Written by Jackson Trahant
Junior and Film major Emma Claire Smith will spend her spring break in Atlanta filming her project named “Tender was the Waltz”. Smith and twelve other students will dedicate a week to shooting the 15-minute short film, which Smith said was inspired by the relationship between the 20th century writers Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The title of Smith’s project is a mesh of two of the writers’ works, F. Scott’s “Tender is the Night” and Zelda’s “Save me the Waltz.”
“I’ve always been deeply interested in them, especially in Zelda. This story is really a modern retelling of their love story; I’ve been studying and reading as many biographies as I can as well as their individual works to better understand them and choose the best way to tell this story,” Smith said.
The cast and crew have one week to finish the shooting for the film before returning to classes the following week. However, the final product will take many more months to complete, with post-production taking place over the summer before the team submits the film to competitions in the fall. Smith says she came up with the idea three years ago.
“I figured a project such as this wouldn’t be possible while I was still in college because I knew I wanted to film in Atlanta … Fast forward to last semester, the Lord put all the people in my life that I needed, and now I have a full crew that is just as passionate about telling this story as I am,” Smith said.
Senior Hannah Logsdon will serve as the film’s artistic director and shares the same love for her work as Smith.
“This project is going to be beautiful,” Logsdon said. “As the Art Director, I’m helping create stunning visuals to match the heart of the film. The sharp contrasts throughout the story call for a variety of colors, textures, and visual qualities that push the rich emotions of each character out of the screen and make them palpable.”
The film boasts a remarkable cast and crew, said the film’s producer senior Lucas Mirante.
“Those working on this are some of the best people I know,” Mirante said. “My hope is that this brings all of us love and success.”
Those interested in supporting the film can reach out to Smith over email or social media.
