The Mason Spirit

Year: Senior
Major: Film and Video Studies
Hometown: Centreville, Virginia

Switching Gears: With a little push from herself, and before getting in too deep, Kauri George decided to shift away from her studies in journalism and instead follow her dreams of film and video. She wanted to have a hand in every aspect of film, from scriptwriting, filming, and editing, to social media and marketing, all in pursuit of becoming what people in the film world call “an all-aspects filmmaker.”

Pitch Perfected: Among her long list of achievements while at Mason, George, who graduated in December, was the recipient of a Film Advisory Board Pitch Prize for a pitch she made for her senior thesis film on mental illness. The pitch prize provides funds to assist students in making their films. George completed her film Close Call, which covered suicide among African American women, during the fall 2018 semester. This spring she was recognized for the film with an Outstanding Achievement in Student Production Award for Short Form Fiction by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Film and Video Studies student Kauri George. Photo by Evan Cantwell

Droning On: In 2015, George and her partner opened AVSPEX LLC, an aerial photography and film company. With her partner as the pilot, responsible for flying the drone camera, and George as the creative director, editing the photos and videos, the two found a perfect outlet that combines both their passions. Although the company is separate from her schooling, George says the two “jobs” seem to complement each other. “I use what I’ve learned in all my classes to do this and fuel my passion.”

Finding Community: While George chose Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts because of its up-and-coming reputation, she soon realized that the college offers much more than just a traditional college would. “The whole [Film and Video Studies Program] is like a community that helps each other.” According to George, the college’s size allows for more genuine heart and talent to come through.

It’s a Secret: One of the biggest things that happened to George while at Mason is something she can’t tell you about because of a nondisclosure agreement she signed. But she’s okay with that, because it was the internship of a lifetime with a major film production.

—Saige MacLeod