Student Spotlight: Meet Bristol – The Teen Behind Our First-Ever Musical Film!
- FS4T Team
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Every now and then, a student project comes in that stops us in our tracks. This year, in our Intro to Filmmaking course, we received a final project unlike any we’ve seen before — a full-blown musical film titled The Stepsister Story, written, directed, and starring 15-year-old Bristol Bleiers an FS4T student this year.
Bristol’s love for musicals, acting, and storytelling shines through in every scene, and we knew we had to share her process and passion with our student community. We sat down with her to ask a few behind-the-scenes questions about how this project came to life — and how she managed to do it all with just her sister, a friend, and a phone.
Course Experience
Q: What made you decide to take the Intro to Filmmaking course?
Bristol: I needed to take another elective, and I already knew I wanted to make a movie. So I thought it would be good to learn more of the fundamentals of filmmaking before I actually made my film.
Q: What’s one thing you learned during the course that really helped your final project?Bristol: I learned so much about framing and the different angles you can use with the camera. That really helped me add more variety to my shots.
Q: Would you recommend this course to other teens?
Bristol: Yes! Even if you already know some techniques, it’s a great refresh—and you’ll definitely learn more. Plus, it was very fun!
Creating the Musical
Q: What inspired the story behind your musical film?
Bristol: I’ve always loved musicals—and the story of Cinderella. So I decided to do a spin-off focused on the stepsisters.
Q: How did you plan out your shots and scenes?
Bristol: I started writing the story before Christmas, before I even took the class. Once I got about halfway through the course, I started planning all the scenes and shots based on what I’d learned.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced while making the film?
Bristol: Honestly, everything went pretty smoothly! The only thing was giving directions to my sister while acting, since I played one of the stepsisters and she was filming it.
Writing the Musical Numbers
Q: How did you come up with the songs in your film?
Bristol: After I finished writing the script, I went back through and picked out parts where I thought it made sense to pause the story and add a song.
Acting & Directing
Q: What was it like acting in the film while also directing it?
Bristol: It wasn’t too bad. My sister was really great at taking direction, and I already had a clear vision of what I wanted. Having a small team made it easier to manage everything.
Q: Did you have any help behind the scenes?
Bristol: It was just me, my sister, and a friend. We didn’t use anyone else!
Looking Ahead
Q: Do you want to keep making films in the future?
Bristol: I probably will keep making short films, but not as a career. I’m still figuring that out. I love acting the most. I like writing and directing too, but acting is what I love way more.
Q: Are you more interested in writing, directing, or acting—or all three?
Bristol: Acting, definitely!
Q: What advice would you give to another student making their first film?
Bristol: Figure out what you're passionate about and ask, “How can I turn this into a film?” Don’t give up! My actor dropped out, and I had to cut a scene, but I just kept going.
Q: If you continue with FS4T courses what course would you take next?
Bristol: I think I would take Acting 4 the Screen or Intro to Screenwriting as my next course!
Watch The Stepsister Story Below
We are so proud of Bristol and the incredible work she put into this musical project. Her creativity, commitment, and courage to try something totally unique is exactly what we love to celebrate in our students.
Click the link below to watch The Stepsister Story and experience Bristol’s musical magic for yourself:
We can’t wait to see what Bristol—and students like her—create next!
FILM SCHOOL 4 TEEN AND MORE CREATIVE ELECTIVES
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