Screenwriters work deep in thought to synthesize scripts. Special effects artists and animators meticulously examine scenes. Actors rehearse and practice thoroughly. Except this isn’t the film industry: this is Amador’s Director’s Cut, a new club on campus dedicated to bringing students together through film.
“The main motivation behind starting the club was [because] film is something that I’m really interested in and passionate about, and I hoped that there would be other people on campus who also shared the same interest…[The club] is just supposed to be a chill environment where people can explore different aspects of film,” said Amador Director’s Cut President Gargi Kanetkar (‘27).
A Role for Everyone
Amador’s Director’s cut isn’t limited to directing. In fact, it enables students to try their hand at a variety of different skills and trades involved in the film industry.
“We have quite a lot [of different roles]. We have the technical aspects of editing, music, and all the technology stuff. And then we have traditional roles like acting, scripting, costume design, and then, obviously, directors,” said club officer Parinidhi Balaji (‘27).
Each month, the club plans to work on a new film project. A combination of close collaboration between club members and individual tasks is required for production to run smoothly.
“We already have a large set of actors. So they were kind of planning out the plot and refining the details. And they basically assigned my friend and me to be the editors. So they gave us the first scene because we’re in charge of making CGI for it… We kind of just drew out the scene and planned it out to go with the story,” said club member Rohan Prem Prakash (‘28).
Careers in Entertainment
In a school that offers countless STEM clubs and activities, Director’s Cut saw an opportunity to shine a light on a less recognized profession.
“I hope that [club members] can have new experiences because there are so many different roles, so they can try new things, and if they potentially want to go into this field, it would help them,” said Balaji.
Exposure to different jobs in cinema allows students to have fun expressing themselves. At the same time, it introduces a career path they may not have considered before.
“I think that [a film career] is definitely a possibility. If I were going to do anything in the film industry, this would definitely be a good stepping stone,” said club member Allie Schumacher (‘28).
Film festivals
Though it’s still new, the club is full of ambition. Director’s Cut is preparing to enter a variety of film festivals to put their hard work to the test.
“We look for teen film festivals around the Bay Area in general…the idea is even if we’re not competing, necessarily, we want to just submit to these different film festivals…to kind of get exposure to how real-life film festivals work,” said Kanetkar.
Film festivals are fairly simple to enter, with many happening locally. Director’s cut eventually aims to participate in and attend one.
“The process is normally that we just brainstorm an idea, create the film, and then there’s an application form. You just submit it to whatever film festival is happening locally. You can also go to the film festival, but we’ve just started, so we haven’t gotten to that stage yet,” said Kanetkar.
A club for film enthusiasts and actors alike, Director’s Cut offers an enjoyable balance between creativity and projects. The club meets every Thursday in Ms. Thrush’s access.
