A WILD WEST WORK

A WILD-WESTERN WORK

As a form of entertainment, senior George LaHood and a few of his peers created a Western short film over quarantine.

Written by Anna Bailey and Maddie Oliver, Design by Sophie Dellett, Photos by Amanda Carlvaho

Seniors Caleb Johnson and David Westerhaus experiment with various melodies to see what sounds best with what’s already been composed [for the film]. “Writing music for a film is much different than writing music for a performance. It was fun and interesting to experiment with different programs and instruments,” Johnson said. Previous page: Senior George Lahood shoots and rehearses for his film, “The Man Who Missed, Sept. 24. “I would block a scene, During quarantine, senior George Lahood wrote, directed and filmed a Western short film titled “The Man Who Missed.” Man who Missed,” Lahood said he had created two other short films, “Messages” and “Power Craze.” During a road trip in May 2020, Lahood said he created the entire outline in the car which [meant telling] the actor where to go [and] what to do,” Lahood said. new project. “I don’t know how he really chose people [to be in the film], he just texted me one day and asked me to be in it,” Franey said. “He knew I was a good The film takes place in 1889 and is and wrote the story when he got home actor from seeing me in shows since about a cowboy seeking revenge on the afterward. he works on lighting for Northwest, people residing in a western town. “[Originally, I was] writing a script and since I had worked with him on his

Lahood said he has always loved for the Western previous movie.” movies and that relaying deeper that would be two Acting as the role meanings and narratives through video was an interesting way of connecting with people. After working on a scenes. One of my friends told me ‘Why does it I would say George has always been of Bill, a mysterious man who becomes the sidekick of the lead project for sophomore ELA involving filmmaking, Lahood said the project sparked his interest in film making. “I have learned that I really like have to be this short? Why can’t it be longer?’ So, I crafted a story really good at charting his own path. character, Franey said that shooting days were long. “We had around eight making [movies],” LaHood said. “I did a from the two days of filming at four project where you had to make a video scenes and then -Christy LaHood different locations, and about an unsung hero. I really enjoyed I extended the we were at each for four the process of making a documentary story,” Lahood said. When I got back to eight hours at a time,” Franey said. and telling a story through video. My home, I wrote the story. It took me two “We would rehearse and then film the teacher talked about ‘how can we tell weeks to write.” scenes a couple times to get different stories best?’ and I just ran with [that After acting in Lahood’s film angles.” question].” “Messages” last winter, senior Declan After being asked to score the movie,

Prior to the writing of “The Franey was asked to act in Lahood’s senior Caleb Johnson said he created

the soundtrack and that this was a collaborative process with his peers. “I would have my music writing application up on my computer and then my friends would be playing their guitar on the other side. And we’d have to basically use our ears and just listen to what they were playing and then just write down a piece of music, and then send it to other people to play.”

All of the filming took around a month to complete, Lahood said. The cast involved in the making of “The Man Who Missed” filmed in different locations all over the Kansas City area, Lahood said.

“We filmed in some open fields that were open space and didn’t really have a lot of noise. [Fields that] had a clear background that would look like it was from 1889,” Lahood said. “We filmed at this park in Lee’s Summit called Missouri Town 1855, which is a park that took buildings from the 1800s.”

During the filmmaking process, Christy Lahood, George’s mother, said she supported Lahood as much as she could.

“We give him the time to [create the movie]. George actually never shows us his work until it’s finished, so it’s always fun to watch him go through the process,” Christy said. “For this particular movie, George did have a budget and his dad and I agreed to finance a portion of it for him.”

Though not the purpose of making the films, Lahood said he plans to submit all the films he has made to colleges he hopes to attend next year.

“As far as a portfolio goes, I am applying [to schools that] require a portfolio and a list of works if you have any. So, I’ll definitely put that in the application,” Lahood said. “But I wouldn’t say that I [make movies for college] specifically. I will submit [movies] to colleges, but that’s not the reason why I did it.”

With all the accomplishments she has noticed Lahood achieve, Christy said Lahood inspires her so much, as he has been mature about making his own choices for his future.

“I would say George has always been really good at charting his own path,” Christy said. “Seeing George find things that he cares about and [taking] leadership roles in those areas, that [inspired] me.”

Throughout this pre-professional film experience, Lahood said the most important thing he has learned was how to humble himself as the person in charge of the film.

“When you’re making a movie like professionals do, you have so many people and you have to collaborate with them. If you don’t, you’re just going to get in your own head and you’re going to get bogged down with the same ideas that you have,” Lahood said. “The ideas that you’re attached to maybe aren’t the best ideas. I have learned to be such a humble person and allowing other people to give their ideas.”

Lahood edits and reviews his short film on his computer, Sept. 24.