Meet Olivia-Autumn Rennie | 2024 TFSO Student Graduation Speaker
Olivia-Autumn Rennie has been named the 2024 Student Graduation Speaker for Toronto Film School Online.
Creating under the pseudonym ‘Autumn Sky,’ Rennie is a graduate of TFSO’s Writing for Film & Television Associate program, and a current student in TFS’s Video Production and Yorkville University‘s Bachelor of Creative Arts programs. She is also a 4th year MD-PhD student at the University of Toronto, an independent filmmaker, and the Artistic Director of her Toronto-based production company, Exuvium Productions.
As a filmmaker, medical researcher, and Emergency physician-in-training, Autumn works to leverage the power of screen-based media to raise awareness about critical issues in medicine and society. Her PhD is a ‘research-creation’ project, producing films that challenge ideas surrounding disease and disability, and pioneering a radically new ‘collaborative filmmaking’ methodology that enables patients to become key players in the filmmaking process themselves.
Autumn’s work also moves beyond traditional documentary modes of filmmaking in medicine, to play in the narrative space – specifically within the horror genre. With an educational background originally in neuroscience, she is particularly interested in exploring the lived experience of individuals with neurological and/or psychological diseases, disorders, or injuries.
Rennie recently sat down to reflect on her time at TFSO and her plans for the future. Here’s what she had to say:
What made you decide to pursue your passion for screenwriting?
I’ve been a writer ever since I was a little girl. I dreamed of being an author. When I was in about grade 6 or so, my parents got me a little video camera for my birthday. It was a pivotal moment, where I discovered not only could I write stories, but I could translate them to the screen – to create story worlds that audiences could do more than imagine; they could actually experience first-hand. Without realizing the scripts I was writing were ‘screenplays,’ I started my journey as a young screenwriter, creating stories that I would direct and film while my neighbourhood friends acted in them. From my love of writing came a love of filmmaking, with screenwriting at the heart of it.
Following high school, I went to university and completed a degree in neuroscience, intending on going into medicine. Through some twists and turns of life that I won’t get into here, I instead decided to return to study theatre and film prior to medicine, completing a second program at the University of Toronto before starting medical school.
As I entered into medicine four years ago, there were many unknowns, but one thing was certain for me – I was going to hold onto my passion for screenwriting, no matter what. Stories are what give medicine – and life as a whole – meaning for me. I decided to pursue my passion for screenwriting at TFS to hone my pre-existing writing skills, build my portfolio, and gain insight into the ins and outs of the industry. But on top of all that, I decided to complete this program as a commitment to myself – past, present, and future – to solidify my identity as a screenwriter, and propel myself forward as both a creative, and empathetic medical professional.
Was there any particular film/TV show whose writing compelled you to become a screenwriter yourself? If so, what was it and why was it so inspiring to you?
Because my passion for screenwriting is so intimately tied to my passion for writing, it’s impossible to answer this question without bringing up a couple of pivotal, non-filmic texts.
Two that come to mind immediately are House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. I could name many others that have inspired me, but a huge part of what draws me to writing are authors who think outside the box, whether that be in terms of the plotline, writing structure, or both. House of Leaves and Waiting for Godot both do this radically, while also pulling in the darker aesthetics and powerful messaging that defines my own work.
In the screenwriting space, two scripts that come to mind upon reading this question are The Theory of Everything by Anthony McCarten, and The Danish Girl by Lucinda Coxon. When it comes to screenplays, I love combinations of beautiful action description (what one might call ‘poetic’), alongside dialogue that ‘sings.’ When I read screenplays like this, it’s as though I’m listening to music. There’s a rhythm, a beat, patterns, harmonies, and dissonance – all combining to create something extraordinary that I can picture vividly in my mind. The montage at the end of The Theory of Everything has made me cry several times, especially since it (the story of Stephen Hawking’s personal life) brings in so many of the emotions and experiences I carry forward from my medical side.
What is the most important thing you’re taking away from your studies at TFS?
This is a difficult question… I’ve taken away a lot from my studies at TFS! I suppose the most important takeaway, however, is the power of ideas. I think often, when we imagine ‘powerful’ things that shape our world, we think of physical entities – the power of nature, of weaponry, of technology, and so forth. These past two years at TFS have enabled me to find my voice, and also discover more about other voices throughout human history – focused of course on the last hundred years or so since cinema emerged. Many of us think that to change the world, we need to do something big, or travel somewhere far. But I’ve discovered it can happen right here in my own home, with nothing but a pen and paper. Ideas – and the stories that emerge from them – are the most powerful force that exists. They are dangerous, and they are beautiful. And as writers – or any sort of creative thinker – we are carrying around with us something that, if we so choose, truly can make waves in this world and touch lives. Unlocking this realization (the potential of my own mind) is the most important thing I’m taking away, and I’m incredibly thankful for it.
