The faces scroll across the screen seeming like they’re singing, animation at its finest. This incredible short film had to come from somewhere, however. There had to be a purpose.
The film, “Seeing Stars” by senior Hayley Canal shows how art can bring people together to make something great, and sometimes the purpose behind art is better than the actual product itself. For Canal, it was about showing how art can bring friends together.
“As far as purpose goes, it’s not like there’s like some great social message or anything, but I think that it’s a film about people coming together over something they love,” Canal said.
The short film is an animation of different students faces ‘coming together’ to sing the song “Seeing Stars” by BORNS. The movie is a compilation of still-shots that when put together mimic the lyrics of the song.
Filmmaking isn’t the only way art is seen throughout our school. Trinity Prep has a wonderful theatre program that showcases some of the best shows around. Eighth-grader Thomas Lightsey, an actor, believes that art is a way to create happiness for those around him.
“I love making other people happy, and just telling a story is just so cool and a lot of times, especially if it’s a comedy or something, it cheers people up,” Lightsey said. “So, I always like to make people’s day.”
Purpose for the arts is found in many different ways. Whether it’s making people happy or bringing people together, art plays a bigger role in our lives than we give it credit for. Before there’s a purpose, however: there’s inspiration. With art, it comes in many ways.
For theatre teacher Ms. Janine Papin, it’s her roots that inspired her.
“I grew up with the knowledge that we are all creative beings,” Papin said. “It is through art that we can discover who we are and what makes us tick.”
For Canal, inspiration was found through challenging herself to do something new.
“The inspiration is not so much my own because I was trying to mimic another film that I had seen, and [I] more took it on as a challenge for myself,” Canal said. “I wanted to see if I could do the same, but, of course, with people that I know and with a different song.”
The film she got the inspiration from was “Young” by The Paper Kites. In her movie, she mimics the style of the “Young” video with still-shots of each person mimicking the lyrics of a specific song.
And for Lightsey, inspiration came through his natural love for acting at an early age.
“By fourth grade, I was really loving it, and I started doing some acting classes and things like that,” Lightsey said. “So I think, and I just got very into it at the beginning.”
Like purpose, inspiration comes in many forms. For some, it comes naturally, and for others, they get inspired by something they see or do.
Both inspiration and purpose for the arts is a vital part of what makes an artist who they are, it’s what makes them unique. Through Trinity, many great artists have found a special community and a way to expand upon their talent.
For eighth grader and violinist Maggie Yuan, Trinity has opened up new opportunities, and let her advance her talents as a musician.
“Trinity has done so much,” Yuan said. “I’m in the top orchestra here and it gives me the chance to play in smaller groups because there aren’t a lot of people in that orchestra. We also enter a few competitions which also help me grow more too.”
For Lightsey, Trinity has presented him with a large family of fellow actors that share in his interests.
“We’re just one giant big family, and so, whenever I’m feeling down, I can just go talk to people and they’ll cheer me up,” Lightsey said. “If I have a bad day, I’ll go to rehearsal and then I’ll instantly turn the other way around.”
Trinity plays a big role in providing opportunities for students and in creating a great and inviting atmosphere for anyone looking to join in the arts. It’s a great place that allows talent to flourish.
Behind all of this purpose and inspiration, however, is the amount of hard work and effort it takes to make such a beautiful product. For Canal, the amount of effort it took to make a less than two-minute film was great.
“I put this enormous amount of effort into it, but it was really hidden,” Canal said. “The ultimate product was only two minutes long, and it’s hard for people to tell what went into it.”
It may seem like a lot for a little, but with the help of her friends and the community supporting her, it was all worth it in the end.
“A lot of people told me after, ‘It’s really cool seeing the people you’re closest to,’” Canal said. “That’s kind of what this is almost, this flash of people that support me. The purpose was showing people coming together, quite literally.”
