Senior Spotlight: Jacob Wiant does it all with his senior project “Beasts From Before”

Written by Anna Porter. Photo courtesy of Jacob Wiant.

“Beasts From Before” is a new dark fairy tale short film in the works at SCAD, and Jacob Wiant is the senior Production Design mastermind behind it all. The story follows seven different characters, each plagued by a desire for abundance. The project’s mission is to connect to the deep roots of mythology and fairy tales.

With a concentration in costume design, Wiant was assigned to create a costume for his final senior project. He explains, “[The senior project] is this big pinnacle event.” To him, creating one costume didn’t feel like enough to capture the culmination of his Production Design degree. So, Wiant decided he would combine his love for writing, film and production design to produce a story told in three manifestations: narrative prose, experimental film, and art photography. 

When asked what his main inspiration is, Wiant says, “It’s the people who I get to work with.” At the beginning of this past summer, he onboarded nearly twenty SCAD students to help him with production. From photographers to social media managers, Wiant put his trust in other students to help him carry out his vision. “It’s really inspirational to see what happens when you allow creatives the space,” he says. “I may have had the initial idea, but it’s everyone else who’s making it even better.”

One of Wiant’s goals while working on this project is to create an equitable workspace. Although it is an unpaid collaboration, Wiant values helping people find a way to make this project their own. He says that during the process of working with these individuals, he has a personal conversation with each part of the crew to ask them what this project can do for their own portfolio.

In addition to creating opportunities, Wiant is passionate about creating a sustainable production process and is strategically planning how to eliminate waste from production. “Creating a project with emphasis on sustainability shows [the industry] that there are ways to shoot a production that saves money and has a positive environmental impact,” Wiant says. “So much of the film industry is producing waste from single-use plastic and massive sets that get discarded. A big element of making ‘Beasts From Before’ is thinking about the project’s legacy. We want this project to be project to be sustainable from start to finish.”

Currently, Wiant is finishing the narrative prose portion of “Beasts From Before.” The experimental film and art photography portion of the project will begin production in the coming months, and Wiant’s costume designs will be on display through these two visual outputs. Wiant is excited that people will have multiple ways to consume his stories, whether their interest is in reading or watching.

As Wiant prepares for the launch of “Beasts From Before,” he meditates on the lessons he learned throughout his degree. “The most important thing is to trust your gut,” he says. “If you’re in a space where you don’t know where you want to go, listen to your gut, but don’t get it confused with fear. That’s how I got this far and how I’ll continue to move forward.” Wiant is passionate about trusting the process, making “Beasts From Before” into a beautiful display of his talent and dedication.

Learn more about the story of “Beasts From Before” through @beasts.from.before on Instagram. You can also donate to the project through Indiegogo.