The Video 1 and 2 classes are producing monster movies, or “creature features,” paying homage to the genre’s films of the 1950s. Filming is scheduled to be conducted December 2 through 13.

This project replaces the previous year’s Film Noir project.

According to video teacher Justin Seligman, the purpose of the project is for students to learn about films from the 1950s. “It will help them understand more fully 1950s cinema,” he explained. The students will learn “how to properly film a dialogue scene, a montage scene, and how to film using a piece of [camera] equipment called a jib.”

Monster costumes, a vital component of the genre, will include “Wolfman, ET, Gorilla, Chewbacca, Gizmo, Dragon King, Space Alf and Yeti,” explained Seligman.

In previous years the classes created movies emulating the 1950s film noir genre, but film noir was “particularly difficult due to the themes.” According to Seligman, topics such as betrayal and deception would be harder for Video 1 students to cover “in terms of acting and performance.”

Seligman said monster movies are easier because the 1950s versions were low quality. “They were horribly done, so the students can bring a little more humor to the acting. Not just the dialogue, but the performance itself,” he said.

Sophomore Thomas Flynn prefers the monster movie project to film noir because Drama 1 students, who acted in the film noir projects as part of a collaboration between the classes, will not be a part of the monster movies. This time Video students will be acting in the films themselves.

The Video classes will however, be borrowing materials from other departments to use as props. “We have brain models from the psychology department, we have specimens from the biology department and anatomy department, and we have lots of chemistry equipment from the chem department. We’re using dry ice as well,” Seligman explained.

Filming will end December 13th, and final edits are scheduled for early January.