{"id":78019,"date":"2025-12-02T10:18:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T10:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/78019\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T10:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T10:18:10","slug":"nuns-with-guns-is-1-of-4-short-films-in-scas-senior-thesis-program-annenberg-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/78019\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nuns with Guns\u2019 is 1 of 4 short films in SCA\u2019s senior thesis program \u2013 Annenberg Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students with cameras, nuns with guns: this USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Senior thesis project takes absurdist comedy to the next level with \u201cNuns with Guns.\u201d The short film is a defining example of what USC\u2019s young filmmakers can accomplish with talent, trust and a $12,000 budget.<\/p>\n

Every year, only four short films earn the green light in the SCA\u2019s competitive senior thesis program. This year, one title in particular \u2014 a 12-minute action-comedy by director and senior cinematic arts, film and television production major Rhys Zemeckis \u2014 has captured the campus\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

Senior writing for screen and television major Charlie Korman remembers the moment the idea for the script was born. He and Zemeckis were in a car tossing around funny movie titles that rhymed, when they realized they \u201cactually thought of something good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne, because it rhymes, and two, because you never think of those two things together,\u201d Korman said. \u201cNuns with guns popped up, and immediately I was thinking, \u2018Okay\u2026 but why would nuns have guns?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

From that single question came the film\u2019s premise: a group of nuns, facing the foreclosure of their church, choose to rob a fictional bank that has been exploiting them to preserve their community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the story becomes about friendship and sisterhood more than saving the church,\u201d senior cinematic arts, film and television production major and \u201cNuns with Guns\u201d producer Daniella Rapha\u00ebl said. \u201cIt could just as easily be three women working at a coffee shop that\u2019s about to close. The nuns make it funny, but the emotional journey is universal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A“Nuns with Guns” follows three nuns who, when faced with the foreclosure of their church, take matters into their own hands and rob a bank. (Photo courtesy of Rhys Zemeckis) <\/p>\n

When USC releases its shortlist of potential directors, writers and producers, students typically scramble to form teams. But this group was different.<\/p>\n

Zemeckis, Korman and Rapha\u00ebl had already formed a creative bond through USC\u2019s junior thesis program, where students rotate roles in small trios.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d already made three films together,\u201d Rapha\u00ebl recalled. \u201c[Zemeckis] produced for me once; I was his cinematographer another time. But I had never produced a film he directed, and we always wanted to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

So when both Zemeckis and Korman were shortlisted, and Korman brought in a finished script based on the joke they had riffed on months earlier, building the team was effortless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frantic when the shortlists come out,\u201d Zemeckis, the son of Robert Zemeckis, a film student at USC\u2019s SCA in 1973 and Hollywood-renowned filmmaker, said. \u201cBut we were lucky we already knew we wanted to work together and were aligned on the film we wanted to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Producer and senior cinematic arts, film and television production major eMJay Al Barr rounded out the group and the four entered the formal pitch process: 10 minutes of presentation followed by 10 minutes of faculty questions. <\/p>\n

They got the green light that same night.<\/p>\n

\u201cComedy works best when the characters treat the situation with absolute seriousness,\u201d Zemeckis said. \u201cTo the nuns, this heist is life-or-death. That\u2019s what makes it funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cComedy works best when the characters treat the situation with absolute seriousness…To the nuns, this heist is life-or-death. That\u2019s what makes it funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Rhys Zemeckis<\/p>\n

Zemeckis has a clear comedic philosophy that the funniest moments come when characters treat the absurd with complete seriousness. His taste leans toward drama-infused humor, not slapstick or cheap gags. According to Zemeckis, his favorite films aren\u2019t comedies; they\u2019re dramas with elements of comedy baked in. <\/p>\n

\u201cRhys\u2019s junior thesis was intense but still a little funny without being a straight comedy,\u201d Rapha\u00ebl said. \u201cSo an absurdist heist about nuns robbing a bank felt like the perfect evolution of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because the team was selected in the spring, they spent the summer reshaping the script and preparing for production, even while scattered across different parts of the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, summer wasn\u2019t really a break,\u201d Zemeckis said. \u201cBut doing the groundwork early made everything possible once the school year started.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the fall semester began, the team launched into three weeks of official pre-production, one test weekend, three consecutive weekends of shooting, a full month of editing, and now post-production in sound, color, score and graphics.<\/p>\n

One of their biggest creative achievements was transforming USC\u2019s Allan Hancock Building<\/a> into a fully realized bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe production design team completely transformed the rotunda,\u201d Zemeckis said. \u201cSeeing the nuns, the extras, the prop weapons, it felt like the movie was suddenly real.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Korman\u2019s favorite moments of the process was seeing that robbery scene come to life. \u201cSeeing what the actors did with it, and how Rhys staged it visually\u2026I was in awe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe production crew turned USC\u2019s Allan Hancock Building into a bank. (Photo courtesy of Rhys Zemeckis) <\/p>\n

