Short films and videos have a way of conveying a message or feeling to viewers. What one watches can change their view on things or open their mind. The film club is a hidden gem that scratches the surface of the many directors in WJ.

Junior Ahrin Letourneau is one of those aspiring directors. Being a filmmaker is not cheap. She uses a $700 camera and spends time collecting footage and editing on DaVinci Resolve.

Her passion stemmed from watching films, visualizing ideas and creating themes for the films inspired by music. When working with others, like Junior Ryan Heminsley, they often say that Letourneau is a creative person to bounce ideas off of.

“It feels very natural to run ideas with her and see where things go,” Heminsley said. “It’s a lot of fun to work with her because we can riff off ideas without any strong fear of judgement.”

She believes that short films are underrated and her creations, along with other creators, are shedding light on the topic. Most broadcasts are solely recognized by the good story line or visuals, but there is much more involved in the creation process that gets the audience immersed.

Letourneau expresses the frustration that when viewers see the final project they often overlook the work that goes into the film. Not recognizing how the original idea is more than often drastically changed to what ends up on the big screen.

Recently, Letourneau submitted a film for WJ’s film club Oscars titled “DREAMZ.” The idea developed from vivid dreams Letourneau and her friend experienced together and those dreams can leave observers with a lasting impression.

“Many of our dreams can be so emotionally charged that it’s hard to explain because of how nonsensical they are,” Letourneau said. “My goal is to be able to, to some degree, capture feelings and experiences people have, through visual imagery.”

Photography teacher and sponsor of the WJ Film club, Dan Kempner, expresses that Letourneau’s film “DREAMZ,” was a very well made film. Although he doesn’t attend the Oscars, he watches the videos and judges them with other qualified experts in cinema.

“Ahrin has incredible technical skill, attention to detail, work ethic and a personal vision, which is very, very strong,” Kempner said. “She’s impressed me with her work ethic, her follow through, and the standard that she holds herself too.”

Letourneau has also submitted and achieved honorable mention, with a $500 cash prize, for the 2024 Annual Speak Up, Save a Life Video Contest. The film was called, “Just One,” created by Ahrin Letourneau, Ryan Heminsley and Meher Parsinni. The creation of the film expresses her way of spreading messages and being able to document experiences that people may go through.

Apart from personal creations, Letourneau captures the moments of WJ: she has filmed for the Black Student Unions’ assembly and the BSU block party. Letourneau also plans on recording International Night, and was present for the screening of her own film at the WJ film club’s Oscars.

Films aren’t the only talent though, she also enjoys cooking and climbing. Although these are great hobbies, Letourneau prefers not to mix film with her other activities. On her instagram after cooking a good meal, she posts vivid pictures of the cuisine. There’s occasional climbing videos involving herself and her friend, but those are more clips rather than the creative films she produces.

Letourneau is on the lookout for more competitions or showings of personal films in order to achieve her goals. Her dream of producing emotion provoking films is on its way to becoming reality.