media arts

In February, BYU media arts major Nathan Young was playing Dungeons and Dragons with some friends when one suggested that Young start a role-playing game (RPG) show and take on the role of Dungeon Master. Young said most of his friends laughed it off, but he stayed up all night thinking about the idea. Over the next few months, Young rounded up volunteers from the media arts major to help him with this project. Young said since the idea for the web series was sparked in February, all the grant deadlines had already passed. “We had no budget. Fortunately, we were able to scrape together enough willing people who think the idea is cool from all over campus to help put this together,” Young said. Young’s show ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ was live-streamed on July 18 through Youtube. Read the full story at universe.byu.edu.

BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts professor Benjamin Thevenin and alumnus Max Johnson create podcast to discuss societal and political issues in constructive ways BYU professor Benjamin Thevenin and TMA graduate Max Johnson hoped to open a larger conversation about diversity and issues faced by marginalized communities when they created their podcast “Movies as Mirrors.” “We've been trying as faculty in the media arts program to try to integrate more talk about identity, politics, race, class, gender, and sexuality into our curriculum,” said Thevenin. “I think we've made some progress in that area — but we could be doing a much better job of preparing BYU students to engage in effective ways in these conversations.” In order to more fully open the conversation, Thevenin and Johnson invite a guest to each podcast to talk about a movie of their choosing. Most guests are people from Thevenin’s classes, colleagues at BYU and others they know who are passionate about what they think a movie has to say. “We're not particularly interested in talking about what we have to say about these movies,” said Thevenin. “We wanted the podcast to be an opportunity for us to hear what others have to say about their experiences — how the movie resonates with them.” Read the full story at tma.byu.edu.

BYU media arts student Aurelia Berryhill filmed a music video, “Chronophobia,” after receiving TMA student grant funding. While Aurelia Berryhill was applying for the media arts major at BYU in Winter 2016, she was surrounded by questions and uncertainty in her life. She felt that the fear the questions had caused was holding her back from many opportunities. Berryhill envisioned creating a video about these inner monologues for her media arts application but quickly realized she did not yet have the skills or resources for this project. Nearly three years later, the video she dreamed of creating came to life because of the TMA student grant program. This program — hosted by the Department of Theatre and Media Arts and funded by Mary Lou Fulton — sponsors student projects to help them gain experience outside the classroom in their craft. “I knew that this opportunity was the only way I could make this dance video that had been in my head for two years come to life,” said Berryhill. While Berryhill had a theme in mind but no specific vision, she left a lot of the elements of the music video up for interpretation by the dancers, director of photography and composer. “Their unique voices came through and were seen in the video. I loved the collaboration aspect of this program,” said Berryhill. “I learned a lot through the process of making this project. I learned that collaboration will make one’s vision come to life more than trying to do it all alone.” Read the full story at tma.byu.edu.

BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts grad Jared Jakins and his wife Carly win Best of Show and Utah Short Film of the Year for “El Desierto”

Keynote speaker Mike Rugnetta will address the possibilities and positive use of new media

Convocation for the College of Fine Arts and Communications will take place at 11 a.m. on August 17

Howie Burbidge’s senior project focuses on how dying isn’t losing

Cameron Babcock chose the media arts major because he loves storytelling. As a freshman, Cameron took an Intro to Film class that helped him understand the power cinema can have in telling stories and creating empathy in the viewer. “Film is an incredible medium to tell any type of story,” Babcock said. “Through film I have learned a lot about life and relationships.” Babcock also met his wife in the film program, which he listed as his most meaningful experience at BYU. Babcock is applying to graduate school to receive a master's degree in film production with an emphasis in directing. He plans to teach film at a university. The TMA program chose to produce Babcock’s script for the collaborative senior capstone. Babcock was able to direct the production titled “Hey Brooklyn.” It’s the story of a 8-year-old girl, Brooklyn, who tries to raise $700 for her single mom before her family is evicted from their home. The story was based off of Babcock’s childhood experiences and was recently finished with plans to submit it to several film festivals. “The experience was priceless. I improved as a filmmaker in many ways. I learned being an artist can be so vulnerable,” Babcock said. “When you write and direct something so close to home, you feel like you’re throwing your heart right on the screen and hoping that people will take it how it is.” Some of Babcock’s previous work: Spit Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVBSGEKNIu0&feature=youtu.be We the Little Engines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQpjm_S4pOs&feature=youtu.be Promo for Divine Comedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82EvunRslA8 How did your professors impact your education? “The faculty in the film program are my mentors and friends. They have taught me not only about the history, theories, and practices of film but also what it means to be a hard working, supportive person in life.” Movie title for your life: “‘An Okie Grown Up,’ because it would be a documentary of my childhood and teenage experiences.” Unique superpower you wish you had: “Super vision because I wouldn’t need my glasses anymore. They’re generally dirty anyways.” What is the legacy you hope you left for BYU? “Hopefully I left a legacy that says it's worth it to work hard and to stay humble.”

