Film students persist through fall break setbacks
by Emily McKeehan, Triangle staff writer
For many members of the Bryan College community, fall break was a time of relaxation either at home or on vacation. However, fall break was far from relaxing for a group of student filmmakers who stayed at Bryan to make films for three chapels after Thanksgiving.
Suffering through rain, the antics of an 11-foot snake and a car accident, the film students persevered and managed finish all their filming on time.
According to senior Colton Davie, the desire to work on a project this year began after last year’s fall break, when he and a group of students worked on a film.
While the students did not have a specific project in mind, Associate Professor of Communication Studies Chris Clark said that Matt Benson, dean of spiritual formation, approached him about doing a few films for chapel. Clark said that once he approached the students about it, they eagerly took up the project.
“They did a very good job of…motivating themselves,” Clark said.
During most of the week, rainy weather created problems for the team of filmmakers. The group had to take such measures as creating coverings for the cameras and lights while shooting and making sure the equipment was not blown over by the wind.
Despite the long hours in the rain – 18 to 20 hours during the day and eight or nine hours at night, according to junior Bryce McGuire – senior Colton Davie said that he was impressed with the attitude of the filming crew.
“When we were finished I was so proud of everybody because they just pushed through and had a good attitude the whole time,” Davie said.Another complication the filming team faced came in dealing with an 11-foot reticulated python named Quetza, which belongs to Andrew Gonzalez, a recent Bryan graduate.
“There’s always trouble when you’re dealing with animals,” Clark said. “They’re like kids: they never do what you want them to do.”
While trying to shoot the scenes with the snake, McGuire said, Quetza kept slithering in the wrong direction, which caused them to have to shoot the scene several more times than usual.
The biggest setback was not the damp weather or a runaway snake, though. On Oct. 15, Davie’s car slid off the road at Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness. Driven by Josiah Staggers from Indianapolis, Ind., with freshman Daniel Impson riding passenger, the car slid about 40 feet down a ravine, according to McGuire.
Davie’s car totaled, Staggers was taken to the hospital where he received staples and stitches for his head injuries.
Although the team was considerably shaken up by the accident and hesitant to continue filming, Staggers encouraged the team to finish the filming, which they did that night, after the rain finally cleared away.
“We had to keep on shooting because you know people had donated time and money and a lot of effort into this project,” McGuire said.
The Bryan community did a lot – from allowing students to stay on campus to visiting Staggers while he was in the hospital – in order to support the filming team, according to McGuire.
Clark said he was impressed by the dedication of the students themselves.
“There’s something to be said about a small group of men and women that really own their cause,” Clark said. “There’s a sense of camaraderie. There’s a sense of ‘…We’re just going to get it done, no matter what.’”
by Rob Yates, guest writer
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