JAY SHEPHERD

art is anything you can get away with

DON’T DIE WONDERING 📸 @redbrickwindow

baby boy (Official Music Video) full video out now, link in bio! Starring: @queenjaydairene @gibbzss Cinematography & Color Grade: @redbrickwindow Editing: @jay.on.line when it all falls down album available now!

raw nerve endings/new beginnings/i love you most photos by @redbrickwindow , obviously

behind the scenes of starboy - snapshots of a very chaotic and wonderful time in my life this project will always be special to me. for a student film, starboy was such an ambitious undertaking. i had a big vision and big dreams and the audacity to face this challenge head-on. starboy taught me that i can do so much with so little, that i can build an entire world and bring it to life, that i can’t do everything, that some things can’t be perfect, and that i need to ask for help. i couldn’t have done it without all of the talented and hardworking people who gave their time and energy and creativity to this project. thank you to everyone who supported me - cast, crew, extras, donors, anyone who encouraged me and cheered me on - i am so grateful to you. @redbrickwindow thank you for being the best cinematographer & partner i could ask for. thank you for understanding my vision before anyone else did, thank you for taking what i imagined and making it real, thank you for lending me your talent and extensive camera knowledge. i love you <3 @acee.aem thank you for being my creative twin flame, for reaching into my brain and pulling out words and feelings that i couldn’t verbalize on my own. thank you for helping me with everything ever, for putting your life aside for starboy. you are a force of nature and i love you! @leojamesosborn thank you for being starboy. thank you for understanding him, for knowing exactly what he’s made of and reassembling your atoms to become him. thank you for your dedication, for the all-nighters where it was just you and me and ace and the camera. i love how you love acting and also i love you! @stressed.soccer.mom thank you for stepping up and taking on stress to give me a break, thank you for holding everyone together when i was falling apart, i love you for staying silly throughout it all and for so much more! there are many others who did so much for me and i am so appreciative of - @emii.bird , @moonz.toonz , @astridintheend , @jessicuhmin , @imogen.sc , @_meg.4.n_ , @dabirdplane , @toriinorii , @sophiazuzga , @lianarostamian , @jessjjes , and many more but i am running out of room. you know who you are. thank you forever

The Rise and Fall of Starboy is out NOW! YouTube link in bio. An aimless, adrift video store clerk jumps at the first opportunity to become someone new - a chance to transform, to step into the spotlight, to become a STAR™. As he immerses himself in the role of STARBOY, he loses a self that he didn’t even know existed. It’s about being an outsider, someone who never fits in, finally being given the opportunity to become someone who does. The Rise and Fall of Starboy is director Jay Shepherd’s senior thesis film, produced while completing his last year at UC Santa Cruz. Exploring themes of exclusion, visibility, and assimilation, Starboy embodies the absurdist yet normalized treatment that transgender and genderqueer people face on a daily basis. In the spotlight, mocked for our best attempts to fit in, but never truly seen as belonging. Do you ever feel like you’re wearing a mask of your own face? Like you’re a character in a play and you don’t know any of the lines? How long can you pretend to be someone you’re not? ★ ★ ★

GENDER OUTLAWS 📸 @acee.aem

I DID IT! i graduated from ucsc with a BA in film and digital media, minoring in legal studies! during my time at ucsc, i did the following: - directed/wrote/produced/edited 10+ short films, some of which screened at film festivals & won multiple awards! - produced for 5 films during my time with @filmproductioncoalition - took approximately one million photos of musicians, bands, and artists at @subrosa_space - got accepted into the film and digital media integrated critical practice concentration and raised $4500 to produce my senior short film @starboyshortfilm - worked at @ucsc_taps since fall of my freshman year, promoting sustainable transportation by writing + producing videos & graphics - also worked at @fdm.ucsc at equipment checkout and operations for two years - organized santa cruz’s first queer film festival @santacruzqueerfilmfestival - shot a music video for @iveneverbeenhereb4 - came out as trans, shaved my head twice, acquired 10 new piercings, changed my name, became myself in a way i never thought would be possible (but it was) thank you santa cruz for being a place where i could learn and grow and become someone i’m proud to be. i am so lucky to have met some of my closest most beloved friends here and i am so thankful for all the support i’ve received from my chosen family and community! i love u all. this isn’t a goodbye, just a see you later - don’t be a stranger <3 📸 @redbrickwindow

i am so lucky to be so busy making art and spending time with the people i love!!!!!

THE RISE AND FALL OF STARBOY PRODUCTION HAS WRAPPED AT LAST! INTO POST-PRODUCTION WE GO… STAY TUNED FOR OFFICIAL BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS! ☆☆☆ LOVE FOREVER TO EVERYONE WHO DEDICATED THEIR TIME AND THEIR ENERGY AND THEIR HEART TO THIS PROJECT. IT IS GOING TO BE SO WORTH IT. IN FACT IT IS ALREADY WORTH IT. THANK YOU <3 SORRY I COULDN’T TAG EVERYONE. JUST KNOW MY LOVE FOR YOU IS ENDLESS. - JAY

hi! i’m directing a short film and i need your help. the film is called THE RISE AND FALL OF STARBOY. the plot follows an aimless, adrift video store clerk who jumps at the first opportunity to become someone new - a chance to transform, to step into the spotlight, to become a STAR™. as he immerses himself in the role of STARBOY, he loses a self that he didn’t even know existed. it’s about being an outsider, someone who never fits in, finally being given the opportunity to become someone who does. it’s about what you sacrifice to become an “insider” when given the chance, and how precious that sacrifice ends up being. taking inspiration from films like I Saw The TV Glow (2024) and The Truman Show (1998), the story explores themes of exclusion, visibility, and assimilation. drawing on the transmasculine queer experience, STARBOY embodies the absurdist yet normalized forms of exclusion that transgender and genderqueer people face on a daily basis. the constant desire to assimilate into society and break under the pressure, to give in and become what “they” want you to be. i’ve been making films since i was twelve years old, and i’ve never had the opportunity to fund my creative projects with anything but my own money. this project is impossible to attempt without outside support, especially given the tight budget I’m already on as a student. your donated funds would go towards all the things needed to make a movie: equipment rentals, set construction, costuming, and sustenance (pizza) for the cast and crew of volunteers who are helping to make this story happen. thank you for taking the time to read this!! i would really appreciate any support you can give - whether it’s $5 or just sharing this fundraiser with your friends and family. follow @starboyshortfilm for updates, behind the scenes, and more! link in bio ★☆★ gofundme.com/f/help-fund-the-rise-and-fall-of-starboy

WATCH UR STEP! 📸 by @stella_by_starlight__