While movies like “Wicked” and “Wuthering Heights” hit the box office, WS students are taking film production into their own hands.
Juniors and Film Club co-presidents Jordan Frogale and Madison Cieplinski wrote and directed “The Punchline”, a short film about a young boy struggling his way through a busy high school day.
For Frogale, the project was both a creative outlet and a stepping stone toward a future career.
“I’ve been really into film, and I want to do it in college,” said Frogale. “So I thought making a film club would be a great way to do that, and I really wanted to make more short films on top of what I’m doing for my academy class.”
The collaborative club naturally attracted more than just aspiring directors. Senior Jack Dowdy, who plays the lead in “The Punchline”, found that the club provided the perfect stage to pursue a lifelong ambition.
“I’m not one of the creators of the short film, but I’ve always had a thing for film in its entirety, ever since I was about ten years old,” said Dowdy. “I’ve always had a dream to try to make it big, get myself out there. I saw posters for making this short film while I was sitting in Film Study, and I was like ‘this is my chance’.”
Making a movie isn’t all glitz and glamour, though. From microphone mishaps to passerby passing by to cackling castmates, interruptions often set filming behind.
“Keeping it together during the scenes is definitely a struggle for me,” said Dowdy. “When something funny happens, I turn into a giggle monster during all the scenes. I find it hard to keep it together, but eventually I lock in.”
Beyond the temporary distractions, the club also wrestled with the logistical nightmare of fluctuating schedules and commitment levels, all common obstacles for any new student organization starting to find its footing.
“We didn’t get a lot of people at first, and we had a lot of people that stopped coming,” said Frogale. “It was hard to get people into it. But I think we’ve done a lot of advertising up to this point, and next year we’ll be able to get more people.”
Production wraps up mid-March, and The Punchline will be sent off to the VHSL Film Festival judges to decide its fate. The cast and crew have a collective hope that the movie will “place”— get chosen as one of the three best student films in Virginia— but each has a different goal for their experience with Film Club.
“I hope to have a grand ol’ time, and to make some new friends,” said Finn Keser, junior and vice president of the club.
“I hope to have something to show my family, show to my friends,” said Dowdy. “Best case scenario, I hope somebody in the film industry sees it and asks for more of my work.”
“I hope that the students get a bigger love for film than they had before by making some cool stuff,” said Ms. Rubio, film studies teacher and club sponsor.
