Like the radio during the Great Depression, Warrior Television (TV) unites and entertains the student body of Woodbridge High, supported only by a group of highly talented and passionate filmmakers whose art of filmmaking leaves a remarkable impact on their lives.
Warrior TV staff such as producer Matilda Park and equipment manager Misa Okubo, are some of the students directly responsible for the creation of the school’s favorite films on campus and subsequently making homeroom much less boring than it already is.
Unknown to popular belief, filmmaking isn’t just the act of waving a camera around and recording whatever happens, instead it is a much more deliberate art that transcends traditional mediums and facilitates powerful emotions. According to Okubo, filmmaking is specifically unique in comparison to other mediums of storytelling.
In other mediums like audio or books, lots of detail can be left for interpretation of the audience. Meanwhile, filmmaking provides a more grounded and immersive experience, which is what she is so passionate about exploring.
“With film you have that visual component,” senior Okubo said. “You can see everything on the screen, and I think it conveys so much more than just having words written down on paper…you can use colors, lighting, and sound to tell what you’re feeling.”
The way films and movies have the ability to directly imprint on the audience, is also visible on those in charge of its creation. Their experiences on Warrior TV have meaningfully shifted their perspective, alloing them to be more emotive with their storytelling, well after school in their future careers.
Park describes how she has grown as a result of being part of Warrior TV.
“Whatever I do in life, I think art is really a big part of me because I feel like art is such a human thing—it’s necessary in life, and it’s what makes it meaningful and fun,” Park said. “Even besides filmmaking, I think being able to know how to tell a cohesive story, to be a storyteller that’s authentic and grounded in experiences—my own and others’—will be very important for me. That’s something that will always stay with me.”
One specific life altering experience for Warrior TV members would be the 48 Hour Film Festival. Similar in scale to the Rapture, the 48 Hour Film Festival is the seemingly culminating event for Woodbridge High f ilmmakers, in which they compete with other schools.
Out of a collection of unforgettable moments and memories brought from Warrior TV, Okubo recalls the 48Hour Film Festival in particular.
“48-hour film festival where you have one or two days to make a film based on a prompt,”Okubo said, “That experience specifically—working with others, sharing different ideas, combining them, and still producing something you’re proud of—that was huge for me.”
Like many filmmakers at Woodbridge High, senior Matthew Nordstrom has dreams for filmmaking past high school. …The 48 Hour Film Festival acts as a stepping stone for aspiring filmmakers in the industry, teaching them skills necessary to be good writers, actors and producers.
“The dream is for sure to be a director, but I also want to write,” Nordstrom said. “I definitely want to be a screenwriter. I want to make the stories that become great f ilms. I want to create the characters that everyone will think of or see on screen.”
It’s important for these aspiring filmmakers to recognize that their passion for f ilmmaking and television began when they were in high school, as only a spark of creativity that could one day grow into a lifelong career.
“At the end, it’s not really about the product—it’s about the journey you go through and how it changes you,” Park said. “For any artist, my biggest advice would just be to keep making stuff.”
