The Filmmaking Club met after school on Oct. 28 to watch the 1998 horror film “Poltergeist,” one of many ways club members engage in the cinematic world as they work to produce their own short films. 

“I kind of think of it as a way for somebody who can’t fit a film class into their schedule,” Filmmaking Club sponsor Eric Johnson says. ”We teach them some things but I wouldn’t call it a class by any means.”

Earlier in October, the club worked to recreate music videos.

“We just learned about how to use the camera, set up around the school, and tried our best to recreate it,” Johnson says. 

Filmmaking Club members usually spend club time learning about the nature of film production and making movies on their own.

“A lot of it is student driven and what the club leaders want to do,” Johnson says.

Juniors Zoe Trerotola, Lily Dale, Charlotte Coatar, and Matthew Slater are the leaders of Filmmaking Club. They joined the club two years ago.

“I want to major in film in college. I’ve been wanting to either do editing, producing, or directing since 7th grade,” Treretola says.

Dale was more intrigued by specific aspects of filmmaking, like camerawork. 

“I really was interested in the cinematography and what it takes to actually shoot a short film or different film exercises,” Dale says.

Slater’s call to join the club stems partly from his own family.

 “My mom was a writer for the soap opera, so our family was always a part of that world,” he says. 

He also expresses his love for movies and his own interest in cinematography as motivation to be a part of the club.

Coatar credits Filmmaking Club as a pathway into her love for making movies.

“I had gone my freshman year. And sophomore year I really liked filmmaking,” she says.

Many students are drawn to the Filmmaking Club for its open-mindedness and inclusion of multiple perspectives when producing films. Uniqueness is a shared trait among the club members, as each student has their own niche way of creating films.

“It’s so out of the box and you can really come up with anything,” Dale says. “Everyone has their own creativity and it’s fun to see other people’s visions when you’re thinking about what to make.”

When the group recreated music videos, everyone approached the project in their own way, choosing their preferred music and specific shots.

Slater cites ambiguity as an important factor towards the projects at Filmmaking Club.

 “It’s about how different people can interpret things in their own way and how it gets expressed,” he says.

The club has become a popular community for film lovers at New Trier.

 “It’s just fun to have other talking points with people who have more interest in movies than the average person,” Treretola says.

The democracy of the club is something the leaders stress. The group did a poll to watch the film “Poltergeist,” so everyone, not just the leaders, gets a say. It was largely chosen for the occasion of Halloween but also for other reasons.

“It’s a good segway into different types of filming and different shots,” Dale says.