By Avana Zenner
Staff Writer
After months of hard work, Costa’s Cinema Club created a short movie entitled “12:48.” Written and produced entirely by students, the film took over three months to complete and is now in the editing stage with plans to be completed in January.
“12:48” follows a teen boy and his struggle with grief after losing his best friend in a fatal car accident. According to senior Larson Willberg, being able to work on the film was an amazing experience.
“The opportunity to be a part of this film was a unique and valuable experience for everyone involved,” said Willberg. “Kaden Socrates, one of our directors, did an amazing job making the workflow and set experience as close to a professional level as possible, giving everyone involved exposure to filmmaking at a level you wouldn’t see in most film classes.”
Although the film was created by students here at Costa, the club hired its own actors, based in the Los Angeles County, to play the characters in the movie. The Cinema Club relies primarily on donations to pay for both its production costs and compensation for the actors.
“It is very difficult to find funds for the film because filming something is a very expensive process.” Junior Kai Brennan said. “We are very fortunate to have our partners donate tech, and we are working hard to make money for the club.”
Upperclassmen in the club were in charge of writing and production, but all members were invited to participate in the film’s production. Socrates and recent Costa alumnus Maddox Chen were directors for “12:48.” Willberg worked as the head writer, and Brennan was both the talent manager and audio operator.
“The main element to this project’s success was definitely teamwork,” said Willberg. “We were able to successfully divide and conquer what we each specialize in and have it come together to make something pretty special.”
According to Brennan, the hardest part of the entire process was the scheduling conflicts that arose between the actors and crew because creating a film takes time and sacrifice. That being said, Brennan still thought the project was a positive experience and hopes to include more of Costa’s student body in future projects.
“I had a great time working with actors because the set atmosphere was really positive,” said Brennan. “We are looking to connect with more MCHS drama kids for possible actors this year for the convenience of location.”
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