A troubled reverend has a question for God, but receives no response. Jay Weneta is out to find the answer in his senior thesis film, “Guest.”
Weneta, a fourth-year film student, takes on issues of suffering and faith in his fictional dramatic thriller “Guest.” The short film will open with Reverend Thomas giving a sermon and asking the question: “Does suffering have meaning?” When met by silence from his congregation, Thomas must come to terms with the fact that he does not know the answer himself.
The film explores the influence that the reverend’s religious and personal experiences have had on his understanding of suffering. He addresses the issue not only as a man of faith, but as a human being.
Weneta is raising funds for the production of his film through a campaign on Indiegogo, ending Dec. 1, and the crew plans to begin filming Dec. 4. So far, the campaign has raised $7,758 of the $10,000 goal.
Weneta played as long snapper for the UCLA football team during his first two years of attendance. He said he has been avid participant in the sport since a very young age.
“I don’t have a childhood memory that doesn’t somehow involve football games or practice,” said Weneta, “I’ve played football my whole life.”
Weneta was initially offered a spot on the roster as a walk-on. Once accepted to the film program during his third year, Weneta said he left the football team in order to devote as much time and effort to his studies as possible.
Although football played an important role in Weneta’s life, he said he knew that a future in film was a career that would be most beneficial and rewarding to him. He said he has always been infatuated with the art of storytelling, especially within the realm of filmmaking.
“Film was always the end goal,” Weneta said.
When contemplating the topic for his thesis film, Weneta recounted going on a mission trip to Louisiana in eighth grade, where he met a certain reverend.
“He was a lot of the inspiration for the look and feel and voice of the main character of this film,” Weneta said.
Despite the religious aspects of the film, Weneta said “Guest” is not a spiritual work. Instead, he said it is a character story where parts of Thomas’ personality and mentality are revealed.
“(Thomas) is very much looking for structure, looking for answers to life and in some ways he’s walking dogma,” Weneta said.
As the film progresses, the audience is taken through Thomas’ memories and effectively changed outlook on the meaning of suffering. Weneta said the viewing experience is slow and lucid, suspended in a dreamlike state, which is achieved not only through the story, but in the filmmaking itself.
“The film … is supposed to all be about, ‘How is this person feeling?’ Which means the film style is slightly fantastical,” Weneta said.
He saw brokenness as being central to the plot and the way in which the film will be shot.
“It’s a jigsaw puzzle that’s all slightly spread apart, not put together,” Weneta said. “For example, when you shoot a scene, trying to cut off someone’s face so you’re only looking at part of them.”
Also assisting Weneta on “Guest“ is producer and UCLA alumna Mina Wahab. She said this is the first film project she has had the opportunity to produce.
“I feel like it’s a very relatable story,” Wahab said. “Especially for people in college, when they start to question what they’ve grown up with.”
Weneta said he hopes to have a conversation with his audiences through his filmmaking. He said he wants them to leave the theater thinking about the film in the context of their own lives.
“I hope the audience comes away with what (Weneta) wants them to come away with – more questions,” said assistant director and third-year English student KJ Knies.
As the filming date approaches, Weneta said he anticipates the film’s completion in the winter of 2015, and hopes to premiere it in film festivals during the summer of 2015, following his graduation. He intends to continue work within the film industry after college, and sees an ideal and fulfilling future in directing feature films.
“If a movie goes through a moment … then there’s something there that people can talk about and, if not, at least have a feeling that stayed with them,” Weneta said. “I want to know, how do you make this movie a moment to them?”