Fortunately, Year 11 student Caleb Campbell knows exactly where his passion in life lies. Caleb has always been interested in filmmaking and intends to make it his career. “Filmmaking began for me,” he says, “when I realised I really loved watching films. I especially enjoyed watching their special features, and understanding how they were made and the complexities involved. The first inspiring moment for me was when I watched UP and the process behind making it. That was when I realised I wanted to tell my stories through film.”
To kickstart his budding career in film, Caleb has already begun his filmmaking journey through the production of Project Roger Pen. “The idea for this film had been building for some time,” he says. As Caleb travelled home from the cinema one evening, he began to reflect upon his experiences at the Year Eleven Development Day. Caleb, who has a hearing disability, was asked to dance by several of his peers, and found, to his disappointment, that he could not. “Some people had asked me to dance…but it was too loud for me, and I just backed away. I tried to figure out how to tell them that my disability affected me in that way, how it prevented me from being like everyone else.”
So, true to his dreams, Caleb decided to tell his story through film. Thus, Project Roger Pen was born. “[The film] investigates the life of a person who has a disability that prevents him from participating in activities that others do, like going to parties or hanging out with friends. The story also focuses on how the main character, Rider, enjoys writing stories in order to cope with the world he must face. The film really looks at the disabilities we don’t always see, like hearing disabilities.” Caleb has drawn from his own experiences in order to direct the film. “I also act in the film, and through this, I was able to add some of my own insights into the actual drama of the film.” The film is a project for Caleb’s Townsville Creative Technologies College assignment, an outside-school commitment.
To make a film requires a cast, and Caleb considers himself very lucky to have such eager participation from the talented students at Cathedral, many of whom volunteered their lunchtimes to act in the film, either as the main cast or extras. “The disco scene saw the involvement of many Year Elevens particularly, and some help from younger boarders.” As a boarder himself, Caleb has called upon the support of his boarding mates in making the film.
Caleb is pleased with the result, and believes the film is a great way to understand what it is like for a person with an ‘invisible disability’. When asked what advice he would give to other budding filmmakers, Caleb quotes lines from one of his favourite movies, The Flash: “Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan, succeed anyway.” Project Roger Pen is due to be released via YouTube in the coming months.
