Opt-Ed: My Experience taking Narrative Lab by Sekou Cherif

I joined the Narrative Lab at the beginning of my junior year. I didn't expect the level of training and guidance I would receive for my film. From sharing openly about our films in class to listening to guest speakers, the Narrative Lab class taught us all that goes into the making of a film. By the time we got to shooting our own films, we had the tools necessary to create our visions.

Thus, bringing us to my film. Today, my film is nearly complete. The title of my film is The African King. The story follows a struggling actor named Lenden who is put between the crossroads of his career and his identity at an audition. I am currently in post-production. The editing process excites me!

While I was writing my film, I was lucky to have so many people I could ask for feedback. My teachers Shawn and Alvis were thoughtful in their critiques and asked questions to strengthen the film. My mentor Ryan also gave a lot of insightful advice along the way. All these components helped me decide the direction of my film. Still, creating a film didn’t come without its challenges. I can recall numerous periods when I felt uncertain. I was unable to write and needed to take a step away from the project. I did not anticipate all the realizations and questions that would come up during the writing stage. By the end, I learned the importance of having a vision and giving it strong legs to stand on.

The film was shot in two days. The energy on set was enthusiastic. I think I did a pretty good job with casting because everything immediately clicked. Having the table read before the shoot was really helpful because it gave everyone a feel for the film. Along the way, I learned so much about how I could improve as a filmmaker. I got to work with other students from Reel Works programs that I didn’t know too well. I can honestly say that the Narrative Lab taught me a lot about narrative filmmaking. (It really lives up to its name!) I want to give a huge thank you to Ashaya, Melissa, Chao, Joseph, Dayvon, Chantha, Jesus, Anaiis, Alvis, Shawn, Marvin, Liam, Ryan and so many others. I am looking forward to sharing the final product. Stay tuned!