Lily Cunningham Perini

Thesis Title: "It Was the Wild Wild West Out There": Queer Utopia and The Frontier at Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco, 1977-1996 

What Now: Sound Mixer / Sound Designer - Co-owner, Wild Shape Sound

Follow Me: lilycunninghamperini.com 

In addition to my written thesis, I created a 20-minute video installation in 5.1 surround sound as my thesis project for AFVS. The theory and research behind my written work directly informed the sound and visual elements of the installation. This experience shaped my creative process, and I now approach all of my work through a research-driven lens. The most important lesson I took from the joint thesis process was realizing—only at the very end—what I had actually been trying to say. By the time that clarity came, it was way too late to revise. Filmmaking is just like that: movie edits are records of a collaborative journey, and it’s usually not until the final stages—when sound mix and color are completed—that we truly understand what the film is about.