NE Radio, Television and Film program students came together to film a new horror short film, “On a Pale Mare,” for their class project.
In the story, what starts as a way for a college student to fit in with her peers ends with her smoking something much stronger than expected. She is then faced with a strange creature with a long white face amid a spiraling nightmare.
“’On a Pale Mare’ is a film about peer pressure,” John Patterson said. “It’s something that people should be very cautious of in college.”
Patterson, the student director of the film, came up with the story idea and pitched it to the class. The class then paired off with whose story they were interested in.
The students who paired off with Patterson evolved their roles to further contribute their own ideas to his story.
“One of the ideas I pitched was that she goes to call 911 or a dispatcher or something, but the creature was the one who hands her the phone,” student Milo Maraventano said.
They chose to work with him because they expressed how great he is to work with, puts out good products and has the most experience in the program. Patterson expressed how the bulk of his experience comes from being at TCC.
“I’ve been working with John for a long time now in this program,” student Devin Anderson said. “I just know he puts out good products.”
During spring break, the creators and actors used their time to start filming their project. They worked together to create a set at one of their apartments, rearranging furniture, setting up lighting and working with limited space and resources.
The RTVF program provides students with hands-on experience with high-quality equipment, including professional video cameras, specialized lighting gear and advanced editing software.
“I’m very thankful that TCC allows us to actually work with professional equipment,” Maraventano said.
These students praised the program and the program’s instructors, mentioning how the instructors know what they are doing and have industry experience.
“It’s a really good program like I can never not recommend it to people if they’re interested in film,” student Kaylie Medrano said.
After hearing about the project from Patterson, NE student Madelynn Sill auditioned for her role. She plays the roommate of the main character that attends the party. She mentioned how it was her first film set to be on, her previous experience being in theater.
She said it was a fun and interesting process. “I’m very comfortable on stage,” Sill said. “But it’s really different when there’s a camera and tech people like right in your face.”
The program emphasizes providing students with real-world experience with professional grade equipment.
“I feel like if I didn’t join the film program, I would definitely be missing an opportunity,” Maraventano said.