Media Arts student Willem Kampenhout won Best Emerging Director at the Other Worlds Austin Film Festival for his film The Surface. The film also won Best Emerging Production Design, attributed to Ashley Cook. Kampenhout started making films when he was only six years old and used his personal experience growing up as the inspiration for The Surface. In December of 2013 he spent winter break watching several crime drama series, which sparked the question, “How much would one risk on behalf of their family?” “I began writing the story of a mother wandering the apocalyptic wasteland in search for spare parts for her cybernetic husband and daughter whilst avoiding a mechanically mutated monster,” Kampenhout said. From this, he developed the story of a mother who risks everything to save the life of her son. The film follows the mother as she searches for a new power source to help her dying son. After being tricked into buying a bad power cell, her only hope is to venture to the blighted surface and steal the infinity cell from one of the monstrous “tainted” creatures. The whole film came together in about two years from start to finish. Kampenhout mentioned the greatest difficulty behind creating a film was being a student and working with other students. “We have obligations other than our projects,” Kampenhout said. “Because it is not an income source, we have jobs as well.” Other than a lack of time, they faced a lack of experience that required more time to produce quality work. Despite these challenges, Kampenhout enjoyed working with other talented and eager students who worked on the music, sound design, art, cinematography and acting. He believes that real joy comes when someone other than oneself gets behind the story and makes it better. They entered the film in Other Worlds Austin, a film festival featuring only Sci Fi films, where he won the award. The Surface also won Best Student Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival and has currently been accepted into Dam Short Film Festival (Nevada), Original Narrative FIlm Festival (Dubai) and Film Quest (Salt Lake City). “We are building an audience for the film, and seeking out distribution and investors to fund a feature film version of it,” he said. Visit the film’s Facebook page for the trailer and updates about the film. https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfaceFilm

