This year, GCC’s Film Collective will celebrate Thanksgiving with the campus’ first Student Film Festival. Participants will present their films between Nov. 28 and 30.
Julio Espino, the president of the Film Collective, a club on campus dedicated to filmmaking, came up with the idea of holding a competition to promote the Media Arts department and encourage students interested in making movies to work on their skills.
“Nowadays, people do have talent but don’t pursue it because people tell them not to, telling them to become doctors or lawyers instead,” said Espino.
He believes the film festival will open up people’s eyes to the fact that digital media and video-making skills are important to acquire.
The media arts department hopes to make the festival an annual tradition in order to promote cinematic culture on campus and attract students to the film room. Located in SG 328, the room has state-of-the-art Red Scarlet cameras and an extensive number of Apple computers that are perfect for editing films on iMovie.
Students taking media arts or regular art classes are welcome to use the film room; however, those who are not enrolled in these classes should check with staff before using any equipment.
Students can submit films of any film genre, and both non-film major students and faculty can enter the contest. The competition is divided into two different video length sections, with short films ranging from three to four minutes and longer films ranging from 10 to 15 minutes. The festival even has a category dedicated to smart phones for the amateur directors who do not have costly cameras.
Jobi Javier, Vice President of Film Collective will feature one of his films at the festival.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the creative works from filmmakers with no formal training,” he said.
Three judges will evaluate the submissions: Ryun Hovind, a lab manager and media arts professor; Mike Petros, who is the head of the media arts program, and Michael Eberts, a mass communications professor. A fourth judge and celebrity appearances are also possible.
Hovund said that he would likes to see comedies and not too many horror films. He also enjoys suspenseful films with twisted plots that get into the viewer’s head. He and the other judges will not pay attention to the type of equipment that was used, as a lot of good material can come from non-expensive cameras and even iPhones and iPads. They are actually looking forward to seeing incredible work from amateur filmmakers.
The judges will distribute points for five different categories, including writing, editing, acting, directing, and storyline. All of the points will then be added up for a final grade and the judges will decide on a winner for each category, including best short film, best smartphone movie, best actress/actor for a short, best comedy, and even best music video.
As of now, the winners will receive $75 Coffee Bean cards; however, other prizes are being taken into consideration.
On the last day of the festival, the participants will be served dinner. Although the film festival has not been officially announced, 10 students have already decided to submit films.
There is a $15 advance submission fee due by Oct. 20. Between Oct. 21 and Nov. 12, registration fees will be $25.
