Short Cuts: A fresh take on conspiracy culture in ‘An Unwarranted Solution’
A second wave of student made short films, or Short Cuts, will be hitting the Palm Theatre on June 8. Most scripts are born out of Cal Poly’s screenwriting class, ISLA 340. While the majority of films come from an array of personal moments, that isn’t the case for all of them. Psychology senior Adrianna Tokic took a more unconventional approach with her film “An Unwarranted Solution”.
“A lot of [the other films] are from the personal discovery essays with deep characters interacting with other deep characters, and then mine is a girl doing math and getting kidnapped,” Tokic laughed.
The roots of the story come from conspiracies of the cure for cancer and other larger-than-life questions or issues, with the solvers of these existential obstacles often theorized to have been being silenced or swept under the rug in mysterious kidnappings or disappearances.
“I enjoy something a little off the beaten path and weird and unexpected,” she said.
Tokic described little details that go into filmmaking. When writing a script, the things that are often overlooked in finished film usually took more time and effort than what meets the eye.
Planning was a big part of this film. From storyboards to production sheets and the scriptwriting process, this story was made to be shown on the big screen. Viewers may notice elements like repeated sequences or filming locations, chosen intentionally to make the filming process smooth as well as making the plot easy to follow. Elements of simplicity in film are often key to helping convey a message or theme effectively to an audience.
Tokic expressed how this class and the process of directing and writing a film have left her with a better appreciation for the medium and a newfound eye to view other films that aren’t her own with.
“It made me appreciate all the films I was watching because it humanizes them, and you have to think about the fact that there’s someone who wrote all of the words that are being said and planned out the whole thing,” Tokic said.
The class also acts as a creator of community and friendship for filmmakers and creatives at Cal Poly.
“The screenwriting class pipeline into the cinematography class is such a community,” Tokic said. “Your classmates, it’s what drives you through because you’re kind of just going to see your friends everyday,” Tokic said, talking about her team.
The films will be screening at the Palm on Monday June 8 starting at 7 p.m.. The event is free admission but is operating under a first come first served basis, arriving early is recommended!
