Highland as a school has an extensive program to support upcoming artists as they practice their work and find a pathway for their futures. However, some of these arts are not as heavily focused on or advertised. This makes way for students to take matters into their own hands.
Alex and Asher Wilkinson, freshmen twin brothers, are avid about the importance of filmmaking. After having been experimenting with video making since figuring out how to work technology as young children, they have both felt passionate about the work they do and put out.
“As cliché as it might sound, my brother and I have been filmmaking since we were about two or three,” Asher said. “That’s after we figured out the magic that was pressing record on my mom’s iPhone 3, and ever since then, we’ve been filming everything.”
The brothers utilize their online YouTube account as a gateway for bigger projects to come and to practice their skills as actors, directors, and editors. They enjoy the smaller scale editing that is necessary for shorter YouTube videos because of how helpful it will be for them when they continue with larger projects in the future.
While they hone their filmmaking skills, the pair also enjoys trying a multitude of other activities to experience as much as they can. Being involved in theater, athletics such as track and volleyball, and being freshmen student body officers has allowed them to enjoy parts of their lives and meet new people that would not have been possible otherwise.
The Wilkinson family is very emerged in many different areas of the arts, but the brothers are the first in their family to take a special interest in filmmaking. The two being emersed in filmmaking together has been what has truly helped them bond as it is something they share. Even with the support from their family and creative minds around them, there can still be difficulties with thinking of ideas.
“We do have writers block a lot of the time,” Alex said. “So sometimes we just sit around and whenever we’re doing something else, an idea just pops into our mind and that’s basically what makes us think of ideas for our films.”
Every project the Wilkinson’s have focused on have been unique in their own way. Each project has taken around a year from start to finish as they do not compromise on time spent thinking of ideas at the table and writing to ensure that it is a special film on its own and not in comparison to the others.
The latest project that is still in the works has been a big transition for the two. Switching from bouncing ideas back and forth to directing, filling, and sustaining a cast and crew of over 20 has been a big change.
The idea for the project first came to Alex and a close friend in the US History class while talking about comics to combine a two-part adventure, half black and white and half in color, and to incorporate the very well-known character, Batman.
After pitching the idea to Asher, the pair jumped into action and began filming for the production in July of 2023.
Less than a year later, the film is in the sound-mixing and color-grading stage of editing while finishing touches are being put on the composition of the movie’s score by composer JT Kaufman.
While the final edits and touches are being put on the film in editing, the brothers want to publicize the work that has been put into the film and to promote their channel, hopefully enticing people to watch when it premieres, and to share their love of filmmaking with the student body around them.
“I just want to express to you what I feel about film because people every day have sports going on and sports are the most popular thing, but when was the last time we had a designated movie premiere at Highland for people to come see rather than to watch sports,” Asher said. “I know this is very controversial, but honestly, we all watch films, but people don’t really take the time to think about what goes into them. There is so much magic that goes into filmmaking, and I want people to see that.”
Agreeing with all of Asher’s sentiments, Alex also shared how their filmmaking has changed his view on movies altogether. Rather than just being entertained, he looks at all the small cuts and edits within movies and imagines the work that goes into big Hollywood productions.
“We got into film because it’s fun to brainstorm, fun to make the film, fun to act,” Alex said. “And I can’t watch a movie the same.”
The movie “Batman: The Caped Crusader” will premiere March 30th at 7:00 pm on their YouTube channel “Allstars Cinema”.