Music and the arts have always been a huge part of Marina Polonsky’s life. She was was born to a family of singers in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. Polonsky's brother is a singer and composer and her parents are singers who used to travel all over the USSR on live tours before they opened their own restaurant business. The family’s artistic influence led Polonsky to be passionate about stories, hoping that one day she would be able to inspire others with her creative talents. This week Polonsky will graduate in Media Arts from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. Though it’s been hard living so far from family with the current tension going on between the Russian and Ukrainian government, she has enjoyed her time here at BYU and has appreciated the change she has seen in herself. BYU News’ Holly Kendall spoke with this artistic grad to get her story. Q: What was it like coming to BYU? Did anything surprise you? Marina Polonsky: Coming to BYU (BYU-Idaho actually, I transferred after a year) was one of the most positive life-changing events for me. First of all, it was my first time out of the country, first time on an airplane, and I definitely never thought I'd have to study in a different language. By the time I arrived in the states, I could understand around 70 percent of what the people were saying, but I had to take some time before responding since I had to translate my thoughts and try to put them into grammatically correct sentences. At first, the main struggle was seeing the differences in how people view their life; seeing how much people have. I feel like a lot of people here don't realize how much they have, most people don't take advantage of all these opportunities. I am able to do so many things here that I would never be able to afford on my own in Ukraine no matter how hard I would work. Q: How did you come to the decision to major in Media Arts? MP: Growing up I've always been into arts, at first I wanted to become a writer, then a painter, but my father always told me I'd be poor and unhappy if I did those things. I was always focusing on finding something else that I was talented in, that would bring me money and something I would enjoy. Eventually, I started studying 3-D modeling and animation, and that's how I came to BYU. Everything started while I was at BYU-Idaho though, when I got an email from BYU-Idaho Broadcasting and their supervisor told me that I'm the only person on campus that they know of who can do 3-D animation. So they invited me in for an interview. I was hired on the spot, but after doing it for money, I quickly realized that it was last thing I wanted to do. And so did my boss. He saw that, to put it lightly, I wasn't motivated. And to my big surprise, instead of letting me go, he put me on one of the cameras for the upcoming show. I have never operated a camera before but it has always been one of my dreams. When I was behind the camera for that BYU-Idaho show, I realized that it felt more right than anything I did before that. I felt like I belonged, and that was the moment when I realized that I could study that and do it for living. Nothing made me happier career-thinking wise. I knew BYU had a good film program, so after transferring, instead of applying for 3D animation program, I applied for Media Arts. It's been my second home since then. Q: Why were cameras of such interest to you? MP: To be honest, since I was little, the world of cinema was one of the most mysterious and magical things to me. I never even thought one day I could be running one of those incredible machines called cameras. I mean, think about it, you can capture a moment and then 50-60 years later you can watch it! How neat is that? The career of a filmmaker has always been something I could never even consider seriously. I thought of other filmmakers as some chosen people in a secret society. Q: What is your main focus in Media Arts? MP: My main official focus is narrative directing, but I've been studying and practicing everything from writing to post-production and about all the main areas of the craft. I don't want to be limited in my ability to create art that affects people's lives. Q: What led you to have a love for the arts? MP: The reason I love arts, especially film, so much is because I love stories. Storytelling is incredible. It's so powerful. Movies and all kinds of arts have always been inspiring to humanity. A film can let you observe and see something for yourself from a new perspective. It can teach you something, make you think, inform you, make you laugh, cry, etc. Movies impact who we become. So that's what I want to do, I want to help people all over the world to become better people, to become more connected, understanding, inspired, more aware and informed. We have a saying in Ukraine 'informed means armed.' I think the world would be a much better place if more people would be simply aware of more things about each other. Q: How would you describe your journey in achieving your degree? MP: I would describe it as a journey of finding myself and as a re-realization of everything I knew before. Every day, I learn or re-learn something about the craft and the human nature. Everything is interconnected. It's amazing. There has also been a lot of pain and struggle in my journey, which is exactly what brought all the great realizations and happy moments. I can definitely say I'm a very different person now compared to the person who came to the United States, daring greatly to try her luck and see what comes out of it. Q: What are some of your fondest memories from the time you’ve been at BYU? MP: The best memories were the moments of mutual vulnerability. In other words, the best memories were when I was understood in my hardest moments, instead of being judged by people who barely knew anything about me and my struggles. The moments when people really did care and showed it. The moments when people truly wanted to hear me out with an open heart. The moments when I would get support unexpectedly from some of my teachers. I can't thank them enough for their caring, their kindness, and their wisdom. Q: What do you want to do after graduation? MP: I want to make movies, whether fiction or non-fiction, that will drive people to tears of happiness and many realizations. I hope to shift someone's paradigm. I hope that when people walk out of my movies (whether I write them, direct them, or edit them) they call their old friend, their parents, someone they haven't talked to in a while and tell them that they love them. I want them to be willing to be more vulnerable, to be willing to get uncomfortable sometimes, to be willing to say sorry first, to reach out first. I hope I can convince them that life is beautiful and worth it. The world just needs more kindness and I feel like if the sky were the limit, I would like to reach out to as many as possible worldwide. But even if I succeed in changing one person’s life for the better - it would be just as meaningful. Source: BYU News

