EMILY ELIZABETH SULLIVAN FRASER
+1 703.220.4971
emilyefraser [at] gmail.com
emilyelizabethfilms.com
SUMMARY
Emily Fraser is a San Francisco Bay Area documentary filmmaker committed to finding the poetry in the every day while provoking change around pressing social and environmental issues. Her work has been shown around the country and the globe, with screenings at Doc NYC, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, LUNAFEST, the International Wildlife Film Festival, and the Pacific Film Archive, among others. Emily works as a freelance director/producer and cinematographer, and as a lecturer at Santa Clara University. In a previous life, she worked as an environmental consultant, focusing on projects in conservation, resource management, and alternative energy. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and art/architecture from the College of William and Mary and an MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.
EDUCATION
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
MFA, Documentary Film & Video, 2014 (3.86 GPA)
• University Film and Video Association Graduate Student Fellowship, 2014
• Enersen Foundation Production Grant, 2014
• Carole Fielding Grant Finalist, 2014
• Full Tuition Scholarship, Stanford University, 2013-2014
• Partial Tuition Scholarship, Stanford University, 2012-2013
Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, CA
Graduate Certificate, Ignite Entrepreneurship Program, 2014
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Graduate Certificate, Documentary Filmmaking, 2010
The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
BA, Environmental Policy and Art/Art History, cum laude, 2007 (3.56 GPA)
• James Monroe Scholar, 2003-2007
• Loudoun Robey Scholarship, 2003-2007
• Winged Nation Literary Award, 2007
• J. Binford Walford Scholarship for the Study of Architecture, 2006
• James Monroe Scholars Summer Grant, 2004-2005
• SunTrust Scholarship Endowment, 2004-2005
• Sallie S. Tillery Memorial Scholarship, 2004-2005
EXPERIENCE
Independent Documentary Filmmaker, San Francisco, CA
Director/Producer, Cinematographer, 2014-present
Freelance directing/producing and shooting on commercial and documentary projects for clients such as Stanford Children’s Health, Costanoa Ventures, Oakland Trails, Stanford Anesthesia Informatics and Media Lab, Breakthrough, UCSF’s Preterm Birth Initiative, Emily’s Entourage, and the Presidio Trust.
Santa Clara University, Department of Communication, Santa Clara, CA
Adjunct Lecturer, 2016-present
Teach undergraduate film theory and production classes including introductory digital video production, advanced documentary production, and environmental film.
La Totoaba, San Felipe, Baja California
Co-Director, 2016-present
Co-directing a feature-length documentary film about the illegal trade of the endangered totoaba fish and the economic and cultural forces connecting a Mexican fishing town, Chinese communities along the U.S. Mexican border, and international environmental activists.
Stanford University, Department of Biology, Stanford, CA
Mentor, The Senior Reflection in Biology, 2015-2016
Mentored undergraduate Stanford seniors pursuing film-related projects during a year-long capstone course in which they combine compelling scientific subject matter with an artistic project to engage the wider community.
KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media, Mountain View, CA
Advanced Video Production Instructor, 2015-2016
Taught advanced video and documentary film production to teens through workshops on shooting, editing, lighting, field sound recording, and green screen production.
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, Taos, NM
Artist in Residence, 2016
Directed/produced and shot a short documentary film about a northern New Mexican ghost town and the elderly community of once-residents who return to it each summer.
Environmental Humanities Project, Palo Alto, CA
Environmental Film Series Coordinator, 2013-2014
Curated film selection and coordinated screenings and Q&A sessions for Stanford University’s annual environmental film series.
The REVS Program at Stanford, Palo Alto, CA
Documentary Filmmaker, 2013
Directed/produced, shot, and edited Lady Parts, a short film about a San Francisco Bay Area woman-owned and operated automotive repair shop.
Stanford Arts Intensive, Palo Alto, CA
Documentary Filmmaking Teaching Assistant, 2013
Served as a teaching assistant to the director of Stanford’s Documentary Film & Video MFA program during a three-week intensive filmmaking workshop for undergraduate students. Led camera and sound equipment instruction and Final Cut Pro editing tutorials. Served as a facilitator and coordinator for the director and a resource and mentor for students.
Southern Environmental Law Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Film Fellow, 2013
Produced, directed, shot, and edited Rain’s Gonna Come, a short educational film for the Southern Environmental Law Center to raise awareness of, and inspire action around, stormwater pollution issues in the state of Alabama.
AFI (formerly Silverdocs) Documentary Film Festival, Silver Spring, MD
Submission Screener, 2010-2012
Screened and reviewed over 100 short and feature-length film submissions to a major international documentary film festival.
Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, NM
Lead Video Producer, 2011
Managed videography team within the marketing department of the largest youth camping operation in the world. Wrote, shot, and produced weekly online promotional videocasts; developed and documented standard production procedures; and oversaw equipment purchases.
ICF International, Fairfax, VA
Alternative Energy & Resource Conservation Analyst, 2008-2011
Provided research, technical assistance, and communications support to multiple federal government and private sector clients, including the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities program and Alternative Fuels Data Center, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise and Pay-As-You-Throw programs, the New Mexico Recycling Coalition, and the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Clean Energy Solutions Center.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
- Proficient with Adobe Premiere Pro, FinalCut Pro 7
- Shooting experience with Canon C300 MII, Canon C100, Canon DSLRs, Sony FS7, Sony F5, Panasonic camcorders, and Bolex 16mm film cameras
- Location sound experience with Sound Devices and Zoom H4n audio recorders
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Docs in Progress, Washington, DC
- The D Word
- San Francisco Film Society
- University Film & Video Association
- Bay Area Video Coalition