They say that fortune favors the bold, and for student filmmakers at Ball State University, “Free Wall” is a photographic confirmation of that expression.

The 45-minute movie, which premieres May.2 at the Indiana State Museum’s IMAX Theatre, is about two young men who spark a friendship based on their mutual love of graffiti art.

Ball State senior Heather Trojack took the lead as producer of the film, but was also able to use her background in radio to assemble the soundtrack. Trojack is general manager at Ball State’s radio station, where she has worked since arriving at the university.

“I’d already worked in the studio and that sort of thing, so they (the cast and crew) just kind of told me to do it,” said Trojack. “They didn’t have to drag me to do it or anything. I got to take my love of music and use it.”

“Free Wall” is the fruit of the Emerging Media Initiative, a $17.7.million program designed to help students grow more savvy in a variety of media. Trojack and the rest of the cast and crew earned course credit for working on the film.

Pre-production and filming lasted nine weeks, and students spent the entire following semester (plus an additional month) on editing, color-correcting, adding the credits, special effects and soundtrack. In all, almost 200 people participated in the project.

One of the crew’s biggest goals was to change the image of graffiti art as a criminal act. Trojack noted the film references legal graffiti art rather than it’s illegal counterpart, often called “tagging.”

“People always think graffiti is vandalism, but the title ‘Free Wall’ comes from the idea that there are certain areas of town that are open for graffiti.” she said.

The students managed to get away from campus for filming, traveling to Indianapolis to shoot at one of the city’s free walls, which Trojack called a dicey proposition on its own.

“We were actually told that we shouldn’t be there past 5.p.m., because it would be dangerous to us,” she said. “We just sort of walked into those areas and people were like, ‘No, don’t go over there!’.”

Although the film is finished, the crew’s work is hardly complete. Trojack said the fledgling filmmakers plan on submitting “Free Wall” into competition on the film festival circuit.

‘Free Wall’

When: 7:30 p.m. May 2.

Where: IMAX Theatre at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St.

Tickets: $13.50 (including the film screening and a question-and-answer session with the cast and crew).