By Canaan Sellers
On top of the documentary work we have been doing while in Paros, a few of us students have taken it upon ourselves to make short films on the side for fun. I was a part of both films, and I got to direct the first one. It is a 2-3 minute short film about a tourist who is caught up taking photos on his camera instead of enjoying the sites for himself. We decided to call the film “The Viewfinder.”
This was the first short film I have worked on while feeling confident throughout that the final product will turn out as imagined. It was a great feeling working on the film and being efficient enough to be able to shoot during sunset, a very small window of time, that is often avoided in amateur filmmaking. Another cool part of the project was having dedicated roles with some friends of mine. My friend Colin is the actor, Abe is the foley artist, and Jake is the VFX artist. Having friends I can trust with an aspect of a project makes things much easier to accomplish, especially when it comes to something like VFX, or sound design, which are both out of my specialty a bit.
The most notable part of this experience was that this is one of the first short film stories I have worked on where I am deeply relating to the experience of the main character while I am making the story. I personally feel like it is hard to just sit and enjoy things, and I tend to take photos or videos rather than experiencing it. This emotional connection to the message of the short film I believe is what makes it meaningful. It’s a very simple story and something that most people relate to, especially when traveling. I am more than grateful to have a group of friends I can effectively work on short films with in the short time allotted while in Paros Greece. 