Savanna Lee is a creative filmmaker who calls Madison home and plans to redefine storytelling through her camera lens and entrepreneurship. Lee graduated from Robert M. LaFollette High School in June 2020. Lee highlights her high school career with her time spent in Yearbook Class. Initially, only taking it to satisfy a junior year requirement, she quickly fell in love with photography and reenrolled in the class for senior year.
She became captivated by the art of photography, where she was able to truly capture people in their element. Lee was also an AVID Tops Scholar, which granted her the opportunity to learn about and prepare for college right in her classroom. It was in this classroom, where Communication Arts students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison came to visit her class. The students shared their experiences, career goals, and all the opportunities UW–Madison had to offer that aligned with their interests. In this moment, the lightbulb went off for Lee, and she knew what major and career she would be pursuing after high school.
While Lee never originally thought of filmmaking as a career, after declaring a major two months into her freshman year at University of Wisconsin–Madison, she was affirmed in her decision. Even though she started college in September 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, she was determined to make the most of her time at UW–Madison. Officially, she was majoring in Communication Arts (RadioTelevision-Film). To her benefit, the majority of UW–Madison’s offerings focused on film. Her courses delve deep into film theory, different genres, and making sense of the industry. She had a few production classes that were quite involved with sets and props. Her favorite class, ‘Advanced Motion Picture Production Workshop’, fell into this category. This seven-credit course produced her Senior Capstone Project, Tuned In. She holds true that the course lived up to the expectations set forth by her professors at the start of this course, during her final semester. Her professor said, “Welcome to your part-time job!” A job where she would be paid in knowledge, skills, and a tangible opportunity to create a real film. Within this same semester, Lee took five other classes and successfully graduated in May 2024.
Lee’s first love will always be photography, so she naturally gravitated toward the Director of Photography role on the film set. Lee has now worked on five short films and has been the Director of Photography on two. Like the film industry novice I am, I instinctively had a ton of questions for Lee about what her role does and how she works on a set. She explained, in the most layman of terms, the Director of Photography operates the camera. No film can be shot without her, and she works closely with the Director. Most of her work is actually completed during pre-production, the period before shooting takes place. During this time, she will map out the film and decide what the camera will capture. As her love for the camera has grown and developed, Lee is committed to sharing the world through her unique perspective.
In addition to her career, Lee also found her community during her time at UWMadison. Her community of creatives, that she found in class, have become the friendships she took with her after graduation. These are friends that she actively creates films with, and they all intend to create a production company together. Think Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, or Walt Disney Studios. Lee and her classmates are on the cusp of creating something local, independent, and collaborative.
The group’s first film, ‘Sister Fight,’ premiered January 31st, 2026, at the Bartell Theatre here in Madison and March 15th, 2026, at The Rat NYC in New York City. As their first post-grad project, Lee and her classmates dealt with the ups and downs of being truly independent. With complete autonomy, the group thrived without school commitments but were stretched without the structure and guidance provided by professors. With just 23 crew members, the film was shot and edited within a year. With Lee behind the camera, viewers are truly seeing the story of Sister Fight come to life through her eye. The idea created by the writer, vision executed by the director, story portrayed by the cast, Lee is bringing it all together through her lens as the Director of Photography.
Behind the camera is where Lee is learning to thrive, but she also expresses storytelling with her own pen. Presently, she is working on her own story. A coming-ofage truth about young adult life, navigating transitions. To her, filmmaking represents so much for youth as they learn to maneuver through life and gives creatives infinite modes of expression. She wishes she knew about the film industry sooner but is grateful for the involvements and experiences that ultimately led her to it. Lee has now had the opportunity to return to local middle schools, including her alma mater, Ray F. Sennett Middle School, and share her journey with students.
Lee currently works at the Urban League of Greater Madison as a Marketing Specialist. While growing her skills in and outside of the office, Lee looks forward to a vibrant career spent telling cool stories and transforming ideas into reality.
