PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: MOVIE SCENE RECREATION
This past fall semester, our Actor’s Workshop and Video cohorts joined forces to recreate a scene from a well-known movie. For this classic film school assignment, students selected movie scenes and voted on their favorites. Racism, tragedy (sports injury), intra-racial prejudice, and gun violence were all topics covered in the scenes initially viewed. Video students wrote reflections and shared them in class after they watched each scene as a group. Students in the Actor's Workshop prepared for the project by talking in groups about themes from Hidden Figures that related to their daily lives. Then, they used this discussion to influence the audition tapes they submitted for the role(s) in which they were interested. During auditions that were filmed in and outside of the classroom, they supported one another as scene partners and readers.
Ultimately, students selected a scene from "Hidden Figures," a film set at NASA Langley Research Center in 1961 that highlights the problematic segregated facilities that were in use at the time. The main character of the film and a Black mathematician at NASA, Katherine Johnson (played by Jade Brown in the Actor's Workshop), challenges her boss and fights for both her own and other people's rights. Although it takes place in the past, students identified with the speech and connected the story to modern issues during critical class discussions. By providing access to the tools to do so, Wide Angle gave students a place where they could envision themselves in roles in front of and behind the camera.
The goal of the assignment was to encourage students to consider each scene's subject matter critically while also finding personal connections to the texts themselves. Video students discovered how to use various shot angles to construct a scene, which helped both cohorts acquire an understanding of what a real film set feels like. Each student from both Video and Acting cohorts was assigned a position on set, allowing them to see how important each position is to the success of the entire production. Students were able to experience working as professionals thanks to this wonderful collaboration, which will make it easier for them to audition for roles outside of Wide Angle that call for these advanced skill sets.
Behind the scenes on filming day!
“I was surprised that we actually got through the whole scene! We only had about 90 minutes and we somehow got it done. I was also impressed with how quickly the students were able to comprehend their roles. Lastly, I was shocked that students hung around after class to ask more questions. I think they really learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.” - Maceo Lester, Video Instructor
“This collaboration was a microcosm of the future we aspire towards, where diversity isn’t a token expression but truly is reflected in cast, crew, and the stories told.” - Destiny Brown, Actor’s Workshop Instructor
Student Reflections
Student Bios:
Ali Thomas is a 17-year-old senior at Baltimore City College. She is currently reading “The Darkest Evening” by Ann Cleaves. She got involved with Wide Angle due to her interest in the arts as well as her passion for advocating for social change in Baltimore.
Zalthea Esguerra is a 17-year-old senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. She is currently watching My Hero Academia. She got involved with Wide Angle to gain experience in filmmaking.
What was your role in the project?
“I was the cinematographer or director of photography (DP). This meant I filmed the scenes and was able to give direction to the lighting crew. I contributed to the production by filming the shots and discussing with the director what would produce the best shots.” -Ali
“My role was to be a side character, I contributed by being there for my friends and participating. I learned how to improvise when I wasn’t given any script.” - Zalthea
What new skills did you learn from this project?
“I learned how film sets prepare to film. I learned that as DP I set up cameras, but I do not set up lights. I’ve never made a production that had a crew of more than five people, it was exciting to learn the different jobs that everyone has on set.” -Ali
Was there anything exciting about what you learned/experienced?
“It was very exciting to film an actor. It was very interesting to see how the performance changed between takes!” -Ali
“It was exciting to learn about what angle and lighting to use in specific scenes.” -Zalthea
Were there any challenges you or the class faced that day?
“It was hard not to get the giggles due to nerves. As time went on, everyone understood the rhythm of shooting multiple scenes. There were less nerves as we felt more confident in our work.” -Ali
What was your favorite part of the class?
“My favorite part of class was bonding with my peers” -Ali
“I really love the contribution of everyone making the scene real and recreating it.” -Zalthea
If anything, what was surprising about the class that day?
“It was surprising how many people were in the room! There were multiple advisors there to help us bring the production together. It was very cool to watch the various elements of film such as light, sound and performance come together.” -Ali
“I was surprised by how they told me I did good in what I didn’t expect, because I am not really much of an in-scene person rather a behind the scenes.” -Zalthea
What advice would you give to another student interested in participating in media-making?
“I would advise another student interested in media making to know that enjoying the process of creating media is the first step to making great content” -Ali
“Don’t be afraid to do anything at all! Your potential will always surprise you!” -Zalthea
View the video below!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Lacee is a student at the University of Baltimore pursuing her bachelor's degree in Psychology. Lacee began as an intern with Wide Angle through Urban Alliance. She found great interest in media-making after working on various projects from design to photography to video. She has developed life plans, workforce readiness skills, and design projects for clients such as Baltimore Mediation Center and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her content writing and creation skills have developed tremendously. She’s developed multiple informative posts for Wide Angle’s social media platforms, highlighting Black August, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Coming Out Day, and more.