Brigham Young University students and alumni took up much of the screen time at this year’s LDS Film Festival, highlighting the talent and skills being nurtured here. Christian Vuissa founded the festival in 2001 while he was still an undergraduate studying media arts studies at BYU. The festival is now a major event that showcases an impressive array of feature films, special screenings and short films. Although it was originally founded for LDS filmmakers to network with each other and showcase their work to an appreciative audience, the event has quickly turned into an opportunity for all likeminded individuals to promote their filmmaking trade. BYU students and alumni have taken part of the event every year since its inception. This year, three BYU alumni went home with awards from the festival: Third place in the Short Film Competition — Without a Rope, by Nick Dixon, who also received an audience choice award. Honorable Mention in Short Film Competition -White Earth, by Christian Jensen Third Place in the 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon — Tooth Fairy: A New Hope, group led by Raven Alard “Winning these awards is a great recognition,” said Nick Dixon, the creator of Without a Rope. “It's nice to know the work we put into the film was appreciated and that our hard work paid off. A lot of time and energy went into making the film, so getting recognized is really gratifying.” Cokeville MiracleCokeville Miracle Other films made by Theatre and Media Arts students and alumnus included: Feature Films Freetown, Director: Garrett Batty; Writer: Melissa Leilani Larson, Garrett Batty; Producer: Adam Abel, Garrett Batty The Cokeville Miracle: Director: T.C. Christensen, actors included Kym Mellon, Barta Heiner Austenland: Director: Jerusha Hess; Writer: Jerusha Hess; Associate Producer: Jared Hess Meet the Mormons: Director, Blair Treu (Many media arts alums on the crew) Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door: Writer, Director, Producer: Brandon Smith; Executive Producer: Ron Brough The Heart of the Matter: Director: Jessica Mockett; Producer: Jessica Mockett, Nathan D. Lee, Jordan Harker; Director of Photography: Travis Cline Untitled Girl’s Camp Movie: Writer, Director: Maclain Nelson; Producer: Jake Van Wagoner, Lisa Clark, Hailey Smith, Clare Niederpruem; Executive Producer: Maclain Nelson; Director of Photography: Joel Remke; Production Designer: Anne Black Mythica: Director: Anne Black; Writer: Anne Black, Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Director of Photography: A. Todd Smith Survivor: Writer, Director, Producer: John Lyde; Executive Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin Short Films Newsies: Director: Jeff Parkin; Producer: Jared Cardon, Jeff Parkin, Babetta Kelly; Director of Photography: Jacob Schwarz White Earth: Writer, Director, Producer: J. Christian Jensen; Director of Photography, Editor: J. Christian Jensen Without a Rope: Writer, Director: Nick Dixon; Producer: Willem Kampenhout; Executive Producer: Tom Russell, Courtney Russell, Tom Lefler; Director of Photography: Gary Groth; Production Designer: Gina Thompson; Original Score: Spencer Russell; Editor: Jonathan Ying. Presentations and Panels Christian Vuissa Jerusha Hess Garrett Batty Studio C A complete list of all those honored at the festival can be found by clicking, here.

A new database of student created films is now available for use by Brigham Young University students and fans alike, the Department of Theatre and Media Arts announced on Friday at the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts and Communications Center 50th Anniversary Gala. Created to allow all to see the student work created here at BYU, the database already hosts over 150 films and can be accessed online at studentfilms.byu.edu. More films will be added each week by the TMA department and alumni who wish to submit their former work. “This website is an effort to help show people what the BYU Media Arts program has done in the past and what we are capable of doing now,” said Kyle Stapley, Media Arts Program Coordinator and lead for this project. “By focusing specifically on student work that has been done here at BYU, we hope that this project will also act as a recruiting tool to help bring in additional talent to our renowned programs.” Brigham Young University has a long, rich history in the creation and education of film. BYU was one of the first universities to create a formal department for the production of motion pictures, founded in 1953. Currently, the BYU Media Arts Program and the Center for Animation have won over 30 National and Regional Student Emmys in the past 12 years making BYU one of the most well-respected Film and Animation programs in the nation. Those who visit the new website will find that there are different types of films to enjoy such as fiction, non-fiction and animation films. In addition to these, a portion of the website is dedicated solely to BYU Final Cut Films. These films are deemed the best student-produced, student-created fiction films, documentaries, commercials, and animations are created here at BYU. According to Stapley, these films include Mr. Bellpond, which won two Student Emmy’s in 2012, and even go back as far as The Phone Call and Johnny Lingo, films done through the BYU Motion Picture Studio back when the Motion Picture Studio was connected to BYU. “Another exciting option for those who visit our new website is to view the work done with Aperture, our student-ran journal of media arts,” Stapley said. “You can go here to read papers about media art, film, sound, etc. In this way we are able to combine critical studies with the actual production of film.” “Getting this website up and running in the format and in the depth that we have now is a great start,” Stapley said. “But, with the potential for additional opportunities that we are now realizing, we see this project getting much bigger in the future. Just to give you an idea, I know our students are starting to get really interested in creating web series. So, in the future, we might be using this website to launch those kinds of projects.”

