Teens have their acts together when it comes to making films
Throughout the 22-year history of the Ohio Shorts festival, some of the most noteworthy films have been made by some of the youngest entrants.
“The kids are in some ways more experienced — they’re more fluid with technology in general — and that’s exciting,” said Jennifer Lange, the Wexner Center for the Arts senior staff member who curated the event.
“They’re willing to be more playful with things. I’d say in my career here, some of the most memorable works came from kids who were under 18.”
In 2015, Grace Lillash beat out all adult entrants, winning the audience award for her short film “17.” Her entry this year, the three-minute “Organ Ronald Donkey Water,” was also chosen for the festival.
Playing off the song of the same name by Mac DeMarco,
the 16-year-old Lillash, a sophomore at Columbus Alternative High School, made the film by arranging clips of her friends.
“I played around and put them together with the song,” she said. “It doesn’t have much meaning, but I try to give a dreamy feel to it.”
Lillash, who lives in the Clintonville neighborhood, persuaded a friend from Grandview Heights, 15-yearold Mia Croft, to enter this year for the first time. To Croft’s surprise, her film, “Summer, 1959,” was also chosen.
“I’m really proud of my video, the way it turned out,” Croft said, “and I’m really glad that she pushed me.”
To make her film, Croft found old 8-mm films belonging to a great aunt that depicted slice-of-life scenes such as a wedding and construction of a brick wall. She projected the images onto a white wall and filmed them.
“I compiled some of the clips that had really good color and texture that would make you feel really nostalgic,” said Croft, a freshman at the Wellington School. “I was really inspired by all the color and the style. It’s so different from today.”
Instead of making a liveaction film, Paul Beadle and Lucas Selby, seniors at Hilliard Davidson High School, created the stop-motion animated film “Bus Stop.” The 18-year-olds in the past have created live-action films, but they enjoy the freedom that animation provides.
“There’s something about being able to disconnect reality while making a short animation,” said Beadle, who lives in Dublin. “There’s something very relaxing, to just make a little tiny world.”
Not that making “Bus Stop” was a walk in the park.
“We did it over the course of a week,” said Selby, of Hilliard. “But a majority of the work was done in one night; we spent 14 hours (on it).”
The festival, founded in 1995, used to have a division for young filmmakers. A few years ago, however, Lange — fielding feedback from teenagers — learned that many of them didn’t want a separate division; they wanted their work to compete against entries from adults.
In 2015, organizers merged the two divisions.
Lillash is happy to test her talents.
“I like it better, honestly,” she said. “It’s more competition, definitely, and I like seeing what other people are making who are older. It’s more professional, I guess, which is very cool to see.”
This year, the festival received 60 entries from filmmakers 18 or younger and 65 from adults. Fourteen films by adults were chosen
for the festival, as were five films made by teenagers.
“They have to make the cut, just like the adults do,” Lange said. “I really do think of the program as a curated program.”
The young filmmakers whose submissions were chosen were humbled.
“It’s an honor to be compared with people who have been doing this for years,” Beadle said.
A major benefit for the teenagers is gaining experience in areas such as sound editing and color correction. The big thrill, though, stems from seeing their work on a big screen.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Lillash said. “I like it because it’s definitely different from watching on my phone.”
Plus, they can gain feedback.
“Last year, I remember someone coming up to me saying it made them happy compared to other videos,” she said. “I wouldn’t say they’re as professional, but they’re more happy.”
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