Pacific Index

Issue date: 12/3/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Brianna Rosen Producer Juno-Ann Apalla moonlights as makeup artist for "Hard As Nails".

Media Credit: Brianna Rosen "Hard As Nails" actor Chris Mikulic prepares for his part in a scene as crew members Edward Macomber III and Natalie Lucker stand at the ready.

Media Credit: Brianna Rosen Adriana Kapfer, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Chris Mikulic and Mica Dumas take a break.

Media Credit: Brianna Rosen Mica Dumas playing the role of a grieving sister.

Media Credit: Brianna Rosen Edward Macomber III sets up at Copper Basin Spa.

Students are behind and in front of the camera this semester, as the Media Arts Narrative Production class is in the process of capturing and producing three short films.

The three films, titled "Hard as Nails", "In Memorium" and "Tracks" are being both directed and produced by class members, who conducted a search for actors, make up artists and costume designers among the student population as well.

Previews for each film will be presented in the Milky Way on Dec. 11 in conjunction with the presentation of two fall semester media arts senior projects. The senior project presentations, featuring General Media major Melissa Lowery and Journalism major Sarah Grafton, will begin at 5 p.m. The film previews will commence after, at approximately 7 p.m.

Though a majority of the filming took place throughout Forest Grove from Nov. 19-22, the films will not be released until May after the same students enter a second-phase production class in which they will edit and complete their projects.

"We'll be editing the film, learning the whole process of post-production," said Juno-Ann Apalla, "Hard as Nails" producer.

Due to a class conflict, Apalla will not be a member of the post-production class next semester, but will continue to work on the project with her current classmates.

"I can't separate myself from the film! I'm a producer - it's not gonna happen."

When asked about the filming experience, "Tracks" producer Lowery said, "We had really great locations. Some I will never be able to find again.

"We had some police drama. That was fun," she said, concerning some of their film shoots that involved students playing homeless people. "Unfortunately we didn't get it on camera, but the Forest Grove Police Department was very cool."

Each group of filmmakers within the class had to develop their own story for the film. "Hard as Nails" was taken from a short story written by 2009 Creative Writing alumna, Rachel Burbank.

"[Filming was] exhausting, but it was all very rewarding because of the product that you get out of putting it together," said Apalla. "The film starts out as just bits and pieces of ideas in your head, and the whole process of putting it together with other people and their ideas…it's just kind of magical."

The cast and crew for "In Memorium" is still working on shooting scenes, but fully expects to present a trailer at the Dec. 11 showing along with their classmates.

"[The film] is going to be different; it'll be more of a non-linear type of thing, where the transitions might jump from one location to the next without really explaining why," said Producer David Panton, sophomore. "It's going to make you think."

"I have been excited this whole semester," he said concerning the film. "It's finally happening. Obviously there are a lot of people helping us with this film. Store locations that we have been shooting at, friends, family.

We want to have more of the student community get involved. Last year it was mainly the film students and their friends. Hopefully this year they'll reach out more to the general population of the school."

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