College students telling their own stories motivates the crew of “After Party,” a short film made by and about college students.

For Audrey Buffington ‘24, “After Party” represents the idea that college students are more than what they are often portrayed as.

“There is a lot more that college students go through that isn’t necessarily depicted in the media, so we kind of have not just the party, but what comes after,” Buffington said. “There’s a lot of pressure to be okay and to have it all together and be happy all the time, which is a stupid because we’re young, and on top of that we’re depicted as idiots in the media. How often do people our age tell our stories?”

As Buffington looked over the script that a friend, Kevin Connaughton, sent her, the opportunity that she was afforded struck her.

“The writers’ strike was going on, and I did a strategic analysis on Netflix and the streaming industry … and I realized how huge the opportunity is to make something right now,” Buffington said.

“After Party” tells the story of a college friend group on vacation with each other. The main character Charlie, played by Buffington, is the focus of the film, which is largely a character piece.

“For a character like Charlie … she’s so complex and so different from myself,” Buffington said “It’s going to take so much work, and she’s a runner, so I’m having to do physical conditioning as well. On top of all the mental stuff, she’s also a drug addict, and so there’s all these layers I’ve never had to deal with before for a character that she requires.”

The film, written by Connaughton and co-produced by Buffington and Aaron Falls, will be filmed throughout November and December, while they continue to fundraise for their $6,300 budget goal.

“We have so many people with this project who are willing to help us, but we’re out there, as young professionals doing the thing,” Buffington said. “We’re not doing it as students anymore. It’s us actually going out into the world and doing what we’ve been learning how to do.”

Yasmin Lee ‘23, an award winning director and Wofford Alumni, is directing “After Party”.

“After Party” is a short film that externalizes a young woman’s battle with addiction and grief,” Lee said.

“We are very excited that the lead actress for our film (Buffington) recently won the AWE Student Project award at the college level.”

Buffington submitted for the award, given through the Tryon Film Festival which houses the Student Project, as a practice project to expand her film experience.

“It’s just another thing,” Buffington said. “All these things, like (“After Party”), always come back to my Wofford experiences.”

Buffington credits her interest in film, winning the festival award and being able to do this film to her Wofford experiences and “the professors I’ve had here, the people I’ve met here and the classes I’ve taken.”

Ultimately, for Buffington, “After Party” represents a form of love both for the art of film and acting, but also for those around her. 

“When I think about what I really wanted out of this, I really wanted to help make these connections between people I knew who I thought would work really well together and help each other out in the future, which I got to do,” Buffington said. “I got to create this incredible team, and we’re gonna get to tell this great story.”

Buffington aims for this film to be ready for a screening at Wofford in June 2024.