“Pickle for Pickleball” Wraps Production

Reflections from Student Cast and Crew

July 18, 2025

On July 3, JPCatholic students and faculty completed production on Pickle for Pickleball, a sports comedy produced within the school’s Feature Film Program. Originally written by screenwriting student Anna Engel, the story follows an unlikely group of elderly women who find themselves caught up in a high-stakes pickleball tournament.

Filming took place over 22 days during the June break and into the beginning of JPCatholic’s summer quarter. Locations spanned across San Diego county including Ramona’s town hall, The HUB Pickleball Club in Spring Valley, and various locations around Escondido. Students also utilized a jail cell set built in JPCatholic’s soundstage last quarter as part of the “Feature Film Set Building & Prop Making” course.

Over 70 students of various majors were involved in bringing the film to life, including Prof. Weinheimer’s Graphic Design Capstone course, where seniors contributed designs for props and signage used in the film. On set, students held roles such as Director of Photography, Head of Wardrobe, and Production Designer.

Students will move immediately into post-production, through a course led by Profs. Sam Sorich and Kaitlyn Krikorian. The film is expected to premiere in 2026, and in the meantime you can view production photos and reflections from our students below:

Student Reflections from Production

“On each of the 22 days of this shoot, there was a moment where I looked around at each member of the crew and thought, ‘This is insane. We’re making a movie for practically no money and everyone on set is making this film happen day in and day out.’ Our directors, producers, and donors made an incredible experience available to students, where we were able to work with industry professionals both in front of and behind the camera. The feature film program is a rich experience and a worthwhile effort.”

Jozef Raiche, Junior

Director of Photography

“Working on the props in our graphic design capstone class was a lot of fun! Our tight knit class shared, generated ideas, and had a blast workshopping the props for the film. From asking Anna, the director to come in and explain her vision for each of the props to the internal reviews and reactions to each of the props, the process was a blast. My favorite part was seeing the president, Dr. Connolly, making a cameo in the film while he was holding the newspaper prop that Grace worked on! It was so cool seeing all the props in the BTS photos and hearing how great the props looked. Overall, it was such a creative real-world experience, and we can’t wait to see our designs on the big screen!”

Karla Trujillo, Senior

Graphic Designer

“Working on Pickle for Pickleball as Head of Wardrobe was an intense but deeply rewarding experience. As a senior acting student with a strong background in costume design, I came in prepared for the creative work—but the fast pace and scale of a feature film brought a whole new level of challenge. While the days were long and the conditions demanding, I learned so much about collaboration, problem-solving under pressure, and how to lead a department with both confidence and compassion. One of the most meaningful parts of the experience was the friendships I formed with my fellow crew members—we supported each other through the chaos and celebrated the wins, big and small. I’m proud to have had a key role in bringing this film to life, and grateful for the opportunity to grow not just as a designer, but as a teammate and future professional.”

Maisie Estrada, Senior

Head of Wardrobe

“I would probably list Pickle for Pickleball as one of my most valuable experiences in college so far. I got to learn a lot about the nitty gritty details of production as Key Grip, and I grew to love and perform well in the role. My time on a set of that scope and scale really helped me get a good feel for what it would be like to work in the industry full-time. I loved working with Michael Uyehata, he was a wealth of knowledge and helped keep up a good attitude on set. Loved making such a fun movie with these wonderful people!”

Cormac Tully, Junior

Key Grip

“Not to be cheesy… BUT being on Pickle for Pickleball was an experience that I’ll never forget! I came into the project feeling both excited and overwhelmed, since I was very inexperienced in set design. Although my feelings were probably justified, I had an amazing team who provided so much support because being a full-time student on a project of this magnitude is not a walk in the park. Nonetheless, I did learn that you could have your cake and eat it too just as long as it’s shared with others. Plus, the knowledge, experience, and connections I gained from being on this project made it worthwhile. It was truly awe inspiring to see a group of passionate people band together and bring out the best in each other in order to create something bigger than themselves. I’m really blessed to have been part of this memorable experience!”

Darla Lopez, Junior

Set Designer, Actress (Goth Pickleball Player)

“Being on Pickle for Pickleball was really fun for me. I had very little experience working on film sets going into production, but people made it very easy to pick up where I left off. What really stuck out to me was the bonding. I already knew most of the crew from school, but the film set was an awesome opportunity to grow closer to all of them. Especially during challenging times on set, we were really able to band together and get the filming done. I also feel like we’ve carried a lot of the bonding into the quarter. It didn’t just end when we wrapped.”