From role-playing as children in the family backyard trampoline to growing up and making those roles into a reality, Junior Christopher Remington has come a long way

Starting from figments of his imagination and games of role-play he’d play which led up to the writing of his first unfinished novel Princeton “A supernatural story that focuses in hell more than heaven,” Remington said.

Even as a child, Remington has been planning his first film based on childhood memories and his own vivid imagination. Now that he is in a filmmaking class at Akins, he finally has a chance to make his stories come to life.

His films started with just figments of his imagination and role-playing games he played when he was little. Eventually he started writing his stories down on paper, which resulted into his first unpublished novel called Princeton, a supernatural story set in hell and focuses on “Satan’s nephew,” Remington said.

Remington entered his film into Akins’ film class project where only two winners are selected to compete in the Austin Film Festival to screen their film.

“I’m focusing on the topic of zombies overrunning Akins and only three survivors find the way out,” Remington said.

The Akins film class, taught by AHA teacher Melissa Royer, allows student to write and produce their own short films.

“We put them in a circle and they decide what the next step is.” Royer said, “They’re the filmmakers so I let them decide.”

Writing the steps to a film is not easy. They come with countless steps such as writing the actual script, as well as selecting camera angles, actors, and good costumes and props.

“About one half of the students in the class think it’s a fun hobby and the other half intend on pursuing a career in filmmaking,” Royer said.

Recently, the film class has presented a project for its students where they are to create a film that is to be shown at the Austin Film Festival at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

“Students must make a film related to Akins teens and is to be shot on school grounds,  all in a five minute limit,” Royer said.

So far, the film class has been hard at work with their cameras.

“Class has been going great.  We’re working on story by standards we’ve made with our cameras on topics such as suicide and drugs,” Royer said. “The class has been looking forward to the Austin Film Fest to be able to use their professional cameras.”

For the Austin Film Festival project students will be able to use professional cameras lent to them.

“The fact that I’m getting to do what I’m interested in and knowing it might have a chance on the big screen is the best part of this whole experience,” Remington said.

Remington has various stories and ideas in the works that he hopes to later make into short films and to continue learning and venturing into writing.

“Film class has really opened my eyes into film, how my words can be turned into a reality,” Remington said.

Instead of being taught about film like any ordinary classroom, the film class experiments and tests film on many subjects.

“It’s giving me the opportunity to learn about the film industry, the behind the scenes and get feedback from my movie ideas,” Remington said.