He is a shy, awkward and out-of-place teenager who momentarily dives into the realm of popularity. He is also fictional; McKinsey is just a character of a future flick, “Your Best Company.” On Dec. 6, REX Productions held its first casting call in room B109. REX Productions, a club created by freshman Eric Xu, focuses solely on slice-of-life short films. But REX Productions has been around longer than from the start of the school year. It initially started out as something more personal.
“[YouTube channel] SMP Films inspired me to start working on films,” Xu said. “In REX, we’ll also make short films and teach members how to write scripts, cast actors and more.”
Xu started his producing career by creating humorous cooking videos on YouTube. Later on in China, Xu created a group called REX Productions, where Xu and six others further explored the intricacies of short movie production. Now, REX is working on a short film titled “Your Best Company.” REX will publish their videos through YouTube and Vimeo.
Participants did not have to be members of the club to try out during the casting. They entered contact information into Xu’s iPad and were handed a segment of the script to examine. Then, in front of Xu and casting director freshman Megan Chandler, the participant performed from the script. Two auditionees, senior Clarissa Hyun and freshman Catherine Ma, tried out. Currently, all parts are open, including main characters, secondary characters, and extras.
REX Production’s officers all have their own role. Freshman Stephan Lai’s job as “boom operator” solely focuses on capturing clean audio by using microphones and holding poles. Freshman Goutham Rajeev acts as the secondary officer, although his main role is as “the grip,” the lighting and camera technician. On set, Rajeev sets up lighting, cameras, and reflectors. Off the set, he is the chief editor and uses programs such as Adobe Premiere CS5 to cut video and add special effects.
Joining the club gives members access to high end equipment owned by officers and the opportunity to write scripts of their own. The membership fee is $30, and though the price may seem daunting, there is a plausible reason for the relatively high cost. Money goes straight to buying better gear.
“Just the camera rig, [equipment that stabilizes the camera], loan was $800,” Rajeev said. ”We also [bought] lenses, light reflectors, one hand held rig, two tripods, light stands, and diffuse lights.”
Casting is ongoing and a second casting call will be held next Monday, Dec. 12, after 7th period in the rally court.
Check out REX Production’s website – http://rexproductions.com/
For additional information, contact the team – [email protected]m
Correction 12/9- Clarified confusions regarding REX Production’s origins and about second casting call
