Film Production Students Bring the Horror

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Hayden Clark ('23) and Christopher Matias ('23)
October 14, 2022

Film Production students at RMHS are currently filming their short horror films in preparation for Halloween.

Students in Ms. Cuevas’ Film Production classes have been preparing for weeks to make their very own horror short films. After learning the basics of filmmaking and camera techniques, students watched films such as Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Drag Me to Hell to gain inspiration and see how these techniques were used. They then began the process of making their own films by brainstorming ideas, making scripts, and their own shot lists. “The purpose of this class is for students to learn how to use a camera, write scripts, create shot lists, film their projects, and then edit all of that together to create short films,” said Ms. Cuevas. The films will be shown off in class and posted online so students can see what their classmates have created.

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I learned how the small things matter and that’s what can make or break a film.

— Alvin Day ('23)

The students took inspiration from other types of media they’ve watched. Bella Seggese (‘24) stated, “My film is about a lighting designer who is programming lights. It switches back and forth and there’s a black figure that gets closer and closer to her and then eventually takes her and kills her.” Alvin Day (‘23) stated, “My film is heavily inspired by an anime series called Death Note.” Freshman Caleb McGonagle’s film includes a humorous aspect on school life. “Our idea is that kids are misbehaving in school and hanging out in the bathrooms so then they get snatched by lockers.”

Ms. Cuevas has high hopes for the projects her students make. “I hope that students learn how to use a camera and learn different aspects of film that can help make their horror films scary such as lighting, shot composition, and music,” she said. Day said, “I learned how the small things matter and that’s what can make or break a film, like how the camera moves, and the lighting, and how it affects people’s emotions. I hope to make everyone pretty scared and make people laugh.”

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It’s an art class that a lot of schools don’t have access to, and I think it’s a really cool way for a lot of students to express their creativity.

— Ms. Cuevas

Film Production, along with the other classes she teaches, are classes Ms. Cuevas holds close to her, as she grew up taking them. “It’s an art class that a lot of schools don’t have access to, and I think it’s a really cool way for a lot of students to express their creativity. I also took these types of classes when I was in high school and I really enjoyed it so just getting to see the students have fun and make something that’s worthwhile for them is nice.”