The black screen in front of them displays strange settings that would be unintelligible to any onlookers. As they navigate through countless menus, adjust several sliders and utilize their editing knowledge, the final product of their masterpiece comes together before their very eyes.
Audio-visual and EagleVision students create their submissions for the narrative and documentary UIL film contests. The students will compete on January 15 where they will go head-to-head with a number of other UIL films from schools across the state.
“I am very excited about all the work that the EagleVision team has put in this year, especially the UIL films,” advisor Neda Morrow said. “They really put a lot of time and effort into having quality videography and ensuring their films are made at a professional level.”
The staff created two documentary films about some of the more obscure aspects of Lindale. They later produced a narrative film with the theatre department that will be entered into the contest.
“A lot of work goes into these films, and it’s a very chaotic environment,” sophomore Miles Hill said. “I’m really happy with how these films turned out, and I’m excited to see how they end up doing.”
Rigorous work goes into these films prior to the actual filming, such as storyboarding, planning and setting up interviews. Meanwhile, during the production process, a variety of different shots are used to set the scenes for these films.
“A lot of people just think it’s incredibly easy,” sophomore Lauren Knox said. “In reality, it’s a lot deeper than that. It requires strategy and careful micromanaging to ensure that each shot is perfect.”
The first documentary film centers around the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) program and their role in student ministry in Lindale. The second documentary focuses on a local farm with miniature horses where the life skills students can receive hands-on experience by caring for the animals.
“Both films are going to be great,” Morrow said. “These groups in our community have done a lot for the Life Skills students and local ministries by choosing to use their abilities in Lindale.”
The narrative film follows a much more grim premise. It follows the actions of a stalker as he records and terrorizes his victims in a Halloween-themed horror film.
“I really enjoyed this film because I’m a huge fan of the aspect of horror,” junior Madison Beaird said. “We knew we would be filming it right before Halloween and the spooky aspect of the film matches that holiday perfectly.”
Lindale has had a lot of success with the UIL film competition in the past, making it out of the first round of competition every year. Previously, the documentary on Mr. Larry Wilson was the ILPC state champion, and it also made it to the UIL semi-final round.
“I think people think you can just point your phone at things and a film just pops out, and maybe there are apps like that but they are all made for small viewing screens,” Morrow said. “For a film that’s going to be projected onto a large screen and have professional quality, it requires professional equipment and has to be done correctly. Otherwise, it won’t be done right.”
UPDATE 2/26: The documentary films discussed here made it to the state contest. “Miniature Blessings was named the state champion documentary, and “YWAM” placed 5th.
