Javell Sheppard and cast holding the script at Fox’s Javell Sheppard
On Wednesday, April 10, Communication majors began presenting their final Senior Seminar projects for the year-long class that has been instructed by Brad Mello, Ph.D..
Students had different options for the type of project they could work on: original research, information/public relations campaign, audio/video production, or creative work. Javell Sheppard was the first student to present, sharing his highly anticipated short horror dramedy “Wages.”
Sheppard’s short film follows an older sister who argues with her brother about his contribution to their family and their current financial situation. The brother takes matters into his own hands with a sketchy, and potentially paranormal, app that he puts her name into to earn fast cash. The sister has no idea what is in store for her when she goes into work, her fate ultimately unknown.
What the “monster’s” mask looks like with the lights on. Javell Sheppard
“Wages” takes inspiration from the current issue of minimum wage in America, diving into the unaffordability crisis, opposing views among different generations, and money scams. Sheppard decided to incorporate these issues because he knew there would be a lot of information to research for the paper portion of his project.
They are also relevant and relatable topics for modern generations. On top of covering financial struggle, Sheppard based his story around a sketchy money-making app that does more harm than good. The inclusion of technological danger has a modern touch as our usage and reliance on such products grows every day.
The process of creating “Wages” first started about a year ago when Sheppard helped a friend with their senior project. Sheppard knew he would be faced with the same thing, so he started thinking about his own project at that time knowing it would take a lot of work.
On the set of “Wages” Javell Sheppard
Sheppard decided to tackle the horror genre because he felt it would best capture audience attention. Sheppard had a lot of research and statistics to work with, but wanted to retain interest if he included them in the film.
But before he could begin filming, he of course had to write a script. The script was more heavily based on visuals and camera movement than dialogue, making it a suspense-filled story.
Sheppard and cast on the set of “Wages” Javell Sheppard
Sheppard then had to figure out where the filming would take place. He had the idea of Fox’s, the place he works at and considers to already be eerie-looking. After having several conversations about using this location, Sheppard was granted permission from his manager. With this, he moved forward with the project, with the first half focusing on his research paper and the second half diving into the horror genre.
“I realized the horror aspect emphasizes how scary it can be living in America whilst not making enough money,” Sheppard said. “That was what made it all [come] full circle and it turned out to what it is.”
Through the process of creating “Wages,” Sheppard recalls the hardest parts being scheduling, weather unpredictability, and figuring out when he was able to shoot at work. While the cast is small, he recalls it being hard to find times that worked best for everyone. On top of this, he could only film at his work location after they had closed.
Neither filming nor editing stood out as extremely difficult for Sheppard’s time frame. He has experimented with editing for four years, saying he taught himself out of boredom.
“Whenever I shoot a scene, my thought process is ‘how can I make this scene as visually pleasing as possible?’ for each individual scene,” Sheppard explained.
The process of filming happened on certain days of the week during this past winter break for an hour and a half at a time. Sheppard knew he wanted the filming portion done by the start of the spring 2024 semester; they were able to finish on Jan. 5.
Sheppard is happy with the way the film turned out and has received positive feedback.
“Always make what you want to see,” Sheppard added, “not what you think people want to see.”
He understands that if people follow their creative vision, the people who appreciate their work will find them.
One of the only critiques has been viewers wishing the film was longer. “Wages” runs just over 25 minutes, but ends on a cliffhanger that leaves viewers wondering.
Sheppard hinted that a sequel might not be out of the question, but his plans right now are to tackle a new project this summer. He plans to dive into another horror, thriller, or mystery.
Grace Van Cleave holding up a “Wages” Clapperboard Javell Sheppard
If you have not seen “Wages,” yet, be sure to check it out.
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