Introduction
“How do you ignite your passion and elevate your skills and experiences to create your ultimate and most successful Freestyle project?”
The Zenith project challenged Freestyle seniors to apply all of the skills that we’ve learned over the past two years to an ultimate passion project. After nearly two years of learning how to use different creative applications, record technically-sound media, and think critically about the world around us, teachers handed the reins to us for our final Freestyle project. As a film student, I chose to collaborate on an experimental film with my close friend Natalie E. The two of us have collaborated on several documentary advertisements, but this was our first narrative/experimental venture together. Our film addresses themes of change and acceptance, loneliness, and sense of place. These themes felt very topical as we approach the end of our time at high school and and Freestyle. I chose to focus on experimental color grading in Premiere Pro, which is more limited but more convenient than DaVinci Resolve.
Process
1. Pre-Production
Originally, Natalie and I intended to adapt the short story I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman for the screen. However, we ended up writing our own original experimental screenplay that explores a similar concept of isolation. We wrote our 4 page screenplay in Studio Binder with minimal dialogue and many sensory descriptions. Before filming, we found it helpful to storyboard and make a Pinterest board for visual inspiration.
Additionally, Natalie and I decided to sew our own costumes for the film because we were unable to find appropriate dresses at the thrift store. We wanted the dresses, one red and one blue, to exist in an ambiguous time period, so we decided on a long, boxy design. This style was also more manageable for us since we had had little prior sewing experience. The costume making took up most of pre-production, but it was ultimately a rewarding experience.
2. Production
We shot at three main locations: our friend Lily’s basement, an abandoned house, and Montebello Open Space Preserve off of Skyline Boulevard. Location scouting was challenging because we were searching for places that appeared untouched by humans. In our film, we aimed to capture both the loneliness and the natural beauty of the abandoned house and the hills. We even made our talented actors scale a hill to chase a sunset for our last shot. Finally, we filmed one shot of our main character’s hand coming out of a wooden box in the greenscreen room because we couldn’t figure out how to achieve the shot on location.
3. Post-Production
Since I chose to focus on color grading, I spent a lot of time adjusting the Lumetri Color curves in Premiere Pro. I used a monochromatic purple color scheme in the opening montage, a split complementary color scheme in the box scene, and a black-and-white color palette in the abandoned house. However, I used the Color Pass effect to isolate red and blue colors to reflect our characters. I also helped color grade the greenscreen clip to blend in with our on-location footage. Natalie and I decided to experiment with lingering shots that emphasized the settings and the emptiness of the world.
Final Product
Reflection
I chose this project because I wanted to revisit the experimental film style that we learned about at the beginning of Junior year. Although I don’t enjoy watching all experimental films, I greatly admire their creativity and ability to express concepts without dialogue. Thus, it was a challenge to write a unique script that conveyed the meaning we wanted to deliver.
I hope the audience considers the title of our project after watching our film– because I believe that it is applicable to everyone. The main character essentially wakes up one day and discovers that her home is gone, and she must learn to find a sense of belonging in this new world. As a high school senior, I am on the horizon of one of the biggest changes in my life– leaving for college. I’ll have to leave behind all the places and people I’ve grown up around. Our film also addresses the theme of fate and the idea of knowing somebody in a past life. Whether or not free will exists is up to you to decide, but I think that most people feel like their life is out of their control at some point. We want this film to encourage people to walk forward into the future and find a sense of place in the unknown.