Students in Melissa Royer’s Film Making class are proud to show off the fruit of their labor after working countless hours on scripting and filming their own movies this year.

Each student had an important role in the making of these films, such as editing, directing, organizing, and of course, actually filming the projects.

“I’ve had many of these students since they were freshmen and I’m glad to have them major in filmmaking,” Royer said. “We teach these students about the variety of filmmaking careers and options they could have.”

The films, which were all written by students, vary in subject matter, ranging from horror to drama. However, not every script the students wrote were actually produced as films. An outside panel of judges made up of members of the Austin Film Society helped select three of the best films to be produced.

“We’re making a horror/thriller movie called, “Locked Tight”, it’s suspenseful, it has a lot of twists and turns,” said sophomore Caitlin Powell, the director of the film.

Powell said it’s an exciting time to make films because you can do a lot without needing a lot of money.

“It’s easier to make a movie now. You can just whip out your iPhone and just record something,” Powell said.

Senior Jose Ramirez, who worked as a camera operator on “Locked Tight,” enjoyed learning the process of what it takes put a film together.

“We get to see how filmmaking is actually easy to make and upload to the internet, and if you like it, it’s the experience for you,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges the filmmakers faced was just getting everyone to show up on time when they worked on the weekends at off-campus locations. They also had to scout out their own filmmaking locations that matched the places described in the scripts.

“When making the movie we had to choose where it would look best and most reliable to make as a setting,” Powell said. “We used the library, the football field and halls to film in. The setting is very important because it can change the tone of the story very easily, and a suspense film is no exception.”

The student filmmakers benefited from working with professionals in the Austin Film Society because they provided volunteer mentors and equipment to film the movies.

Another challenge they faced was having to rewrite scenes when logistical problems occurred that prevented the movie to be filmed as it was originally written.

“The process for making these movies is exhausting and changes a lot,” Powell said. “I had to rewrite entire scenes and just about the entire story.”

“I’m kinda glad that it’s over with now,” Ramirez said. “I’m glad that it’s not just something we imagined and it’s going to be a real thing now.”

Ramirez said he was excited to see the films shown on campus during the Filmmaking classes’ movie premier night on Tuesday. He also said the hard work and dedication they put into the film finally paid off, and will hopefully inspire other students like them to pursue a career in filmmaking. The films will premiere on the 26th of May in the Akins theater, as well as on Mrs. Royer’s YouTube the day after.