One of the most interesting film courses Biola offers is the appropriately titled Biola Film, which spans almost a year over three separate classes. This semester’s production is the action-comedy “Trunk: A Love Story,” which is having a special premiere tonight at Whittier Village Cinemas.
Two years ago I had the opportunity to be a part of the Biola Film “Nora Breaks Free.” It was a challenging yet rewarding experience that included some of the most time-intensive classes I’ve ever taken. For those unfamiliar with the process, it starts with the most important part of any movie – the story. A contest is initially held each semester in which students submit original scripts. A winner is selected from among them and work is ready to begin.
Those who take the class, which typically ranges from 10-15 students, spend the first semester in pre-production. Work is done polishing the script, casting actors and scouting locations – all the while ironing out the seemingly endless production logistics. Once that is over, the film is ready to be shot, which occurs either over interterm or summer and usually lasts for about a week. The following semester, the pieces come together in post-production, and countless nights are spent editing the picture and developing its sound. Finally, after hundreds of hours, the end product is complete.
“Nora Breaks Free” helped to raise the bar on the quality of Biola Films, and “Trunk” does the same. The 15-minute short follows a pair of assassins in the middle of an assignment gone wrong. They quickly find themselves captured and forced to confront their own obstacles, both externally and internally. While the pair continually bickers back and forth, the heat of the situation allows their true feelings to surface.
The short’s comedic tone is along the lines of something like “Chuck” or “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Its screenplay, written by recent graduate Brian Walton, combines slapstick humor while making light of spy-genre conventions. The film’s look, aided by cinematographer senior Albert “Chappy” Mills, complements the proceedings, notably evoking the oversaturated look of “Three Kings” during the opening desert shots. Meanwhile, editors junior Anthony Parisi and senior Kyle Kubler keep things moving at a good clip, which is no easy task. Director junior Chris Hartwell then brings it all together and ends the film with a shootout – not exactly commonplace for student work.
“Trunk” earned four nominations at the Biola Film Festival last month and took home the prize for best actor. In the end, it’s a fun and lighthearted story that exemplifies a great improvement over what I first saw four years ago as a freshman. If the film program can steadily continue to grow and progress like this, who knows what is possible.
