by Sofia Georgaklis

While creating everything from artistic music videos to poignant public service announcements, sophomores Sam Pollak and Sarah Dreyfus have developed their own unique style for producing many genres of video.

“I love filming because I like to look at things through a different lens,” Pollak said.

In 2014, Pollak and Dreyfus won first place for a film they created for the Jennifer A. Lynch Committee on Domestic Violence video contest. Another one of their short films, “The Best Kind of Medicine,” also won an honorable mention at a film festival in Vermont.

Pollak has taken many film classes both in and out of school, including Digital Video Productions I & II, as well as classes at Harvard University.

“Sam will present something that he has for a project for a class and we’ll go over it together,” Dreyfus said. “We start shooting the day of. Often times we both direct and both act and both write, which makes it really fun.”

The duo has been friends since meeting at school in 6th grade, but didn’t seriously start making films until the summer after 8th grade.

“I did a lot of shows at school,” Dreyfus said. “Then I remember realizing ‘I actually really want to do film acting’ when I watched the second High School Musical.”

After that, Dreyfus started attending workshops in Boston and auditioning for roles outside of school. She said those experiences helped her grow as an artist and got her interested in acting.

“I got really connected with that,” Dreyfus said. “I’m still doing a lot of student films around Emerson and trying to do as many auditions outside of school as I can. Sam and I both really like acting.”

Dreyfus said she began to commit more time to her filmmaking when one of her and Pollak’s videos won an honorable mention at a film festival in Vermont.

“I realized this was something I take really seriously,” Dreyfus said. “I wouldn’t just call it a hobby. This is something I care a lot about, and that I really invest a lot of time and emotional energy in. It just reminds me that I can do this, and can push myself really hard.”

According to Pollak’s mother, Patty Correa, Pollak’s love for filming comes from his desire to tell stories in a visual way.

“It’s a great outlet for him to be creative and do something different than his everyday life,” Correa said.

Pollak said his films are inspired by directors such as Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick.

“Most of my films are really morbid and creepy, and I guess I get that from Stanley Kubrick,” Pollak said.

Dreyfus said she likes making dramatic films because acting in them lets her take on a completely different identity and delve into relevant topics.

“We want to do something that will leave people with a message, something that will leave people thinking,” Dreyfus said.

According to Pollak, their videos take about two days to film and a couple of hours to edit. The two are currently working on a project about an infatuated necrophiliac.

Pollak said he sees filmmaking as an escape and an opportunity to create a new life.

“That’s why I really like it,” Pollak said. “You can just get away from everything and create something that you can feel good about.”

Sofia Georgaklis can be contacted at [email protected]