Every year at CHS, the seniors are a part of the Honors Short Film class, where each creates an original short film. As one of those seniors this past year, creating a short film is definitely a grueling but overall rewarding experience. I wanted to showcase my classmates and my work, so read below to hear more about some of the films that will be premiering and the makers behind each one!
Kit Battiatio, Christmas Break:
My short film is called Christmas Break, and it follows the story of a teenage boy who’s struggling with the idea of his sisters not being able to come home for Christmas. I was inspired to make this my film because, like my main character, Alex, I have two older sisters who both live far away. When I was trying to plan out my story, I knew I wanted it to be heartfelt and have some sort of deeper meaning. It was around Christmas and I began to think about what it would be like to not have my sisters around for the holidays, so I felt like I could make something out of that, and I went with it. And my favorite part of filming was for sure when I would finally get the right shot and could move on!
Sam Kelliher, To Beat or Not To Beat:
My film, To Beat or Not to Beat, is a comedy film about three friends, Ted, Ned, and Fred, who get themselves into some bad beatboxing business and must train to overcome their struggles. The best part of filming was definitely the final showdown, just because it was a really fun shoot and a fun environment. I went into this not wanting to make anything serious but something that can be enjoyed, and I hope everyone who sees this has just as much fun watching it as we did making it.
Regan David, My Friend, Sheeb-Bee-Doo-Bop:
My film, My Friend, Sheeb-Bee-Doo-Bop, is a coming-of-age story including elements of comedy and drama. It is centered around a girl named Mal, who starts hallucinating and imagining her childhood imaginary friend come to life. Filming this was definitely a long process, but I think my favorite part about filming was just hanging out with my actors and being with people who wanted to support my work. They all did an amazing job, and I am really proud of them and how the short film turned out altogether!
Alec Engelke, The Truth Jar:
I first got into filmmaking and video production after a friend recommended it to me. From that suggestion, I attended a pre-college summer program for TV and film at Montclair State University, where I met new friends and learned a lot about film. That experience inspired me to take Honors Short Film, which I enjoyed. Out of the many ideas I thought of, I chose to produce a film about a group of friends who have to make a game for a school assignment, but it goes into chaos. My favorite part was filming, as I finally got to see my creative vision and hard work come to life.
Come to the Short Films Festival on March 2nd to see the live premiere of each of these films, or check them out on the Chatham High School Youtube!
