The Journey of a WFMA Film Project
Hear from three Walnut Hill Writing, Film, & Media Arts (WFMA) students - Andrew, Leah, and Esther - and WFMA teacher Matthew Seifert, as we follow them and their experience creating a film project for a class assignment. Stay until the end to view their final project - Love You to Death.
Step 1: Hands-on experience with equipment and software
Students come to Walnut Hill with varying levels of experience with filmmaking equipment, from cameras to software to lighting and beyond. In fact, some may have never filmed anything before. Regardless of their experience level, all WFMA students are taught how to use the tools that will take their storytelling from idea to reality.
“The first time I touched a real camera was here in WFMA during a film practicum class. It was a totally new experience for me.” - Esther
Also integrated into the program is the development of soft skills necessary to grow as a director, like versatility, openness to feedback, creative problem solving, and reflection. This initial hands-on phase was vital groundwork that built their confidence and skills, setting them up for success on upcoming projects.
Step 2: Brainstorming and pitching ideas
After being assigned into groups of three, Matt provided the bumpers, or assignment requirements, for this project. This time, students had to tell a story that's in alignment with the constraints found in most film school portfolio requirements.
Esther, Andrew, and Leah said that this brainstorming and pitching process was extremely collaborative, with everyone sharing ideas openly and then working together to refine and select the best concept to move forward.
"We don't tell students what stories to tell. They tell their own stories; all we do is provide bumpers. We work with them to give feedback and guide their vision.” - Matthew Seifert
Step 3: Scriptwriting and outlining
After choosing one idea, the group collaborated on writing the script and developing a detailed outline. Utilizing collaborative software tools like Final Draft, Andrew, Esther, and Leah could work on finessing the script together, while also looking ahead at other preproduction tasks.
“Sometimes you reach blocks when you're working on something alone, where you just don't know what to do next, but when you're working collaboratively, someone in the group is always going to have an idea. We worked together, going back and forth and filling in the blanks of each other's thoughts. Collaboration isn’t a hurdle, but definitely something that helps you instead. " - Leah
Lights, Camera, Collaboration: How Teamwork Drives WFMA Projects
Step 5: Test shooting
Test shooting is a crucial step to ensure they are prepared for filming on shooting day. It allowed them to experiment with new shot ideas, get a sense of the space, and make revisions to their shot list based on the feedback they received. Test shooting is all about problem solving and experimentation.
"We not only had collaboration within our group, but we also got a lot of feedback from Matt about our story and shot list, changing things multiple times. It's not just your raw ideas, you're getting feedback from people in the program." - Leah
Step 6: Shooting the film
The big day finally arrived. Leah, Andrew, and Esther were understandably nervous going into the shoot. Esther was consistently in the cinematographer role, making creative decisions like using the fisheye lens. Andrew took on the role of Director, working with the actors and trying to get them into the right headspace of their characters. Leah was the Script Supervisor/Shot Supervisor, giving cues to Esther to stay on track and get the shots they needed.
“The vibe on set ended up being really positive - everyone really wanted to be there and was just helping each other out." - Leah
As anyone who has worked on a collaborative artistic project knows, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. In their case, it was a battery drainage issue that had them running across campus to find charged batteries and chargers. Even with that, the trio said shooting was a fun and empowering experience.
The shoot ended up lasting a bit over 3 hours, going slightly longer than the scheduled class time. But the team was grateful when the cast and crew volunteered to stay late.
"There was a moment when it was 5 p.m. and class was technically done. We asked the cast and crew, are you willing to stay here even though you are technically no longer obligated to stay here? It was really an amazing moment when they all decided that, yes, we're going to stay, we're going to be here for you and help you finish the last few shots." - Leah
Overall, the experience was a valuable lesson in trust and collaboration. Leah said she learned to "trust my teammates" and not try to control every variable herself. Esther appreciated how "all of us are willing to get our hands dirty" and contribute ideas. And Andrew realized "the importance of having each person focus on their specific role so that all aspects of the film are executed well."
Step 7: Editing
The team then moved to the editing phase, discovering some favorite shots they're excited to include. It was only once looking at the raw footage from the shoot that they were able to find some great surprises. Not only that, this was the final phase before their project finally came together.
The team is proud of the work they've done so far in WFMA at Walnut Hill.
“What I learned going from filming to editing is how much control you have as an artist over the final project. You can build your world by stitching it together to your liking. As a team, we had that power.” - Andrew
The final product—watch it here!
After months of work, Leah, Esther, and Andrew are ready to premiere their film, Love You to Death.
"It's not necessarily having the finished product, even though we will be very proud of it, but it's really about what you learned and what you gained from the experience." - Andrew
- WFMA