Solothurn Kanti students are shooting a film

Solothurn Kanti students invest a lot of their free time to shoot a film. From the screenplay to the cut, they do it themselves. They don’t let delays throw them off.

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No, she would never have thought how time-consuming and exhausting the whole thing is. Yael Stricker talks about the shooting and her leading role in a film that she is shooting with classmates. At the same time, the 19-year-old student at the Solothurn cantonal school says:

“It’s great fun and a great experience to take part in a project like this.”

Yael Stricker only has a short break. She’s back in front of the camera soon. She plays Ella, a young teenage woman who is looking for connection and friendship and repeatedly experiences disappointments.

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The students of the Solothurn canton school are shooting in a forest above Solothurn this Sunday afternoon. “Camera?” “Runs”! “Volume”? “Runs”! «Clap»: «Scene 14, Shot 2, Take 3». Action!

The effort is huge

Yael Stricker, aka Ella, runs into the woods with two supposed friends. The two girls make off behind her back. What remains is a puzzled Ella. This scene is shot over and over again until everyone on the team is happy.

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Fynn Jaeggi acts as director on this day. For the 16-year-old Kanti student, this is the second amateur film project he’s been involved in. He is still deeply impressed by how much effort is involved in shooting a film:

“On screen you only see the actors in action, but it takes so much more to make a movie.”

The nice thing about this project is that he gets to work with a cool, dedicated group.

Lots of free time activities

From writing the screenplay to editing, the students are challenged. They also organized internal auditions to fill the roles. They are supported by teachers. These see themselves primarily as coaches, says Matthias Schneeberger, a teacher of visual design and one of the initiators of the project. Schneeberger further:

“We give inputs and help when necessary. But the students have the main lead and decide what is done».

A team of teachers and staff from the cantonal school in Solothurn offered the film project as an optional subject last summer. The realization of the film was realized interdisciplinary. A history teacher helped with writing the screenplay, a music teacher with composing the film music, a workshop teacher with the props and with the search for suitable locations, a chemistry teacher with the camera and sound and a librarian with the editing.

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“These are all people who were willing to work on the project in their free time,” says Matthias Schneeberger. The students also agreed to take part on their days off because it was clear from the start that two lessons a week would not be enough to make a film.

Good teamwork between teachers and students

There were also delays due to illness. A planned intensive week during spring break fell through. “The film had to be shortened and is now available in a slimmed-down version,” says Matthias Schneeberger.

In order to catch up on the missed days of shooting, the film crew has recently met frequently on the weekends. The film was worked on Sunday after Sunday. No problem for leading actress Yael Stricker: “I enjoy it, so I don’t see it as a burden”.

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Nevertheless, most are relieved that this Sunday is about the last shooting. Matthias Schneeberger is also happy when he soon has a free Sunday to himself. But he also sees the film project as a great enrichment. He got to know the students from a completely different side. «It is no longer the classic teacher-student relationship, but one is a team. That is fun”.

The dream of the school film in the cinemas

The last scenes of the film are now being recorded on this Sunday afternoon in the Solothurn Forest. Leading actress Yael Stricker is challenged again in front of the camera. Your backpack is full of experiences from the last few months. Experiences that you can’t let go of even at home in front of the television:

“I look at films and series with completely different eyes. I always wonder how long it took the film crew to do that scene.”

The 19-year-old is happy when her team’s film will soon be in the can so that she can show it to friends, acquaintances and classmates. Her teammate Fynn Jaeggi has bigger ambitions. “It would be nice if the film were shown in Solothurn’s cinemas, but that will probably be difficult,” says the 16-year-old and returns to his film crew. There is still a lot to do before the credits roll.