Congratulations to our CFAC Theatre and Media Arts Alumnus, Christian Jensen, for the Oscar nomination of his film White Earth in the Short Documentary category. Jensen was also awarded the Jury Special Mention for Cinematography in a Documentary Short for White Earth, screened at the 2014 SlamDance Film Festival. White Earth also received the Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. About White Earth Thousands of desperate souls flock to America’s Northern Plains seeking work in the oil fields. White Earth is the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes. Three children and an immigrant mother brave a cruel winter and explore themes of innocence, home and the American Dream. About the filmmaker J. Christian Jensen graduated from Brigham Young University in 2009 with a degree in Media Arts Studies. Jensen began working in media as a journalist — a passion that evolved into more creative work as a documentary and hybrid filmmaker. Between 2002 and 2006, he filled a variety of production roles on several short and feature-length fiction films including Together Again for the First Time and The Flyboys. In 2006, while pursuing a degree in Media Arts Studies at Brigham Young University, Jensen was awarded an Oscarson Discovery Grant which enabled him to relocate to Washington D.C. where he interned for National Geographic Television & Film. He also worked on PBS FRONTLINE and American Experience, and with the co-production of The Mormons. Between 2006 and 2010, Jensen continued to work in non-fiction helping to create The Soul of Kalaupapa, a documentary about the remote Kalaupapa leprosy (Hansen's Disease) colony on Molokai, Hawaii. He also worked as an editor and camera person at BYU Television International and was an editor on Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God, and Storytellers, which were both produced for BYUtv by Kaleidoscope Pictures. In 2008, Jensen received funds from ORCA, The Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts, and the Kennedy Center for International Studies, to write and direct a broadcast-length documentary called Sou da Bahia (I’m from Bahia) about art and Afro-Brazilian identity in Northeastern Brazil. He also co-curated a multiple medium art exhibit by the same name to accompany the film’s television premier throughout the U.S. and Latin America. In 2011, after a year living abroad in China, Jensen was accepted to Stanford University's MFA Program in Documentary Film & Video where he received the Carmen Christensen Fine Arts Fellowship. He also received graduate fellowships to attend The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar (2012), the Telluride Student Symposium (2013), and the annual University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference (2013). Within Stanford's program, he produced and directed the following documentary and experimental short films: Out of Body (2011), Between Land and Sea (2012), ALPHA & OMEGA (2012), and White Earth (2013). The films have since played at major festivals throughout the United States including Napa Valley, DOC NYC, Palm Springs ShortFest, Mill Valley, and NextFrame. ALPHA & OMEGA was also a finalist in the Student Academy Awards. White Earth was a national recipient of the Carole Fielding Student Grant and was screened at the 2014 Slamdance film festival. Jensen received his Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University in 2013. After graduating, Jensen was a finalist for the International Documentary Association, David L. Wolper's Student Documentary Award, with his film, Between Land and Sea. In 2014, Jensen was awarded the Jury Special Mention for Cinematography in a Documentary Short for White Earth, screened at the 2014 SlamDance Film Festival. White Earth also received the Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. Jensen also won second place in the Student Academy Awards in 2014 in the documentary category for White Earth.

