To gain filmmaking experience, Souderton students are bringing their ideas to life through short films made during spare time and class time.
For junior Mateya Bade, the experience was a chance to “build connections” with people.
“[During filming], I was using my skills and building my connections with people,” Bade said.
According to camera operator Lauren Hange, communication was an “important” part of the process.
“Because I already knew [most] of the actors, it was relatively easy to communicate with them,” Hange said. “Because we are all friends, everybody was constantly talking [between takes], so you also have to be patient.”
For Hange, getting to work with enjoyable people makes the process easier.
“It makes working the camera seem less like a job and more like a privilege,” Hange said.
According to Bade, confidence was “built” during filming.
“At first, I was not very confident,” Bade said. “Filming helped me build my confidence with being around cameras and making eye contact with people.”
For junior Karissa Berosh, the experience helped improve skills like “working in a team” and boosted confidence.
“Knowing the people I was filming with made the experience a lot easier because I was already comfortable,” Berosh said. “It was still a bit nerve-wracking because I had never done [acting] before.”
Another “bonus” to filming with friends, according to Berosh, was the quality time the cast spent together. “The best part of the project was getting to [better] know everyone involved in the project,” Berosh said. “We got to spend time together producing something we were all proud of.”
For Berosh, there were “many challenges” that occurred throughout the filming process.
“I think that this experience has helped me become better prepared for group projects,” Berosh said. “Memorizing lines got easier for me the more we filmed and the more we practiced our lines together.”
According to Berosh, the process took “over a month” between writing the script, filming and editing the final product.
“It was a long process, but it was really interesting to see,” Berosh said.
For Hange, the experience has been a fun way to spend time with friends.
“Filmmaking is a really fun experience when you let yourself have fun,” Hange said. “I loved joking around with the cast members and they liked to get in front of the camera to do silly stuff.”
For Bade, the filmmaking experience has been a way to have fun and make the most of her talent. “At the start, I had trouble memorizing my lines,” Bade said. “By the middle of our filming [duration], I was able to read all my lines without a script.”
Another favorite part of the process for Hange was getting to share knowledge with the crew regarding the equipment, as it was the crew’s first time filming.
“It was getting to teach the director how to operate the camera that I loved,” Hange said. “I love seeing people learn and practice new skills and then be able to use it on their own.”