Student film aims to resolve queries

Filmmakers prepare to shoot lm to help orient incoming students

Kevin Perez/Roundup kperez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Everyone has their own experience about their first day at Pierce College, and for filmmakers Danielle Afori and Ray Lema, their film aims to educate others to make their first day less of a hassle.

“The film is pretty much a depiction of students coming to school for the first time,” said Lema, who’s directing the film. Their film, untitled and still in pre-production, aims to be educational but with a comedic bent.

The premise involves a group of students from the 1950s navigating the complicated modern community college system, Lema said.

The film, although compiled from their shared experiences, takes a page primarily out of producer and first year student Afori’s story.

Afori lived in Israel before coming to Pierce, and she came to this school at the recommendation of people she knew who lived in the area.

dangerous because they have pretty good balance,” said Spielman.

Fastor Funes, a farm hand, also said the public has had a reaction to the goats when they have climbed up the goat walks.

“They are taken back by it,” Funes said in Spanish. “They say it’s cute.”

Seeing animals the roof is a rare sight for most students, but they can enjoy this unexpected view knowing the animals are safe and happy on top of the farm houses.

Those looking to see the goats on the roof should be early risers, according to Funes.

“They’re up there when I feed them in the morning around 7 a.m.,” Funes said in Spanish. “Then like at 6p.m. or 6:30 p.m. they’re up there again, after they eat.”

“On Aug. 27 I just parked my car in here, and I had no idea what was going on,” Afori said.

Afori’s excitement dimmed after dealing with the frustration of parking, crashing classes, and realizing that despite being called a two-year school, she’d be staying a lot longer, she said.

Rather than let the frustration get to her though, her experiences inspired her to work on a new film.

After meeting fellow filmmaker Lema in an art class, Afori shared her idea with him, and Lema jumped on board.

“Ever since we’ve just been developing it and thinking about it,” Lema said.

Lema, who has been attending Pierce for two years, feels their different perspectives add up to make the film what it is. at UCLA and USC, so I know people,” he said. “I hear my friend is doing a recital, and I say, ‘Hey, wouldn’t you love to do that at Pierce College?’”

“She has all the questions, I have some questions. Then we both come together to answer those questions,” Lema said.

Afori feels that it could be easier for new or incoming students to see a ten or fifteen minute film instead of seeking answers on their own.

Despite being geared to newer students though, Lema stressed that students who have been around longer could learn answers to questions they hadn’t considered.

“I’m pretty sure even the people that know some things, they won’t know everything,” Lema said.

Afori has found making the film to be an educational experience.

In one instance, her questions over financial aid were answered after Lema included a scene about it in the script.

“We’re learning in the process of making it,” Afori said.

The project is currently looking for actors and any other students that would like to contribute to the film.

Bond Beeterman, who’s been attending Pierce for a year, volunteered for the project after seeing Afori post up flyers about the film.

Beeterman is set to act in the film but is willing to contribute music to it too.

“I think it’d be cool just to have something like this to showcase [to students] how to get involved,” Beeterman said.

After completing the film, Afori and Lema will ask the school to showcase their film either at the next orientation event for incoming students or on the Pierce website.

From there, the duo is also considering asking other colleges in the district to feature their film.

“It’s not even just about Pierce. It’s about any community college,” Afori said.

With the exception of Pierce talents, the performers are given a stipend from the funding the Associated Students Organization (ASO) gives Bergman.

“It’s definitely not a professional rate,” he said.

Because ASO funding is dependent on enrollment, the concert series has had to be cut down based on the dwindling amount of money given each semester.

“Because California colleges are messed up, they keep cutting enrollment,” Bergman said. “[This] means that the budget for everything gets smaller and smaller.”

Of the performers that do the weekly concerts, favorites of the audience are the UCLA and USC students, according to Bergman.

“[My students] say, ‘They’re as old as I am. How can I play so well?’” he said. “Sometimes they’re inspired, but sometimes they get depressed and think, ‘What am I doing with my life? They can play so well, and I suck at everything.”

The concerts were originally done in the Performing Arts Building, but ongoing renovations have forced the Music Department to move them to the choral room.

“Actually, it’s kind of neat because it’s always better to have a [small but] full room than a big room that’s not filled,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to the new building, because acoustics will be better and it will look more like a concert.”

What sets the Thursday afternoon concerts apart from others are their interactive aspects.

In addition to performing for the audience, the musicians talk about their music, according to Bergman.

This is what struck one of last semester’s invited performers, violinist Ji Young An, who says that she’s never had the kind of concert that requires her to communicate with the students.

“It’s better for the students. I think they like it a lot because they [end up] feeling like our friends,” An said. “It’s also good training for me.”

Classical pianist Danny Holt, who has performed in the Thursday concert series twice before, also appreciates the discussion that goes with the performances.

“A lot of music I play is unfamiliar, the kind of music people wouldn’t hear elsewhere,” Holt said. “[The discussion] is really helpful to those who aren’t familiar with the music.”

Holt also says that the interactive portion of each performance encourages the audience to indulge any curiosity they might have about the music.

“As a performer, I feed off that,” Holt said.

Pierce students are welcome to each of the Thursday concerts, and should contact the Music Department for details. To stay up to date on all Arts