McLean Film Club is an organization committed to providing a space where students can pursue their interests in the filmmaking process. By organizing efforts to produce short films year-round, the club provides members with acting and screenwriting opportunities to advance students’ filmmaking careers.

“The club takes about a month or 4-5 meetings to fully finalize a [film] script, then we plan actors, outfits and locations,” said senior Indira Melvin, President of the Film Club. “I usually make a quick storyboard and we form a schedule.”

Being the main producer for the films the club produces, Melvin also partakes in what she calls “visual experiments.” These are mainly techniques focused on camera lenses, lighting, camera rigs, specific shots and other creative elements to incorporate in the short film. Another significant, perhaps overlooked, component in filmmaking is scheduling.

“We have a finalized script for a sit-com right now, which requires all of our members and we need to film it in the school, which has made it impossible to schedule,” Melvin said.

The Film Club’s most recent film productions are “Fields Between,” “Short Dip” and “I Can’t Hear You.”

Watch “Fields Between” here:

“Fields Between” is a short film about two friends who drift apart, yet are making efforts to repair the relationship and restart their bond. Nevertheless, they learn about the difficulties of moving past grudges.

“It’s more of a dialogue-driven drama, a little sad but [with] some funny moments,” Melvin said.

The two friends are portrayed by seniors Juliana Sanchez Halpern and Danneke Vazquez.

“The hardest part was pretending to be mad at [Vasquez] because we are friends and in the film, but we are acting as if we are going through a friendship breakup,” Halpern said.

Halpern and Vazquez both molded the film in positive ways: Halpern brought positive energy to the shooting process, while Vazquez overcame challenges quickly and provided logistical support.

“For [the film], I usually get [instructed on] what to do and interpret the script lines how I think they should be read,” Vasquez said. “[In acting], it really helps to be a part of the production to better understand what I should be conveying.”

The film was itself was directed by junior Julia Cristo-Ezewoko and Melvin. Melvin also produced, shot and edited “Fields Between.”

“We shot ‘Fields Between’ in a corn field and two homes, which took some coordination, but we finished filming in the course of a week,” Melvin said.

Then, Melvin edited all the shots taken at Cox farms’ cornfield and worked together with the Film Club’s music producer, junior Elias Newton, who created a soundtrack to match the atmosphere of the short film.

“It was a pretty quick process, but we had a lot of bloopers,” Halpern said. “Overall, it was a really fun experience, the Film Club did a great job writing it and [Melvin] was a great director, as well.”

At the end of the film, the friends part ways, a situation that viewers may find relatable—it is a common experience to eventually drift apart from close friends. Despite the challenges of filming, the club was able to deliver a successful and relatable product to viewers.

“For ‘Fields Between,” we were literally in a public field, so we had to navigate people and making sure the film looked authentic was a challenge,” Vasquez said. “[But], I get to learn more about the film process, [which is] incredibly interesting and I’m so proud of everyone that worked on this!”

Watch “Short Dip” here:

“Short Dip” is a short film featuring a French monologue that portrays a young woman’s fear of drowning, exemplified through a struggle in a bath.

“[The young woman] visualizes fantasies of suffocation, immobilization and other discomfort, and it is kind of an experimental metaphor for entering into a harmful or threatening situation, but proceeding to do so and being trapped in it,” Melvin said.

This film represented a new cinematographic style for Melvin, in which she explored using tight spaces—such as a bathroom—to film close shots with a wide lens camera. In addition, the club took an innovative approach by writing the script in French—a move inspired by Vasquez, the main subject of “Short Dip”.

“I honestly think she’s a great actor in terms of actually conveying subtle emotions,” Melvin said. “The best part is [Vasquez] helps me with exploring new languages, which is why “Short Dip” is French.”

Watch “I Can’t Hear You” here:

“I Can’t Hear You”, released on April 10, is the Film Club’s newest film production.

“‘I Can’t Hear You’ features [the characters] Dusty and Mira, who are polar opposites,” Vasquez said.

This short film presents a young woman, Mira, who asks Dusty, an older man for directions in an awkward interaction. Both characters were portrayed by Vazquez.

“They realize they are both hard of hearing and begin conversing in [American] Sign Language (ASL) and they approach each other with excitement in finding a sense of new community,” Melvin said.

Mira and Dusty discover they cannot hear each other in a rather silly manner, which adds an element of comedy to the short film.

“While Mira feels [somewhat superior] to Dusty (and is placed literally higher than her for much of the film), Dusty is trying to have a genuine act of communication,” Vasquez said.

Melvin also integrated shots with firelight as a way to develop her skills in shooting scenes in the dark—something previoulsy unknown to her. Once again inspired by Vasquez, the film features the two characters exchanging words in American Sign Language.

“Danneke is always so receptive to new, strange-in-attempt-of-humor requests, which makes the process very dynamic,” Melvin said. “You can tell she’s also always willing to help out with acting (she’s in almost all of my recent projects).