Charles Franklin Portfolio

I'm an aspiring filmmaker driven by a passion for storytelling, aesthetics, and emotional impact. This portfolio highlights some of the work I created during my time at Elon University, where I studied Cinema and Television Arts. Some of these projects were developed in class, while others grew out of personal exploration, each reflecting my evolving perspective and creative voice.

Portfolio

This Means Something

Director, Editor, Producer, Colorist, Sound Designer

This was my capstone project and the most ambitious film I’ve made so far. I spent several months developing it—writing, producing, planning, and ultimately serving as the director, among other roles. The shoot itself was condensed into just three days, which required a lot of preparation and quick decision-making on set. While I would have liked the chance for reshoots, the tight timeline meant I had only two weeks from the final shoot day to deliver a finished cut. Of course, it will never be perfect, and there are plenty of things I wish I could have improved, but I’m still very proud of what I was able to accomplish with the time and resources I had.

Fading

Gaffer, First AC

For this short film, I was brought on fairly last minute as the gaffer and first AC for another student’s capstone film. It was my first real opportunity to experiment with lighting while also working behind the camera. As the only person handling the lights, I focused on matching the clear vibe the director wanted and finding ways to shape the mood through different setups. Having a role behind the camera and controlling the lighting gave me a chance to explore how the two work together, and it opened the door for me to start developing my own approach to visual style.

A Bad Day

Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Colorist

This short project was created with another student for our Narrative Aesthetics class as a sample/proposal for a longer short film. The goal was to use the skills we’d been learning—editing, framing, coloring, sound design, props, and visual storytelling—to tell a story entirely without words. Filming and editing were completed in just 24 hours, and we decided to scrap the ending scene for the full-length version, so we left the final scene unfinished, almost as a blooper for the class to laugh at.

Thistle Ridge Live

Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Mixer, Colorist

This was a live video we filmed for the band Thistle Ridge at a bar in Elon. A group of three of us took on the main responsibilities—producing, editing, and handling all the sound, including live mixing—while we had extra help running the cameras. It was great practice figuring out how to balance instruments in a live setting and experimenting with Premiere Pro’s multicam editing feature. The whole experience taught me a lot about adapting on the fly and working as a team to capture something that can’t be recreated.

De'Aaron Fox Edit

Editor

This project was an edit of my favorite basketball player, De’Aaron Fox. With the rise of “edits” on TikTok and other social media, I wanted to try putting my own spin on the format—combining gifs with sound and visual effects to create my own style. It was a fun way to use my editing skills to experiment with style and energy in a short format. Most importantly, it was fun, and it was me. I will certainly be making more of these.

Letting Go

Sound Mixer, Boom Operator

This was my first experience on a narrative set at Elon, where I worked as the sound mixer and boom operator. It gave me a chance to practice capturing clean audio while learning how a set operates and how the different departments work together. Being hands-on with sound in a professional setting helped me understand the pace, communication, and collaboration required to support a production effectively.