Not going to bother with an excuse for how long it’s been since I last posted. I don’t have one. I can hope that this will hit my momentum to start posting more often, but I promise nothing.
As per my usual in-person storytelling style, the needlessly detailed story of what I did past year:
So fall 2010 when I came to campus, I was sure from the start that I wanted to be involved with some form of storytelling. I wanted to be a filmmaker/screenwriter (hence the major in Electronic Media Production), but would have been okay with anything that needed stories -- video games, radio dramas, magazine serials.
I began looking for an independent film group, but couldn’t find one. Someone suggested a group called “College Summit,” but its group description seemed to imply most of their films were in some form of awareness raising. That wasn’t what I needed.
I tried to get my own group started, and got together a motley young band of mostly freshmen and sophomores who wanted to get involved as well. Once a few of us were gathered, though, I went to a professor, who suggested that I look for another professor named Traci Williams who had already made the sort of group I was trying to make. I quickly wrote her name (on my arm with a Sharpie, since that was the only writing device I could find handy), looked her up, and sent her an email.
After a very long game of phone tag, I finally came in contact with Traci, and she told me about her group: “College Summit.” It’s actually Kent’s independent film group, made by collaboration of several departments. They were just finishing up their first feature-length film, a martial arts thriller called Breaking News.
I went to the premiere of Breaking News, and managed to join the filmmaking class to become involved in the next film that spring semester. Though I went into the preproduction class with hopes of being a writer, I quickly saw and accepted that I wasn’t ready.
Over the course of that spring, I watched our class discussions become a script. I watched as parts of that script became a song. I watched the characters develop faces and personalities in casting. I watched as all the details I never knew I never knew about film slowly fell into place. I watched, learned, and tried to help as much as I could.
I went into summer’s production with the same attitude, and quickly developed a reputation with several other crew members for being willing to help and work. Those two months are possibly the highlight of my entire year, spending almost all day of almost every day doing a variety of tasks (some interesting, some more mundane) to help MAKE A MOVIE. After a lot of stress, frustrating reorganization, and insanely toasty sets (lights heat up quickly), the filming was finally complete.
Fall post-production I saw bits of the editing and marketing process, and continued to help out where I could. “Where I could” was a bit more limited than spring and summer, but I still got to watch and learn about parts of filmmaking and editing that most people don’t even think much about.
Finally, on December 8th, the day of release came. Seeing the film in its finished form was incredible. Watching as the ideas a few people threw out early on in class become actual plots and characters. Seeing how the college students I met at the spring and summer orientations became my commiserators, partners and friends over summer. Reflecting on how I learned more about what I want to do and how to do them in this experience alone more than my first three semesters of “major” classes combined.
It’s insane to think about how much has happened over the course of 12 months. God has, as always, continued his old habit of letting pieces fall into place at all the right times. I can’t wait to be involved with the next film!
Congratulations to our directors, to the cast, and to my fellow crew members for a successful year of making a fricken movie!
-Caleb Ference
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