By: Jett Zwahlen and Alfonso Reyes Vazquez
For seniors in El Diamante High School’s Media Arts Academy, all their experience, months of preparation, filming, and editing will culminate in one final project; their senior thesis films. These final projects push the seniors to showcase the skills they have developed over the past four years, and this year’s films promise to be some of the most ambitious ones yet. Each senior thesis film presents a unique creative vision, but not without its challenges that students must overcome.
Photo By Jett Zwahlen
Yixuan Liang’s film, Dough Bros, follows a trio who robs a pizza joint, which also is a front for a drug operation. The film features an intricate set built inside the Butler Building by the pool —something Liang has never done before. According to Liang, “[I believe] the main problem we’ll face is how we are going to light a scene […], but with enough research on lighting in pre-production, we will be able to overcome it.” Liang follows advice from former seniors and past alumni from the academy such as “To make the most out of every day. There isn’t a day that should go by without doing [something], and we need to take advantage of all the time we have access to.”
Liang also shared how, in past projects, he’s often procrastinated. For Liang currently, it’s a priority to get things done in advance for this project to not decrease the project’s quality.
Liang expressed how excited he is to see how the film will look in the end. Through this project, he’s learned a lot about color grading and believes that the film will look great with the combination of the newly added Red Komodo 6k Camera.
Photo by Jett Zwahlen
Meanwhile, Mateo Arredondo & Bennett Martella’s film Pieces of Me takes on a much more emotional and experimental approach. The film follows an elderly man suffering from dementia, but it tells his story in reverse chronological order. This storytelling method is meant to let the audience experience memory loss in the same fragmented way the character does and view events as they slowly unfold.
“With this film, I hope to create a genuine piece of art that makes the audience forget they are watching a student film,” Mateo Arredondo says. “I want to make something that will make the audience feel things and leave them thinking about it long after they’ve left the theater.”
Director of Photography and Producer Bennett Martella expressed how this was a new experience for him, especially serving as the head of the camera department and working with new people. “I think the biggest thing we’ll struggle with is time management,” Martella says. “It’s really difficult to be super-efficient on a film set, especially when you have to balance your film life with the rest of your life.” Martella also shares that he is really excited about this project, and hopes that his last three years of effort will be worth it. They are currently in the late stages of pre-production, and they hope the months of preparation will help them when they begin filming.
Photo by Jett Zwahlen
Teachers of the Media Arts Academy Mr. Watamura and Mr. Hopper also shared how they helped prepare the seniors for this final project. Mr. Hopper says “We prepare for senior films starting freshman year with all the training we do. […] Some of this training is in a classroom situation, but a majority is giving students many opportunities to crash and burn. [We allow students to] make mistakes as [they] experiment out of their comfort zones” while also insisting that seniors “can’t be creative and stressed at the same time” saying seniors need to plan and be creative ahead of time as Mr. Watamura also mentioned that seniors have plenty of resources to help with their films such as a full sound stage and even a small budget.
Both Hopper and Watamura expressed how important it is for seniors to not slack off when it comes to this project. “I encourage students to change their minds tomorrow and take action today as plenty of times waiting until tomorrow is compromising what you wanted, “Watamura says. “Any decision you make today can be re-decided later.” Watamura includes that seniors often don’t use their time well, and often rush the process at the end.
“[If they] stay on pace, listen to the teachers, and get their casting done early they’ll be in great shape,” Watamura adds. While hoping the seniors will maintain an efficient pace but also listen to the teachers, Watamura and Hopper try to be as “Hands-off as possible” and let the students lead.
As these seniors in the Media Arts Academy commence with their Senior Thesis Films, they step into the final moments of their high school film career. The past four years they have spent have been filled with plenty of experiences, all coming together for this final project. The senior Thesis Films from Liang, Arredondo, and Martella don’t just mark their final project and moment in the academy, it marks their growth of creativity and dedication to filmmaking.