After three long hours of football practice, junior Luca Mariani finally steps inside his house at 6:30 p.m. Then, he crams homework until 8 p.m., but his evening is only just beginning. He then has hours to go filming content, editing videos or photos, or finding new inspiration for his videography work. However, without all of his hard work, he would not have a Student Emmy Award or would have been nominated for the All American High School Film Festival.
Mariani began videography in seventh grade when he first discovered his passion of filming skiing videos. Mariani said that his skills exponentially improved starting freshman year, when he got access to better and more advanced equipment, instead of just filming on his GoPro. Mariani now does media for people all across the Midwest, primarily shooting content for various concerts and sports, specifically skiing. He has also shot content for Max Holloway, a professional Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter, and had the opportunity to film numerous concerts.
“There’s definitely a very surreal feeling when you’re on stage and looking onto a crowd of 5,000 to 10,000 people,” Mariani said. “It’s very fun, especially at 16, as landing jobs like that is not an easy thing to do.”
Mariani has had two of his works nominated for The All American Film Festival, the world’s largest high school film festival held in New York City, and he finished top ten for each category, Mariani said. Mariani also received a Student Emmy Award for his cinematography reel, a collection of all the shots he has produced in one year, which was given to him from the National Academy of Television Arts. This is one of his favorite awards he has achieved as it highlights him and his work as an individual, Mariani said. While he loves receiving awards, the filming opportunities and meeting new people is the best accomplishment of all, Mariani said.
“I would have never been shooting and covering for people at the level I am at right now if it wasn’t for actually taking a chance,” Mariani said. “I want to put myself out there and I want everyone to actually see what I do and what I’m capable of.”
While his interest in media has had many opportunities, Mariani admitted the process of content creation can be demanding, including hours spent uploading, editing, and contacting sources. All this while completing homework and attending sport practices is difficult, Mariani said. His parents, Kristi and Paul Mariani, see the dedication he puts into each of his projects and continue to support him in his work.
“He’s also playing for his football team which is super cool, but they’re long days,” Kristi said. “He’ll be filming for six to seven hours on his feet and then come home for the weekend, do all the editing, and get up for football.”
Luca’s interest in media has been a productive path and passion which will help create a good future, Paul said. Luca is driven to achieve excellence and is passionate about what he does, which makes his work that much more interesting, Kristi added.
“I look at the amount of hours he spends editing and it makes me tired; it’s just so much,” Kristi said. “But there’s a lot of opportunity as he just follows his passion.”
At South, Mariani is one of the Sports Executive Producers for TV and Film Production, overseeing the fall and spring sports videos, Julie Benca, Broadcasting Teacher and TV and Film Director, said.
“He’s very involved in TV and he worked on the Variety Show last year,” Benca said. “He loves to make film festivals and is really kind and great to work with. I think he sets a great example for the students.”
The work Mariani produces is fantastic and inspires others to follow his lead in their future projects, Benca said. He is very hard working and his worth ethic and personality have a great impact on the program, setting a positive tone for the class and the people around him, Benca said.
“When you have a student like Luca who’s hungry to do this, as long as you give him time and opportunities, he’ll run with it and will produce even more fantastic work,” Benca said.