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by Amy Barnes photos by Allison Waltz-Boebel
Alex Nixon’s parents knew something was different about him when he was very young.
Among other things, he liked to line up his toys in very specific ways, and he was very quiet. He did not seem to laugh as much as other children did, either.
When he was around 6 years old, he was diagnosed as autistic.
It was not until years later, when he was in fifth grade and had started attending Lawrence School in Sagamore Hills, that he finally felt his needs were understood, and his life was changed.
His family had moved frequently by the time he was in fifth grade. He was born in Illinois, started school in California, and spent a year in Wisconsin before the family put down roots in Medina.
“My social scene was pretty askew,” Nixon said, so the frequent moves did not affect him.
After arriving in Medina, he attended Garfield School, but struggled and said that he often had to advocate for himself in trying to get the help he needed.
At Lawrence School, Nixon found he no longer had
to work so hard to learn. The school was designed specifically for children with learning challenges such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism.
The school’s motto says it all: “Great minds don’t think alike.”
At Lawrence, Nixon found the smaller classes and lower-stress environment were much more comfortable for him.
He received occupational therapy that taught him things such as to not stand on his toes. Nixon also was given scripted notecards to practice with so he could learn appropriate social responses and ease the strain of social interactions.
The school emphasized how to use parts of autism, such as his high attention to detail, his intense focus, and his highly sensitive hearing, to his advantage.
“It’s all about reframing things,” Nixon said, adding that there are learning differences, not learning disabilities.
He took what he learned at Lawrence and expanded on it to teach himself how to present his challenges as positives in job interviews.
Nixon is open to sharing that he is autistic, the
continued from Page 5 difficulties he deals with and the ways he has turned what many view as a disability into perfect abilities to accentuate his filmmaking talents.
His venture into filmmaking began when he would watch movies with his family. He always would spot when continuity within a film was not maintained. He did it so much that his parents, John and Jennifer, suggested he pursue a career in it.
Nixon’s favorite films are “Hot Fuzz,” a 2007 action comedy film by Edgar Wright, and “Airplane,” a 1980 film from Ken Finkleman, David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams.
His father, John, has his own business, Asperta, and does consulting for insurance appraisals. His mother, Jennifer, is the manager of the Swarovski store at Summit Mall. His younger brother, Liam, is attending the University of Toledo, majoring in business.
Nixon has a bachelor’s degree in film studies from Baldwin Wallace University. While there, Nixon also worked at the university’s radio station.
Currently, he is attending Cuyahoga Community College to earn an associate degree in visual communications and design, with a focus on web and interactive.
He is in his second semester of web design classes and is learning more about 2D animation, which aligns with his original dream job of going into animation.
“I’m giving myself options,” Nixon said.
Animation also is a part of his life through a web comic he created on Reddit that has a Dungeons and Dragons theme and is called “ORKZ.”.
“It is a roulette as to whether something gets seen (on Reddit),” Nixon said.
While Nixon’s original goal was to go into animation, he found there was an obstacle that was
continued from Page 7 a little more than he could overcome: the expense.
“You’re not paying for the degree as much as for the connections that you need to find employment” in the field, Nixon said.
Nixon also films weddings as an independent contractor for Elite Entertainment and works part time at the Staples in Medina.
One of his long-term goals is to create commercials, especially ones that would air during the Super Bowl football game.
Nixon said that in filmmaking the best way to get known and have good networking opportunities in the industry is through film contests, which have been particularly difficult to participate in during the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has become incredibly difficult to get teams together and go on location,” Nixon said.
One of the biggest film contests nationally is the 48 Hour Film Project in Cleveland.
Competing in the film project is challenging. Filmmaking teams are given a character, a prop, a line, and a couple of genres to choose from, such as horror or comedy for their films.
The teams then have only 48 hours to determine their budget, check to see who is available for acting
and to collaborate with, write the script, complete filming and editing, and submit their final product.
Once they have the full team in place, the script written, and locations chosen, they create the storyboard, which shows what the scenes will look like, and start filming.
“The actors just go at it,” Nixon said.
They shoot all of the scenes needed for each location before moving onto the next location. Scenes will not necessarily be in order, but it saves time and effort to visit each location only once.
Finally, there is the sound design work, which is the part Nixon is responsible for, and the film editing.
One of the parts of autism for Nixon is being particularly sensitive to sounds and the nuances that others commonly miss. Through sound design, he has found a way to use his highly tuned hearing to his advantage.
The trick to sound design, Nixon says, is to make the sound effect sound natural. He uses a wide variety of objects, even throwing canned pumpkin in his mother’s sink (it was her suggestion!).
“That’s why I enjoy sound design, because of the creativity,” Nixon said.
While the film team members that Nixon works with change from film to film, one constant is his best friend from high school, Eli Manos, and Eli’s brother, Sean.
At 24 years old, with his clean-cut, boy-next-door looks, Nixon does not initially come across as someone who loves comedic horror movies, much less someone who creates them.
Nixon loves comedy because it can be used to break the tension in other genres, such as horror. He said horror movies are the easiest to make, especially when first venturing into filmmaking.
Another reason comedy is his favorite is because “people like to laugh.”
Last year, the team Nixon worked with won Best Film at the FunMill Films Competition for their movie “Deerly Departed,” which features two men perched on a truck tailgate and portraying two deer that have just been hit by the driver and arguing over whose fault it was. The film will be part of the Cleveland International Film Festival this year. In 2019, Nixon won Best Sound Design for “Becoming McClane” in the regular Cleveland 48 Hour Film Project. It can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2ZUPFLe
Nixon also won Best Sound Design in 2018 for the film “My Skin is Grey,” which won several awards in Cleveland’s 48 Hour Horror Film Project. The film has graphic content and may offend sensitive viewers. It can be seen at https://bit.ly/3aVR6iB
Nixon will be making his directing and writing debut this May as part of the FunMill Film Fest.
While Nixon regrets poor timing causing him to miss the deadline for this year’s FunMill Film contest, his film will be part of the FunMill Film Festival, and he is excited about his debut. For the first time, some of his friends from Baldwin Wallace will be part of the filmmaking team.
Nixon is not sure yet where he would like his career path to take him, but he does know one thing for sure, it must be something creative.
“I do want to be in a creative role.”
For more information:
48 Hour Film Project
http://bit.ly/3e2ynEn
FunMill Film Fest and Competition
http://bit.ly/3swGvRe
Cleveland International Film
Festival http://bit.ly/3aXyyPh
