Most feature length Hollywood films take months for production. There are hundreds of crew members doing a million different jobs and an amazing cast exerting a lot of emotional, mental, and physical energy to play their part, all working together to create a beautiful movie. I got a taste of the set life this past weekend during SU Filmmakers Club’s second annual 48 Hour Film Festival, where a group of friends and I (shout-out to fellow KXSU Arts Reporter, Cameron Fairchild! Read his articles here: https://www.kxsu.org/tag/cameron-fairchild/) were given 48 hours to create a short film. It was one of the most exhausting 48 hours of my life, but definitely worth it in getting to work with fellow filmmakers and getting a chance to do what I love: making films.
Besides a few requirements, we were given a lot of creative freedom to make our film. It had to be seven minutes or less, a team of five people or less, we had to use an envelope as a prop, and we had to have something spill. These guidelines were super easy to work with but still gave us a chance to interpret how we wanted to use an envelope and a spillage in regards to our story.
I had the privilege of being able to direct the film and play the protagonist, Juno Garcia. Rachel Dunn, Cameron Fairchild, Makana Holgerson, and Connor Torres made up the rest of the crew; my friend and KXSU’s Head Arts Reporter Cameron Payne and SU Filmmakers club president Cade Taylor starred in the film as well. I loved working with all of them over the weekend — there were definitely a lot of laughs shared between everyone while filming scenes where we would mess up our lines or one of the props wasn’t working. Working closely with so many people on a film set and bonding with all of them is an atmosphere that I have always wanted to be a part of, as I have seen lots of actors and crew members create meaningful friendships with each other behind-the-scenes. It’s something I look forward to if I ever get the chance to work in the film industry one day.
The story follows my character, Juno, throughout a day in her life. She’s been having a tough time recently trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, so she makes the decision to live her life to the fullest by following her passions and making every day count. There is a twist at the end (who doesn’t love a good twist?) that you’ll just have to watch the film to see.
This was the second short film I got to direct for an SU Filmmakers Club project and both films have furthered my desire to be a director one day. Being an actor was a new thing for me as well. Since we were short on time and didn’t want to rely too heavily on friends with busy schedules, I gladly volunteered. I was a little nervous, but it was so much fun being someone else for a few hours and getting to know the character and the story I wanted to tell a lot better. I wasn’t too shabby, if I do say so myself. Overall, participating in the 48 Hour Film Festival was such an amazing experience for me as a student filmmaker, and I cannot wait to make more in the future (and possibly for the rest of my life!).
You can watch the playlist of the rest of the films made by some awesome student filmmakers here.
FRANCES DIVINAGRACIA | Support ur friends and their art! | KXSU Arts Reporter