What are your plans after graduation both immediate and long term?
Haha, big plans! Most immediately, I’ll be shooting the proof-of-concept for the TV series I created and wrote the pilot for in the Writing program, a one-hour drama called All in, Baby, which follows the journey of a broke medical student who becomes a poker star. We’re moving to set at the end of November, as my team and I continue working through the development process to get the series greenlit. Additionally, I’m right at the end of post- production for a short film called Becoming the Butterfly, which explores the experience of traumatic brain injury (TBI), co-written alongside two TBI survivors.
Currently, I’m also an MD-PhD student at the University of Toronto, completing my MD training in Emergency Medicine, and PhD in Film – pioneering a collaborative filmmaking methodology that brings patients directly into the filmmaking process, and also explores how we can employ unconventional genres such as horror to use film as a tool for medical/health advocacy. On top of this, I’m almost done the TFS Video Production program and part-way through the Yorkville University Bachelor of Creative Arts, and will be wrapping up all of this education (UofT, TFS, YU) over the next several years.
Beyond that, the long-term plan is to continue running my production company, Exuvium Productions, and be a filmmaker alongside my clinical practice in Emergency Medicine. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that at some point over the next few years, I can secure funding for my first feature, moving out of the short film space I’ve built my portfolio in.
So, in short – lots of exciting things, immediate and long term! Very grateful to TFS for the support in springboarding what I hope to be a long and successful filmmaking career – not only as a screenwriter, but in the roles I also currently occupy as a director and producer.
If you offered one piece of advice to an incoming student, what would that be?
The best advice I could give anyone – student or otherwise – would be to take risks, and not be afraid to fail. Or, in the words of our hilarious comedy writing instructor, Brandon Firla, ‘Dare to suck.’ I think many of us (and certainly, myself included at various points in life) are afraid to create something or start down a new path because we’re terrified that we won’t measure up. That our first screenplay will be garbage, or our first film will have low production value, or that we’ll go out there to pitch a project and forget every word we practiced for hours on end. As students, we see films and television shows that are phenomenal, polished pieces – and we can never imagine reaching that calibre. What we don’t see are all the drafts of the screenplay it took to get that Academy Award, or the hours upon hours of failed takes it took to get the perfect edit.
The best advice anyone could take to heart, as a screenwriter/filmmaker, or human being in general, is to embrace failure, and know that even by failing, you have succeeded – simply through the act of trying. I’m a huge fan of quotes, and one I came across years ago has always stuck with me: “I don’t lose. I either win, or I learn.” Simple, but powerful. Going back and reading my first screenplay – yes, it was trash! Going back, and watching my first films – yes, those were embarrassing! But it was a step in the right direction. It was progress. It was a learning experience. And so, to any student, I would say: dare to suck, dare to fail, dare to learn, and dare to dream – because with enough time and passion, you’ll get there.
What’s your favorite film/TV show and why?
The hardest question you’ll ask any filmmaker! I’ll start off with what isn’t necessarily my favourite film of all time, at this point in my life – but was for a while, and absolutely set my path to becoming a filmmaker in motion. When I was seven years old, I saw The Day After Tomorrow (2004, dir. Roland Emmerich). It was LIFE CHANGING. I probably watched that film a hundred times. As a child with an imagination brimming with the desire to create my own stories, I was amazed at how I could be consumed by the story world presented on screen – which, for those not familiar with this film, basically showcases the planet on the brink of climate collapse. Between the music, special effects, and storyline (which appealed strongly to me as a budding scientist), I was hooked.
Today (as a horror writer myself), I’m a big fan of films in the ‘elevated horror’ space, such as Get Out by Jordan Peele, Parasite by Bong Joon-ho, and the work of Ari Aster. TV show-wise, I loved The Queen’s Gambit and am a diehard Stranger Things fan. Recently, I had the opportunity to see The Life of Chuck at TIFF (dir. Mike Flanagan), and thought it was absolutely brilliant. I cried throughout the entirety of it – such a masterful blend of dark comedy, and universal life lessons – all packaged in an unconventional narrative structure. It’s definitely a film I need to circle back to once it’s released so I can take notes.