USC provides support equipment, funding, and institutional backing, but also imposes rules that shape what students can and cannot do. A major responsibility fell on the producers to ensure the project followed every guideline.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSC has a lot of red tape, especially around safety,\u201d Korman said. \u201cA huge part of the producers\u2019 job was reeling in mine and Rhys\u2019 craziest ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most intense challenge, according to the team, was bringing prop guns onto USC\u2019s campus. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone saw them out of context, the campus could\u2019ve been shut down,\u201d Korman said. \u201cThe producers made sure every single rule and regulation was followed so we could focus on story and character.\u201d<\/p>\n

The producer acts as the mediator between the \u2018studio\u2019 \u2014 in this case USC \u2014 and the creative team, Rapha\u00ebl explained.<\/p>\n

Although the crew was almost entirely USC students, the cast featured a mix of SAG-AFTRA actors and one USC drama student. USC provides access to a casting breakdown platform where student teams can post roles and receive submissions. The cast was selected from 200\u2013300 submissions through USC\u2019s casting breakdown platform, with rounds of self-tapes, in-person auditions, and chemistry reads. <\/p>\n

A crucial creative choice was making the nuns different ages: a mother superior in her 60s, a second nun in her early 30s, and the youngest nun in her late teens. Extras were sourced through casting sites, older community volunteers, parents, and family friends to create an age spread that grounded the film\u2019s emotional throughline while elevating its comedic absurdity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe loved that generational spread because women of any age can relate to at least one nun\u2026And to make a bank look real, you need older people in the background,\u201d Rapha\u00ebl said. \u201cNot just a room full of 20-year-olds pretending to be retirees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from actors, every major creative and technical role, from producers, editors, sound designers, production designers, cinematographers, colorists, composers, to graphic designers, was filled by USC students. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone doing sound, production design, the camera team, they were all SCA students,\u201d Korman said. \u201cIt proved we never had to look outside the school for crew because we have highly skilled people all around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt proved we never had to look outside the school for crew because we have highly skilled people all around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Charlie Korman<\/p>\n

Rapha\u00ebl added, \u201cSo many classmates in SCA are full of talent and looking to sharpen their craft and build their reels.\u201d<\/p>\n

USC supplies each senior thesis with $12,000 in funding, access to high-end cameras and equipment, and a department dedicated to festival submissions after the project is done. However, there are specific limitations like no paying actors, no paying crew, strict safety rules and precise role boundaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a director, I can shape the film, sit with the editors, and give notes,\u201d Zemeckis said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not allowed to edit or write it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

This structure is intentional, and according to Zemeckis teaches you how collaboration works in the industry. <\/p>\n

The film premieres December 16 at USC\u2019s Norris Cinema Theatre, where all four senior theses will screen in a celebratory showcase.<\/p>\n

After that, Rapha\u00ebl leads the festival submission strategy with SCA\u2019s support. For all three, \u201cNuns With Guns\u201d is more than a class project; it\u2019s a taste of what their careers as filmmakers will look like. Student films can gain wider recognition by applying to both small and large national festivals designed for this purpose. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou aim for a few dream festivals, a few strong mid-tier ones, and some smaller niche festivals, especially comedy-friendly ones,\u201d Rapha\u00ebl said. \u201cIt\u2019s like applying to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korman also explained how the project serves as a portfolio piece. \u201cThis film is a pitching tool. I can send it to people and say, \u2018This is what I can do as a screenwriter.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Zemeckis discussed how he is excited about collaborating independently, maybe developing something new after USC, but for now, \u201cwe\u2019re pouring everything into finishing \u2018Nuns With Guns\u2019 the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Korman, film school is great for technical skills, but the most important thing is the network you build \u2014 especially in Los Angeles, where the SCA-to-industry pipeline is strong.<\/p>\n

Rapha\u00ebl shared a similar sentiment that the most rewarding part is seeing an idea turn into a real film, with dozens of people bringing their talents to it. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you trust your team, you can make something bigger than any one of you could have done alone,\u201d Zemeckis said. <\/p>\n

\"The“Nuns with Guns” was one of four films selected for the SCA senior thesis program. (Photo courtesy of Rhys Zemeckis) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Students with cameras, nuns with guns: this USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Senior thesis project takes absurdist…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78020,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[44846,44825,44834,44838,44830,44840,44842,48,52,51,47,50,49,44829,44832,44824,44836,44837,44841,44839,44833,3533,25671,44827,25735,44845,44826,44835,44828,44844,44843,44831],"class_list":["post-78019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-best-film-schools","tag-charlie-korman","tag-daniella-raphael","tag-emjay-al-barr","tag-festival-films","tag-film-and-television-production-major","tag-film-thesis-project","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-new-short-films","tag-nuns-with-guns","tag-rhys-zemeckis","tag-robert-zemeckis","tag-robert-zemeckis-son","tag-sca-senior-thesis","tag-senior-cinematic-arts","tag-short-films","tag-usc","tag-usc-events","tag-usc-films","tag-usc-news","tag-usc-opportunities","tag-usc-production-major","tag-usc-screenwriting-major","tag-usc-short-films","tag-uscs-norris-cinema-theatre","tag-writing-for-screen-and-television-major","tag-young-filmmakers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}