Film Appreciation Club has become a home to aspiring screenwriters and movie lovers. However, the club has experienced numerous changes over the past year.

For instance, sophomore Kenny Christianson has taken on the role of club president. Although being club president originally appeared to be a daunting task, Christianson discovered that it is not as difficult as she had expected. “I was really nervous for the first meeting because … I wasn’t president of any clubs last year. … It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Christianson said.

Additionally, more people have joined the club this year. Junior Ryanna Schuler decided to join the film appreciation club because she “love[s] watching movies and finding the deeper meaning in [them].” Due to the welcoming and relaxed environment of the club, Schuler feels as though she has “ the same say in discussions [as returning members] do.”  

Some teachers have started attending Film Appreciation club meetings as well. “Mr. [Sam] Roberson, Mr. Salazar and occasionally Ms. [Sarah] Mills or Mr. [Andrew] Segina will drop in and contribute to the conversations,” Christianson said. The teachers have added new topics to the conversation and have brought new ideas to the table. “They definitely offer another realm of perspective … Mr. [Trevor] Salazar really knows a lot about film and directors and actors. He can add a lot of information that we wouldn’t otherwise know unless we had researched,” Christianson said.

The club also gives its members the opportunity to explore more film genres. Schuler has found that one of the most enjoyable aspects of the club is how the types of films they watch “spans from  kids films all the way to deep psychological questions that modern philosophers can’t figure out … to sci fi or mystery.” The Film Appreciation Club selects the films as a group, watches them at home, and then discusses them during the following meeting. Many members of the club including Christianson discover some of their favorite films through the club.  “My favorite one was … Arrival and we ended up talking about it … for three weeks in a row because we were just going so in depth with our conversations,” Christianson said.

To Christianson, who wants to work in the film industry, the club has been a means of learning about films. “I would really like to be a screenwriter someday and maybe even direct films … I’m just learning so much about different film styles and different types of films and how to make a good story and … what works on screen versus what might be better just in written words.”