Each Year, Film Students Spend Multiple Semesters to Pitch, Shoot and Edit their Advanced Film Projects in Preparation for the Final Cut Film Showcase
Theater and Media Arts (TMA) professor Jeff Parkin gives students one piece of advice when they come to him asking about studying film: “If you can do anything else, do it. But if you have to make movies, make movies.”
Each year, TMA students pitch and produce short films which are then premiered at the Final Cut Film Showcase each fall. These Advanced Film Projects (AFPs) are given a budget of $8,000–$10,000 each and have anywhere from 50–80 students on the crew. The students working on each AFP are mentored by TMA instructors, who assist writers in refining their script through rigorous drafting (going through as many as 8–11 versions) and directors in conceptualizing their shots. After filming, mentors assist students with editing, coloring and post sound. A final DCP (digital cinema package) of the film, usually with a runtime of 10-15 minutes but sometimes more, is delivered each September for its premiere in the Final Cut Film Showcase.
“We often have industry professionals in attendance during Final Cut,” said AFP mentor and TMA professor Tom Russell. “Some students have been offered positions following the screening of their films, and we’ve also had students accepted into prestigious graduate film programs nationally and internationally, using their AFP as a sample of their work.”
Media Arts student Erin Gibson produced “Invitation,” a film that follows a young adult named Claire and her anxious feelings regarding whether she should accept an invitation to go to an estranged friend's wedding. The film explores themes of female friendship and moving on.
As a producer, Gibson coordinated work between the film’s directors, cinematographers and designers, as well as managing finances and other behind the scenes responsibilities. “Film is such a collaborative effort—you cannot make a movie alone,” Gibson said.
Though being asked to be a producer was daunting, Gibson said that it also taught her a great deal about humility and not letting mistakes delay the creative process. “In film, there's not a ton of time to dwell on things you’ve done wrong — you make mistakes, you apologize to whom you need to apologize to and you try again.”
Accepting the need to change and having the courage to do it was easier for Gibson with a spiritually based education. “I’m not alone in this process,” she said. “There’s a higher being; there’s a God that cares about me and my work.”
Media arts graduate Barret Schoenrock, directed “Dogleg,” a film which follows a man named Eli who has been recently released from jail for doing illegal speed competitions in modified sports cars. Known in his small community by his alter ego “Dogleg,” Eli battles between the pull of being a responsible husband and father and his dream of becoming a famous racecar driver.
Schoenrock collaborated with fellow student Tristan Schetzel to come up with the story. “The hardest part of any movie in my mind is just getting the script right in the beginning. That took a lot of time, a lot of rewrites and a lot of changes to the story,” said Schoenrock. “We would talk things out to their logical conclusion. We disagreed with each other many times, but we put in a lot of hard work to try and make sure that we were both happy with where we ended up.”
Shooting the film took place during the fall semester and included around 100 extras, six cars going around a race track, stunt drivers, drones and multiple cameras on the ground. “Dogleg” was the most technically difficult film that Schoenrock had made.
“We could not have completed the film that we did if it wasn't for the kindness of others,” said Schoenrock. “We had 6 guys bring out their cars for free and be our stunt drivers, dudes who do this with their lives. They did everything they could to accommodate and help us, and that was a blessing.”
Obstacles arose, but film students met them head on with solutions. A forgotten wedding cake in “Invitation” became a frosted box. Finding a child actor (a notoriously difficult task) for “Dogleg” was ultimately accomplished by reaching out to families from the local Church directory app LDS Tools.
Despite the obstacles, the payoff was worth it. “There’s great pride and joy, and you learn a lot, and when you see the finished product, you are just so proud and happy,” said Gibson.
“Film is the sort of discipline that has to be tried in order to be learned,” said Russell. “It’s not until students are actually in charge of maintaining a narrative and delivering it on time and under budget that they have their first glimpse of real filmmaking.”