By Leila Ugincius

Depression waylaid Lily Elizabeth Dunlap’s college plans. Then it provided the impetus for her senior research project.

A cinema major in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, Dunlap has made a short film inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee.” The poem, about a love so great it transcends death, is rife with grief and despair, and Dunlap’s film adaptation, “Cold.,” will screen at the Grace Street Theater on May 7.

“I wrote a short script that focuses on depression and the effect it had on those dealing with it, as well as those witnessing it,” Dunlap said. “It touches on grief before and after we lose someone.”

It’s taken six years for Dunlap to get here.

“In high school, my depression severely disrupted my academics, especially my senior year,” the 25-year-old said. After graduating, she took a gap year before attending community college to complete her required general education classes before enrolling at VCU.

As a little girl, Dunlap assumed she would study theater in college – “growing up watching ‘Singing in the Rain,’ I always had a deep love for performance,” she said. But at 17, that focus turned to cinema when a former classmate asked her to act in a short film she was making for a college class.

“I jumped at the chance and had a blast,” Dunlap said. “Watching the small college crew around me was so intriguing, and I realized a new passion for myself. From then on, I knew I wanted to pursue the art form of cinema one way or another.”

Completing “Annabel Lee” was a long time coming.

“My project was born out of the desire to make a film, but my depression stopped me many times from completing any of the films I started,” she said.

But this past fall, Dunlap took a course on witches in TV and film with Tamara Watkins, Ph.D., assistant director of admissions for VCUarts and adjunct instructor in the Department of English. The class quickly became a favorite, and Dunlap wanted to study more with Watkins, who suggested an independent study for this year’s spring semester.

“In this class, Lily blends her interests in literature, adaptation theory and film studies to adapt ‘Annabel Lee’ for the silver screen,” Watkins said. “Lily’s choice is remarkable and intriguing because ‘Annabel Lee’ isn’t adapted for TV or film as often as some of Poe’s other texts, such as ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ ‘The Raven’ or ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’ Lily doesn’t have a long list of previous TV and film adaptations of ‘Annabel Lee’ to refer to or influence her when creating her own adaptation of this text, and that makes her adaptation so exciting.”

Together they decided the independent study course would focus on previous cinematic adaptations of Poe’s work.

“I was raised by ‘Poe heads;’ I love TV and film. This was designed to be the perfect class for me,” Dunlap said. “I decided to ask that the final for the class be my own adaptation, the perfect excuse for me to push myself into this responsibility with no excuses allowed from my depression.”

Watkins compiled an array of Poe adaptations for Dunlap to watch for research, ranging from what Dunlap called “godawful B-movies to phenomenal films.” The list included short films, low-budget features, Hollywood films and even “The Simpsons.”

Watkins guided Dunlap through an understanding of adaptations, from the effect that current world events can have to how “The Death of the Author” theory gives audiences full power to decide what a story means for them.

“I have no doubt that her film will be a great addition to the existing body of film adaptations of Poe texts,” Watkins said.

Dunlap answered some quick additional questions about her experience as an undergraduate researcher.

What led you to this research?

I’ve always enjoyed films and was always interested in how many movies were based on books or myths. Adaptation is so fascinating because the reality of it is, just about everything is an adaptation. When making a pitch deck for your film, you must provide reference images from other movies because as new as an idea can be, it still has to be inspired from something we as humans have experienced. That’s fascinating to me because it truly is an endless amount of examples you can give and argue, “That’s an adaptation!”

Beyond the research itself, what skills or connections have you developed through this project?

Working with my crew through pre-production and production has been a lovely experience. The amount of stress a film can put on a team is immense – the logistics, money, problem-solving and time that weigh on you foster an inherently exhausting life. But if you have the right team by your side, you can feel some of that pressure lifted because you are truly operating as a team. The cast and crew, without a doubt, have been my greatest joy in this experience. The passion they brought to set was incredible.

What did you enjoy most about this project?

Since arriving at VCU, I made the decision that going into the movie-making business isn’t the career for me. I felt exhausted constantly, I barely saw my friends or family, and I was constantly worrying about getting my responsibilities done.

But then something really unexpected happened: I met the love of my life. I started to realize how much of a toll not seeing my friends and family had taken on me, and I wanted to start making time for them and my partner.

I decided that I would find a Monday-to-Friday, 9-to-5 job that doesn’t seep past work hours, so I can have time for the people I love, because truthfully, they are the reason my depression hasn’t won. I want to keep film as a joy, not a job. I love editing and decided that would be my connection to the joy of film for the rest of my life.

What advice do you have for other undergrads on how to get involved in research?

If you find a professor who sparks interest for you and keeps your attention on pure enjoyment of the content you’re learning, inquire about an independent study! You can design a class together and discover something new that you wouldn’t have had if you stuck to the classes provided.