When You Hear Hoofbeats is a CSUMB senior thesis short that explores the complex emotions and struggles of an individual battling a rare diagnosis.
Hi, my name is Jasmyn Ramirez. I'm a fourth-year Cinematic Arts and Technology student at the California State University, Monterey Bay. When You Hear Hoofbeats is my senior thesis project. This film is not just a story I've written, it's the story that was written by experience for me to tell. A sliver of my reality. This film tells my story in a way that speaks to larger volumes. It's not only a film that will serve to inspire, advocate, and inform, but is also the blending of my passions in life: creating and educating. With the help of my collaborator, Yvone Cortes, we will bring this message to the big screen where it will shine proudly for our audiences.
Hi! My name is Yvone Cortes, and I'm a fourth-year Cinematic Arts and Technology student over at California State, Monterey Bay. It’s an honor to be working with Jasmyn as an editor on this project. I truly believe in this film and its main purpose; which is to educate and bring light to a rare form of cancer. My hope, just like Jasmyn’s, is to inform as well as be able to create a piece of art that can illustrate a struggle that not only cancer patients can understand but also their family members and friends.
In April 2022 I was diagnosed with an extremely rare sympathetic retroperitoneal paraganglioma that completely changed my life and perspective of the world. The tumor was attached to both of my major blood sources, the IVC and abdominal aorta, and secreted four different types of catecholamines, making my hormone levels up to 7 times higher than the average person. On top of this, we learned that my blood was very slow to clot, upping the risk factor of the operation. After a grueling series of tests and scans, as well as aggressive hormone therapy, I underwent a very dangerous surgery in July of that same year. My doctors consider me very lucky to have survived.
From the moment I was diagnosed, my entire journey has been dedicated to helping others by informing them of rare conditions like these. I am guided by hopes of making experiences like mine less common.
After a series of tests, we were able to trace a family history of an SDHB gene mutation.
They found mine at 19.
That's a 0.000002% of developing this type of tumor.
From the moment I was diagnosed, my entire journey has been dedicated to helping others by informing them of rare conditions like these. I am guided by hopes of making experiences like mine less common. I have taken every opportunity I can get to advance the discourse surrounding paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas. Here are some ways that I've used my experience to educate others in the last year and a half since my diagnosis:
Throughout my journey from April to July, I filmed video journals that I uploaded to YouTube. This was not only a convenient way to keep my friends and family updated, but, allowed me to reach members of my community and form friendships with other people who have been through the same. Attached is a short compilation of snippets from those videos.
SUMMER 2023: I decided to take my community involvement to the next level by participating in a local Relay For Life event with my family. I partnered with the PheoPara Alliance who provided me with some amazing educational pamphlets, stickers, and bracelets to hand out to folks at the event. I was proud to be there as a representative of this community that is so rarely talked about. Lots of people learned the meaning behind the zebra ribbon that day!
This year, I was asked by the International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance (INCA) to participate in their annual NET Cancer Day campaign as a representative of the United States. Here are videos from that campaign utilizing footage from my interview with them!
This film is stylized in a very specific way with an experimental structure. Each element featured on the screen will carry its own meaning and significance as the film will be layered with symbolism.
Without giving too much away, I urge you to look through this very brief slideshow that summarizes the gist of my film's visual design.
While grappling with rarity I've often asked myself "Why?". I looked to the universe for answers and lost countless hours of sleep over this dooming question. When I received no answers, I realized that it's not up to the universe to provide me with reasons why everything happens in my life, it's up to me to give my misfortunes a purpose. The 'because' is my responsibility to fulfill. Now, I can safely say that this all happened to me because it would lead me to create something that matters. This happened because it would put me in a position to use my creativity to spread awareness.
I've believed all my life in the beauty after the storm, that greatness can emerge from tragedy, and that heartbreak and trauma pave the way to healing and newfound strength. Because of this, I view this film as the crowning achievement of my battle. Here my journey comes full circle. It will not only convey the beauty that has come from my struggle but also allow others to see proof of the phenomenon. If anything, I wish to inspire hope.
When You Hear Hoofbeats is so much more than a Capstone project. Just as it's the culmination of our time at CSUMB, this film is also the beginning of our careers. It's an investment in our future and a project we wholeheartedly believe in. We plan to take it as far as we possibly can.
In the end, we want audiences to leave with something to consider, with hope that each viewer walks away with an understanding that not all hoofbeats are horses and some conditions can be vastly different from others, even if they look the same at first glance.
Your support plays an instrumental role in bringing this dream to life. Your contribution will be noted with an inclusion of your name in the final credits of the film :)
Writer/Director: Jasmyn Ramirez
Assistant Director: Kameron Woods
Associate Producer/ PA: Lianna Wainwright
Director of Photography: Angel G Manriquez
1st Assistant Camera: Hunter McCoy
2nd Assistant Camera: Spencer Garcia
1st Unit Gaffer: Micah Stamps
Best Boy/2nd Unit Gaffer: Juan Dominguez
1st Unit Key Grip: Victor Gonzalez
2nd Unit Key Grip: Armando Ramirez
Grip: David Fernandes
Sound Recordist: Nora Monsen Utsi
Boom Operator: Judit Elena Ostern Lien
Set Designer: Andrew Ylanan
Editor: Yvone Cortez
Sound Design/Composer: Henrik Remøy
Colorist: Aidan Stanford
Credits Designer: Maribel Romo
Logan: Colin Munsell
Doctor: Austin King
🏆 GRAND PRIZE, Beacon Film Festival
🏆 AUDIENCE AWARD: Best Mexico Day Film, Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
🏆BEST COLLEGE FILM: NORCAL, Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
🦓 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Golden Short Film Festival
🦓 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Living Skies Student Film Festival
🦓 OFFICIAL SELECTION - The Film Series by Cine Gear
ramirez.jasmyn.r@gmail.com
HERE ARE SOME AMAZING RESOURCES!!!!!
PHEO PARA ALLIANCE: pheopara.org/
INTERNATIONAL NEUROENDOCRINE CANCER ALLIANCE (INCA): incalliance.org/
NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI): paras-nci