This Christmas eve marks 100 years since a Christmas truce took place on Flanders Fields in Belgium during World War I. BYU students collaborated to write, produce, photograph, edit and compose for a video to commemorate the event. The video is hosted by the nondenomenational, interfaith group Faith Counts. 'The story of The Christmas Truce of 1914 has been told and retold over the past century, and deservedly so,' said Faith Counts spokesperson Kerry Troup. 'It is a true story of how faith has the power to bring hope, even in the darkest times. The video that the students of BYU, one of our many faith partners, have produced showcases this story in a beautiful, creative way that we know others will enjoy and hopefully share.' Graphic design and animation students used original photography from that day in 1914, enhancing and adding motion in the video. Film students spent time in Belgium shooting the video from current-day Flanders Fields earlier this month. The BYU Men's Chorus composed and sang a special arrangement of Silent Night, a song that was sung during the Christmas truce. “FaithCounts works with a variety of content creating partners from many faiths,' Troup said. 'We’ve been very impressed with the BYU students’ creativity, professionalism and ability to give voice to stories of faith in profound and innovative ways.” The project was coordinated and organized at BYU through the Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration, with the cooperation of Don Mullan, creator of the Christmas Truce and Flanders Peace Field Project. Download the BYU Men's Chorus Silent Night soundtrack Play the BYU Men's Chorus Silent Night soundtrack See more at BYU News>>>>

A YouTube series created by a BYU Theatre and Media Arts professor and alumnus is receiving recognition in festivals in Utah and throughout the country. “Pretty Darn Funny,” created by Jeff Parkin and Jared Cardon, is a web series sponsored by Deseret Book. The comedy has led the charge as the first Church-sponsored entry into scripted entertainment that has since yielded shows like “Studio C” and “Granite Flats.” It recently was nominated for 10 awards at the 3rd Annual Filmed in Utah Awards, where it won three: Best YouTube Channel, Best Ensemble Cast and Best Director. Parkin, the series’ director, said that he and many other colleagues wanted to create a show that anyone could watch and enjoy. “We hear from a lot of people that they watch it as a family, which is something that makes us really happy–families watching entertainment together,” Parkin said. The show recently finished its second season. The first season centers on Gracie Moore, played by Lisa Clark, a mother who forms a comedy troupe with local women to provide a clean venue for families to be entertained. The second season focuses more on Moore’s relationship with her family–ups and downs, and typical confrontations as well as successes. “I think we and Deseret Book are interested in telling stories about normal people and the fact that we makes mistakes–that it’s normal and it can be funny–instead of getting caught up in perfectionism,” Cardon said. “Laughing at your mistakes is good, and it’s healthy,” Parkin added. For the first season, BYU offered students an opportunity to work the series in exchange for university credit, and around 75 TMA students participated. For season two, about 95 percent of the current cast and crew are either BYU alumni or BYU students. The series has also produced three parody music videos. “Downton Abbey Rap,” “The Hunger Games: Moms vs. Kids!” and “Mom Footloose” have over 341,000 YouTube views combined. Though the series is targeted at an audience of LDS moms, the series gets exceptional engagement with nearly 700,000 views on its channel. Parkin and Cardon both agree that comedy can be family friendly and still be hilarious. “Even though the show is made in Utah and is sponsored by an LDS company, we continue to get lots of positive feedback from fans of divers backgrounds and faiths,” Cardon said. “It’s a great representation of who we are at BYU and as members of the Church.” Watch Pretty Darn Funny for free at www.youtube.com/user/prettydrnfunny Awards & Nominations (Wins are in Bold) Filmed in Utah Awards: 10 Nominations, 3 Wins Best Director (Series/Music Video)- Jeff Parkin Best Ensemble Cast- WON Best YouTube Channel- WON Best Series Best Screenplay (Series/Short) Best Actress (Short/Series) Best Editing (Short/Series/Music Video) Best Sound Mix Best Music Score (Short/Series) Best Song Hollyweb Film Festival 2014 Official Selection Salt Lake Comedy Festival 2014 Official Selection Vancouver Web Festival 2014 Official Selection Toronto Web Festival 2014 Official Selection International Academy of Web Television Awards Best Comedy Series Best Writing (Comedy) Best Female Performance (Comedy) Best Supplemental Content Indie Series Awards Best Writing (Comedy) Best Lead Actress

