to work with minimal lighting and close-ups to create a ‘moody’ environment for the audience to sink into. When it comes to genre, I’d say I’m open, but I tend to lean into psychological drama. Most of my narrative pieces focus on some form of men's mental health and their experience with the world. Todd Phillips’s Joker being a huge inspiration.” You can get a feel of his film style by watching a compilation of clips of Leo’s work.
This summer, Leo has lined up some freelance work while he grows his vision as a director and cinematographer. “I really want to stay away from working at a large company, or production studio this early on in my career,” he says. “That way I don’t stifle my dreams of becoming an independent director.”
Leo says UHart Cinema Instructor Zachary Haines provided him with tremendous support during his time at UHart. “He always had an open ear for any questions, not only regarding filmmaking, but career path and life questions as well. Overall, he’s just a very good soul looking out for his students that he undoubtedly cares very much about.”
Leo says his favorite thing about UHart is the students. As a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, he says he created a group of “genuinely good and unique friends” that supported all his projects.
Leo Caserta ’23, CinemaUHart has a good film program with a good base in both theory and basic production skills, however, nothing beats real experience. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the jobs I’ve worked over the past two years.