Qayoe Jones: Finalist in the Sprite Films Program

SCAD Savannah student and dramatic writing major, Qayoe Jones, was named one of eight remaining filmmaking finalist for the Sprite Films Program. The winner of the Sprite Films Program will have their short film shown in theatres across the country this coming November. As a finalist, she was invited to CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 25-26 where she was mentored by actor Tyrese Gibson.

Sprite Films representative Aviva Kleiner visited SCAD last January to inform the students about the competition. Jones was encouraged and wrote her short script, “Lord Olivier.” The script has been selected as a finalist and is currently in the post-production stage. She is working on sound, music, reshoots and cutting out scenes. Production started in early May, and it was a five-day shoot.

Jones said, “I wanted to create a unique character that stands out. Lord Olivier walks, talks and dresses as if he were in the 19th Century. Even though the movie takes place in modern time, I wanted to create a comedy about Lord Olivier acting as if it were the 19th century. He wants to make it as an actor, but he constantly gets rejected because of how he walks and talks.”

Jones continued, “The message of the film is to be true to yourself.”

The Sprite Films Program started off as the Coca Cola’s “Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award” in 1998. The objective is to engage college students with life challenging problems that will showcase their talent and skills from behind the camera and beyond.

After being selected as a finalist, she was asked to pick a movie from a list that most inspired her script, “Lord Olivier.” She chose “8 Mile.” Jones said, “In ‘8 Mile,’ Eminem’s goal is to become a rapper. Like Lord Olivier, they both face rejection. In the end, they both overcome the rejection.”

Before attending SCAD, Jones was a writing major at Howard University. Her dream is to write, direct and produce films. Jones said, “I heard a lot about SCAD at Howard. I researched and most schools only focused on writing. SCAD had writing and film.  I could major in writing while taking production classes for electives to enhance my knowledge of film.”

The winner  of the competition will be chosen through a voting process that’s open to the public . There will be six films to chose from. Jones said, “I want to encourage everyone in the SCAD community to vote on Sprite.com. I am the only representative for SCAD.”