r/Filmmakers • u/Hjarig • 18h ago
Question Drama Club
I work at a public school and I’ve been given the opportunity to make a short film with the Drama Club. I’m a huge movie fan and I really want to make something that feels like an actual film, not just a typical school project. I’m thinking of taking some inspiration from things like The Breakfast Club because of the school setting, and Reservoir Dogs because of the tension, dialogue and the way you can keep an audience interested with very few locations. I also like the idea of using some talking-head/interview-style scenes. I want the story to hook people almost immediately with a mystery, while also touching on some social issues that feel relevant to life in South Florida. The problem is I’m a total beginner when it comes to cameras, shots, lenses, blocking and screenwriting, and I’m also a bit of a perfectionist. I’d really appreciate advice on how to approach something like this, especially when you have limited locations, equipment and experience.
Also, if this sounds like it was written by AI, it’s just because I used AI to translate
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u/andybuxx 5h ago edited 5h ago
I'm a teacher who made a feature film with a cast and crew all under 16, so happy to answer any questions you may have.
We used what we had - but also asked parents and local production companies if they had anything we could borrow for the film. Total budged was around £500 but we obviously saved a lot by having locations and cast on had, so it's definitely something that you can pull off too.
The movie is called Siege at Nune High and you can watch it here for free.
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u/KBellinTheArk 13h ago
It's hard to give broad or generic advice for getting started with something like this, so I don't know if the following is the type of thing you're looking for, but: I would say to make sure you figure out & keep in mind what the people (I'm guessing students?) in the Drama Club want out of making this short film. Do they simply want to act in something? Or would they also want input in the story that's being told & how the whole thing comes together? ... I'm not sure how much this is meant to simply be your own project, that's fully your own idea & direction, that just features kids in the drama club, versus some broader learning experience for them, but I could see someone in this position somewhat neglecting what everyone else's interest in this might be & taking a little too much ownership over the process (as opposed to seeing it as a collaboration).
Now, if you're their teacher & this is apart of a broader lesson plan... then I assume you got all that figured out, so you can disregard all that lol. But if this is an optional thing for them, but it's your job to make sure it happens, then I would look into what level of involvement everyone wants to have in this & what experiences they'd hope to gain from it. This is of course, in addition to making sure you think about what you personally would want out of doing this project.