Ever find yourself wondering what freshman year was like for other students? Well, junior Ishi Metkar is here to show you just that. She’s taken on an ambitious new project, following the lives of six freshmen as they navigate the murky waters of their first year at Wash U. If you thought there was nothing more to learn about freshman year, think again. We can’t wait to see what Ishi’s documentary will uncover.
Where did you get the idea for this film project? Any particular moments of inspiration? I got the idea when I was interning for another documentary and started thinking about moments in my life worth documenting. My moments of inspiration definitely came whenever I would have nostalgic conversations with members of my freshman floor, many of whom I’m still friends with, because that really brought me back to that year of growth and change.
Can you tell us a little about the freshmen participating? How did you find them? Although I can’t reveal the identities of the freshmen that are participating, I will say that they are a diverse but similar group. They all seem to be very put together, which is something pretty uncommon for freshmen, but they also have fun so it’s interesting. It was difficult to diversify the group because there are only so many people that would be willing to have a whole year of their lives documented on camera but I think we lucked out with the current group.
Have you always been interested in film? Are you completing this for a class or just as a self-motivated project? I became interested in film in high school because one of my good friends was OBSESSED with filmmaking and hearing her speak so passionately about cinema definitely sparked my interest. I took Intro to Film Studies freshman year and that just solidified my interest. This is an independent film so I’m doing it because I think it’s something incredible that we have the chance to capture on camera. It’s not for a class or anything.
What are your hopes for the final product? What do you hope it will show its viewers? I hope the final project will depict the diversity of choices and experiences available in college. I’m hoping viewers that have been through this experience will be able to relate to it but I also hope it will make kids in high school excited for college!
What else are you involved in on campus? I am also production manager for another short film, Comedy Director for Social Programming Board (am I a bigger deal than Jordan, [president of the SPB], now?), KKG, AKPsi, and I work on the tech crew in the DUC.