USD senior’s short film debut

San Diego Black Film Festival features a short film by USD senior Cameron Record

Celina Tebor / Associate Editor / The USD Vista

 Cameron Record spends every Thursday in front of a camera, anchoring for that week’s episode of USDtv. But his true passions lie behind the camera.

Record, a senior at the University of San Diego, has always been interested in the film industry. He would come up with stories in his head, but just recently, he started to write them down. And as the station manager of USDtv, he has developed a skillset with cameras, audio, and editing.

He found inspiration after watching Jordan Peele’s film “Us” in theaters. Armed with an idea, no actors, and a budget of zero dollars, Record set out to create “Our Little Secret.”

The short film, Record’s first, came together over the course of summer 2019. He taught himself how to write a script and plan scenes before enlisting the help of his roommate David Tolbert.

Tolbert, a senior at USD, stars in the short film as a star football player who isn’t a fan of the spotlight — the character was based on former Duke basketball player and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Zion Williamson, Record said. As a football player himself, Tolbert found some similarities between himself and the role he was playing.

“I’m not really into that much publicity.” Tolbert said. “I don’t like talking to strangers that much. But when I’m with my friends, I’m very open. I laugh a lot, I talk a lot, I joke a lot.”

And while Tolbert doesn’t consider himself a professional actor, a variety of factors, including his football career at USD, helped him prepare for the role.

“Sports and acting is actually a pretty good parallel,” Tolbert said. “You get used to people looking at you, you get used to performing, entertainment-wise, and then the interviewing part.”

The film’s plot revolves around a high-profile college athlete who is coerced into taking his neighbor’s good fortune in order to keep his deepest and darkest secret, a secret. 

Tolbert is also an identical twin in real life, and without completely spoiling the plot, the decision to cast a twin as the main character was a conscious one on Record’s part.

“The original idea was you’re your biggest enemy,” Record said. “His enemy throughout the whole thing is himself. There’s only one person that knows his secret, and it’s him. I was trying to get the conflict between two people that were the same. It’s a battle.”

The complete short film was released at the end of summer 2019, and after suggestions by one of his professors, Record decided to submit it to a couple of different festivals in hopes of a screening. 

And then he forgot about it. That is, until he received an email notifying him that his short film would be featured at the San Diego Black Film Festival.

“I was caught off guard,” Record said. “I wasn’t planning on doing any of it, you know.”

Record doesn’t get nervous typically, he said. But after releasing his film, he couldn’t do anything to calm his nerves besides turn his phone off.

“You work so hard to put something together in your head, and you’re kind of vulnerable,” Record said. “You put it together and people don’t get it. That’s just part of the process. Not everybody likes what you’re gonna put out there.”

The film ends on a vague note, but by watching it carefully, the main character’s secret is unveiled. Both Record and Tolbert recommend rewatching it if viewers don’t understand the first time.

“For anybody that doesn’t get the film, watch it again,” Record said. “Watch it like you would in the theatre. No distractions, no phones, nobody else.”

Creating a short film requires heavy commitment. And for Record, a full-time college student with two jobs on the side, finding the time is difficult. 

However, his passion for the craft left him itching to create films, despite his crowded schedule.

“The number one thing on my mind throughout the day is film,” Record said. “I want to watch movies. I want to make a film. I want to get better at filming.”

He hopes to take his filmmaking to the next level and into his career. Record has three other scripts in the works, and is currently deciding whether he wants to attend film school after graduation in May. 

Record’s short film will also be screened in the UCs at a later date.

You can watch Record’s short film here.