(Left to right) Emma Rohnstock, David Elperin, Arianna Rizzo, and Dimitri Ashby work on a scene from The Graduate. Photo Courtesy of Arianna Rizzo.
University of Rhode Island Senior Film Major Arianna Rizzo is writing and directing her own mystery TV show as part of her senior honors thesis this semester.
Rizzo said the show titled “Linked” is also going to feature elements of crime and drama. The script, which has featured six drafts already, was written by her along with the help of family and friends.
According to Rizzo, the show starts out with two young boys who lose their parents in a car accident and are forced to enter the foster care system. Years later, the two brothers reunite, connected by a tragedy that unfolds. As the story progresses, a DNA test reveals yet another family secret and the brothers solve a crime. A man’s DNA test gets switched accidentally, prompting a suspenseful tale that promises to leave viewers on the edge of their seat.
The show was inspired by an actual DNA test her mom took to discover more about her heritage. After her mom took the test, Rizzo turned to her and
Her dad mentioned how great
Rizzo plans to put out a casting call for actors in Boston and New York and a kickstart video to get others involved with the project. She is planning on raising $1,000 along with what she has already in order to make the show.
Filming locations for the show are to be planned across various locations. She is seeking permission on the use of a diner and will be trying to rent an apartment or house among other sites. The senior has already met with the East Greenwich Police Chief Stephen J. Brown where she got a tour of the station.
“He brought me around a tour of the whole police station because I needed a jail cell,” Rizzo said. “I didn’t want it to look old-timey with the bars. I wanted it to look kind of modernized and like ‘Orange is the New Black.’ It was really interesting to see inside with all the fingerprints and all the stuff that they do in there.”
While she plans to direct the show and gives herself a writing nod, others have been or will be instrumental in the development of the project. A producer, lighting and sound crew and editors are among the jobs she has filled for the production. Rizzo credits her parents, friends and URI Professor Keith Brown for providing inspiration on set and in ordinary life.
Interestingly enough, Rizzo did not always want to be a movie maker. She started out as a cellular molecular biology major, yet quickly realized two weeks into her college career that science was not for her. She then thought about a URI screening festival that she attended when she was in high
“I thought it was the coolest thing to see people’s movies on the big screen,” Rizzo said. “I was like yeah, film is where I want to be. I want to be creative. I don’t want to sit behind a desk all day.”
After the show is made, Rizzo wants to submit the show to streaming sites such as Netflix or Amazon, as well as enter it into festivals where she is hopeful the pilot will be picked up.