Creative Filmmaking – Ella Radtke ’22

Junior Ella Radtke takes Creative Filmmaking, one of the three classes the Broadcast Journalism program at Sacred Heart Greenwich offers.  In this elective, students further their creativity through incorporating different aspects of art to create films that tell a story.  The other two classes in the program are Real World Filmmaking and Broadcast Journalism.  In these classes, students create impactful, meaningful, or light-hearted films to share with the school community and beyond.

Through her films, Ella uncovers aspects of herself and touches on her past experiences.  She explained how she appeals to the audience through using other artistic elements to convey important messages.

“I express myself through my creative films by displaying emotions and a state of mind that is based on something I have experienced or felt,” Ella said.  “I try to connect my love for poetry and music to my films to enhance the emotional expression and message found in my films.  I want people to be able to understand serious issues, such as depression or anxiety, that they may or may not have experienced before.”

Ella described how she incorporates relevant social themes and issues, such as mental health, in her filmmaking.  She also brings in other forms of art into her films, like poetry, and uses it as a narration.

“One of my most meaningful pieces would have to be my film Memories Circle,” Ella said.  “I based this film around a poem I wrote that explains how it feels to have a panic attack.  I brought in an element of monsters and sharks to reveal different types of fears, such as what is in the dark or in the ocean.  I also used sound effects of a heartbeat and deep breaths to pull the film together.”

Featured Image by Caterina Pye ’23