BYU DEPT. OF THEATRE AND MEDIA ARTS and STUDENT FILM ASSOCIATION PRESENT FINAL CUT FILM FESTIVAL April 11–12 Pardoe Theatre This student-produced, student-created film festival features a collection of the best student-made fiction films, documentaries, commercials, animations, and more. Two separate programs will be featured: Program A: April 11 at 6:30 PM and April 12 at 8:30 PM Program B: April 11 at 8:30 PM and April 12 at 6:30 PM The awards ceremony will take place at 10:15 PM on Saturday, April 12, following the 8:30 PM screening of Program A. Tickets are not required for the awards ceremony, but tickets are required for the 8:30 PM screening. Program A (Fridal at 6:30 and Saturday at 8:30) Belfast and Furious The World Is Our Campus Christmas in L.A. Headliner Turn to Stone Beehive Stories: Morgan County Brita Spec Ad Not Kabob Bothered Brainsaver Christmas in L.A.: Behind the Scenes Harmonica Good Luck Don’t Wake up with a Hook For a Hand Without a Rope Program B (Friday at 8:20 and Saturday at 6:30) Ice Hotel “Arrows” Our Community Wilhelm Scream Ice Hotel “Arrows” Behind the Scenes Weeping Historical Fencing: Franco Belgium Beehive Stories: Kane County Adpot a Cat Wyrm Laerd Your Cocoon and You Sides of a Camera Owned A Sticky Situation Ghosts on the Mountain

Few universities enjoy the international name recognition of BYU, as proven by the recent triumph in the Hyundai Lens of Loyalty film contest in December 2013. This fall, Hyundai Motor Company challenged 25 universities ranging from the west to east coast including heavy hitters such as Oregon, Michigan and Florida to the film contest. After submitting a one-page treatment for a film, seven finalists were chosen to produce the final product, and were funded $10,000. Of the finalists, BYU was awarded the additional $10,000 prize by a panel of judges for its recent five-minute film highlighting BYU football fans around the world. The film was then created, produced, and edited by an innovative student team at The Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration. The team included students from all disciplines, including advertising, film and music. Students Dustin Locke headed the effort as advertising director, with Layne Russell as film director. The aim was for students to showcase football-related traditions unique to their school, according to a press release by Hyundai Motors. “We thought about it and unfortunately BYU can’t compete with tailgating,” explained Locke, advertising major. “But the one thing that sets us apart is reach and the fact that we bring a lot of people to away games.” The idea then developed to let the fans speak for themselves about their passion for BYU. “We have a uniquely true world-wide following here at BYU,” said Jeff Sheets, director of The Laycock Center. “We then cross-sourced and looked for the most unique and insightful fans to be featured.” Fans from as far away as Hawaii, London and South Africa were featured in the short film. One man, a foot cancer amputee living in Barcelona, Spain, proudly wears his BYU emblazoned prosthetic to show he bleeds blue. Another couple in Hawaii installed one of the first satellite dishes on the island in order to see the BYU football games. They then proceeded to invite their neighborhood to watch the Cougars fight their way to victory over the years. “It was a cool experience for us to go across the world and talk to BYU fans. I don’t get to play on the BYU football field, so it is cool to do something for the team,” commented Locke with a wry grin. Incredibly, the team put together the entire production, from recruitment of fans to editing in only two and a half weeks. Students worked night and day to put together the film, while scrambling to get homework done between traveling around the world. The dedication in these un-paid students embodies the mission of the Laycock Center to facilitate a collaborative environment for creative ideas and stunning talent. As Vanessa Mckenna, advertising major, excitedly exclaimed, “It’s all about collaboration!” and a literal love of the game on and off the field.

The nominations for the Rocky Mountain Emmy awards were just announced this week and the BYU Theatre and Media Arts graduates and faculty received eight nominations. In the professional category, Brad Barber's Beehive Stories film, Iron County, was nominated. In the student category, Dante's Hamlet (produced by Brynn Zimmer and directed by Babetta Kelly) received five nominations; Dance (produced by Erin Anderson and directed by Eric Pasternak) received one, and Mr. Bellpond (produced by Nick Dixon and directed by A. Todd Smith) received one. The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will host its 2013 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards Gala and Auction Saturday, October 19 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, in partnership with the Arizona Cardinals. The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is a membership organization dedicated to excellence in television by honoring exceptional work through the prestigious EMMY(r) Award. They are the only professional association representing television professionals from all disciplines of the industry, serving as the common meeting ground for individuals dedicated to advancing the art and science of television. The Chapter region serves Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and El Centro, California.