Chinese @ Wheaton
When President Hanno asked the Global Education Office to put together a short video for him to share with prospective students and parents in China, Xiangzi Chen ’16 answered the call—producing a five-and-a-half-minute film in just six days.
Chen, a psychology and studio art major from Beijing, China, borrowed equipment from Assistant Professor of Filmmaking Patrick Johnson and interviewed 10 Chinese students over about five days. She then spent about 30 hours editing down that footage into the final film, which was one of the projects showcased at Wheaton’s annual Academic Festival on April 10.
“What I personally enjoyed the most was no doubt our teamwork,” Chen said of the project. “This is my first film about people. For my class projects, I have been filming water, fruits and other still life themes earlier.
“My psychology background helped me a lot during interviews, in terms of what questions I should ask to help them relax and think of more to talk about, how I could lead the conversation and how I should follow up,” she said.
Chen noted the film was a group effort. “Our speakers were super cooperative. We really helped each other out,” she said. “I was good friends with most of upperclassmen participated in this film, and through the filmmaking process I’ve become really good friends with those freshmen as well, after they opened their hearts and shared their most valuable memories with me.”
The film also features aerial shots captured via drone by Zevi Rubin ’16 and photographs taken by Shiwei Huang ’15, one of the students interviewed.
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Wheaton has a bustling international community, with students representing nearly 70 countries, including 92 students from China. >> Learn more