Lexi Jordan is a sophomore math major whose passions extend far beyond her STEM academics. On August 12, the short film that she wrote, directed, acted in, and edited, called good grief!, won the recognition of Best Actress at the SE PA Teen Filmmakers Showcase Committee on August 12.
This year, the showcase was held at the Movie Tavern in Exton, PA, where all the films were played on the big screen, along with a limo entrance and red carpet pictures. Her short film follows the protagonist, Slyvia, as she copes with the news of her brother’s death.
Jordan’s spring 2024 semester focused on the theme of death; in her Asian Traditions Through Film course, she studied Asian religions and their views on death portrayed through film, and in choir, they sang Mozart’s Requiem. After a messy break-up at the end of her first semester, she was looking for outlets that led her to express herself in the direction of film.
Most of her ideas for this film came to her at night before she fell asleep.
“I pieced it together through several nights of random scene ideas that I quickly jotted down, which turned into a short list,” Jordan said. “From there I spent a lot of time writing scenes based on that imagery, creating the storyline.”
Although the film was not created in conjunction with a film course, Jordan worked on it during her Asian Traditions Through Film course. She updated her professor, Dr. Kin Cheung, throughout the process, and recalled his encouragement.
Last fall, Jordan took Introduction to Performance with Professor Christopher Shorr, teaching her how to build a character. Jordan recalls that writing Sylvia, the main character and who she plays, included workshopping her dialogue and actions.
“After writing her, I could imagine how she held herself and who she was as a person and pour that into my acting,” Jordan said.
In high school, Jordan created a short film but never finished it due to low confidence in her editing ability. To help combat this, her most recent New Year’s resolution was to upload a video every month, which helped improve her editing in a low-stress environment.
For new editors, Jordan advises them to try and put in their best effort. Moravian provides access to the Adobe Suite, so she uses Premiere Pro for her editing.
“I suggest choosing the software you’re interested in and watching YouTube videos when you get stuck,” she said.
Over the past few years, she has acted in a few of her friends’ short films, but this was her first official triple debut as an actress, director, and editor.
“I enjoy wearing multiple hats and seeing projects through different lenses,” Jordan said. “With it being my project, I had to find a cast and crew I trusted to fulfill the vision. With the right people, anything can happen.”
Throughout the process, Jordan’s biggest challenge was scheduling filming. On top of classes and social commitments, she had to navigate everyone’s schedules to pick filming times and locations that worked.
“I had a good grasp of scheduling a bigger block of time than needed to allow ample time for retakes, which helped avoid stressful situations,” Jordan recalled. “It’s easy to stress myself out when I’m directing, so I tried my best to make choices that made everyone’s lives easier.”
Some of her best memories were working with her cast and crew. Being involved with the Moravian University Theatre Company introduced her to many talented students on campus who assisted in making her film possible.
“We could be silly and serious, and they were very easy to work with,” she said.
Out of the approximately 2,700 submissions, only six awards are presented. Jordan recalled feeling fulfilled after winning Best Actress, stating it was like a dream come true.
“This project was pivotal in my journey in self-growth, and hearing how much it impacted the audience afterward was very healing to me,” Jordan said. “I heard stories of their losses, and how much my film struck a chord with them. That was the real win in my book.”
For those new to filming, she recommends watching movies and paying attention to the anatomy of a scene, which helps her curate the right set of shots that she wants for each scene. In her free time, Jordan enjoys reading, drawing, baking, singing, dancing, and yoga. She also has a small business where she sells crochet stuffed animals.
On campus, she’s the President of the Greyhound Radio Club, Co-Facilities Manager for the Moravian University Theatre Company, PR for Math Society, a member of Phi Eta Sigma, as well as working in the sociology/anthropology department.
“As a math major, creative expression balances me and deeply influences me as a person,” Jordan said.
If interested in viewing her short film, you can check it out at this link.
