RIO GRANDE — In an experience she described as “beyond words” and “wonderful,” Sofia Lomax held a private screening of her short-film documentary “The Heel” at Cape Square Entertainment March 9.
Lomax, a graduate student at Quinnipiac University who attended Middle Township High School, directed the film, which took nearly two years to complete.
It portrays the real-life story of Juliana Daddio, a Quinnipiac graduate and wrestler whose stage name is Skylar Grey. The film follows Daddio through “point of view” cinematography, featuring her grit and determination, which propel her toward the ultimate goal of becoming a professional wrestler in a male-dominated sport.
“The Heel,” which has won several awards, was part of Lomax’s senior capstone project at Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, Connecticut, from which she graduated last May magna cum laude with a B.A. from the Film, Television and Media Arts program and a minor in marketing. She will get her MBA from Quinnipiac this May.
“The screening was beyond words,” she said. “It was such a wonderful experience to share with my family, friends and others in the community who watched me grow up and supported me with this project.”
The documentary was created by Lomax and three other students, who track Daddio’s evolution in the sport, watching her grow with each match, along with her perspective and persona. Lomax explained that in professional wrestling, the terms “babyface” and “heel” determine one’s role in the ring.
“The ‘face,’ typically the fan favorite, takes on the hero role, while the ‘heel’ plays the antagonist with villainous splendor,” she said. “Skylar realizes her potential in the ultimate school of hard knocks, transforming from the heel to the ultimate destiny, the face.”
Lomax said her passion for the theater and arts was nurtured as a child, with a grandfather and father who loved photography. “Throughout high school, I tried my hand at acting and the stage,” the 2019 graduate of Middle Township High School said. “I love the idea of capturing true stories, so making a documentary really appealed to me.”
Quinnipiac film students are given a choice of producing a documentary, a narrative or a TV pilot as part of their senior capstone project. Lomax said she was presented with Daddio’s story, and after she and her team looked into it more, decided to capture it with a short-film documentary. It was the first time in 10 years that a documentary was produced by the school’s students.
“As director, I worked with three other students who were part of our team and oversaw, organized, worked with the talent and then worked with the editors to put the film together,” she said. “We were able to use the school’s equipment, but needed to outsource the final sound and color editing.”
The students raised the $6,000 needed for production and film festival costs. “It was a frugal project, but well worth it in the end,” she said.
For her, directing was a “large task” because of the time commitment required, in addition to being a full-time student. She tried to include all team members in the decision-making process, “but I also had to put my foot down sometimes to keep our goal in mind but still move the film along in production.
“The story is never quite finished, because you always want to change this or add that. We all were passionate about our film, and I think we produced the best we could.”
While it was challenging at times, Lomax said she and her team also had “fun, enjoying the process of making the documentary. It’s something we had dreamed about, so we really are pumped up and excited about how it turned out.”
As part of her university experience Lomax has also tried her hand at marketing, and she thinks her next step may be in the creative digital marketing arena.
“I’m figuring it out as I go,” she said, chuckling. “I will continue to be creative. I love telling stories, and life is just full of stories to tell. I like to capture real-life stories, so we’ll just have to see what’s next.”
