MAP seniors tackle comedy films, face uncommon challenges

When the annual senior project film production commenced for the Media Arts Program (MAP) seniors in late January, most groups were preparing to bring to life dramatic plotlines, searching for emotional scores and undergoing effective editing to build suspense and action in their short films.

However, two groups veered off the beaten path of fictional drama films, the typical genre-of-choice among senior projects, and are taking on what some say is a more difficult genre: comedy.

The MAP Senior Project films have been in the making since September, and have only one guideline groups must stay within: all films must be under 10 minutes. Otherwise, as long as they have teacher approval, students are allowed to have complete creative control over whatever genre of film they choose.

Comedy, according to senior Tyler Torrens, is the hardest script to pull off. Simply put, making an diverse audience laugh isn’t easy.

“We can’t make all of our jokes likable for every person, so it’s about balancing every type of joke so that everyone gets a kick out of our film,” Torrens said.

Torrens is part of a comedy production titled “Tip-Off,” a film about protagonist Wyatt, played by Will Turpin, who experiences nostalgia and jealousy when his old childhood basketball court is taken over by eighth graders. Together, with his four friends, played by James Parden, Harrison Buss, Harrison Fong, and Torrens, the college boys challenge the adolescents to a basketball game in an attempt to win their court back.

The film intends to be a mockumentary, a style of film first popularized by the hit U.S. version of the TV show, “The Office,” in order to utilize the advantage of using cameras free of tripods, and to add a personal appeal to their story.

The makers behind “Punchline,” Pranay Bettadapur, Jack Ryan, Yoon Kim, Tim Kobara and Alec Lindeman, are also attempting to film a mockumentary with a twist. The film puts group member Bettadapur’s life in the spotlight. Bettadapur stars as himself in the film, as he takes on an alternate career path as an aspiring comedian.

Ryan, who also stars as Bettadapur’s unreliable best friend and manager, expressed the difficulty of blending reality and fiction in their film.

“We plan on creating fake situations based on our own lives,” Ryan said. “The most difficult part of the comedy process has been imagining scenarios that would actually be funny and school-appropriate.”

Nevertheless, the makers of the comedy productions are hopeful and motivated for the chance at being the first comedy to win the Best MAP Senior Project Award at the Saratoga High Annual Media Showcase (SMASH’N) on May 26.

“It’s a lot of work, but we’re excited for what our final product will be, so make sure to go check it out,” Torrens said.

MAP senior project productions will be completed by April, and available to watch on the Media Arts Program YouTube channel in May.