Looking for an Oscar for directing or filmmaking? Although the University does not offer a filmmkaing major, some students have found alternative ways to strive for Hollywood or to learn a thing or two about films.
The FilmMakers Society and the Salmagundi Film Festival
The FilmMakers Society is a University organization that provides students the opportunity to get involved in filmmaking.
"This year the FilmMakers Society has really focused on providing as many resources ... for anyone who wants to make a film," said Nick Bacon, FMS president and third-year College student.
Third-year College student Laura Scott, an FMS honorary executive, said the society focused last semester on providing classes taught by older club members about their areas of expertise.
Bacon said FMS members have many different interests ranging from experimental to Hollywood-style films.
"There's definitely a place for everybody," Scott said.
Scott said fourth-year College students Han West and Rom Alejandro, two students who helped to develop FMS into what it is today, will showcase their work in May.
West's and Alejandro's work are "perfect examples of the possibilities that you can reach if you use FMS' resources to its fullest extent," Bacon said.
Student filmmakers' work also will be displayed at the Salmagundi Film Festival, held at Newcomb Theater in April.
Scott, who is also the festival co-chair, said the festival will be a "hodgepodge" of student films and filmmakers.
Third-year College student Steven Quinn said he is submitting a short film with film noir dialogue, in which two strangers have a conversation at night. Quinn said he is also entering a 20-minute documentary about the homeless in Washington D.C. with third-year College student Pooya Jahanshahi.
Salmagundi is not the only festival Quinn has entered. He said he has also submitted his work to other festivals including those at the College of William & Mary and Brown University.
Though Quinn said Salmagundi is better-organized than the festival at William & Mary, he noted Brown's festival is more prestigious. He added, however, that Salmagundi has improved since earlier years.
"It's much more polished and professional now," he said.
Scott said the festival has had its ups and downs, but the students involved are working hard to make it a must-see event at the University.
"The best part about [the festival] is just that it brings people together to sit there and appreciate each other's hard work," Scott said.
The Class Film Project
Since last year, a small group of students have been brainstorming, filming and editing to create the first-ever University class film to honor the Class of 2007.
Fourth-year College student Mostafa Abdelkarim is project director and creator of the Class Film Project.
The Class Film Project was born in spring 2006 when "a group of students, mainly third years at the time ... wanted to do a project for their fourth year," Abdelkarim said.
Third-year College student Gretel Truong, involved in production for the project, said the film will include "highlights from the entire year."
Fourth-year College student Rosalind Pressman, involved in editing and other aspects of the project, said some of the featured events include Pancakes for Parkinson's, the Rotunda Sing and football games. Interviews with fourth-year students will also be a part of the film.
All three students said the project has faced challenges throughout the film's development.
Abdelkarim said students first planned for the film to have a theme but then moved away from that idea. They also have considered making the film a 30-minute documentary.
"We've really struggled a lot with the overall structure and format," Pressman said.
Abdelkarim noted that the project itself is very experimental.
"The big challenge has been that it's never been done before," he said.
The fact that the project is challenging, Truong said, is what made it fun. With nothing to compare it to, "we really had nothing to lose," she said.
Although this will be the first class film, Abdelkarim said he hopes it becomes a tradition for years to come.
"In a way, every class would be doing a favor to the University, having a video diary available," Abdelkarim said.
Pressman said even if the film does not come out well, what has been learned this year will help future classes improve their films.
The film is scheduled to be completed soon and will debut in April.
Film classes at the University
Though the University does not currently have a film major, it does offer classes that give students the opportunity to explore the subject.
First-year College student Kelly McVicar is currently enrolled in DRAM 281, "Cinema as Art Form." In the class, she said she has studied the films of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and is currently studying films by Martin Scorsese.
"We watch a film each week and then we talk about ... the style of each film," McVicar said.
She said she enjoys learning about directors' different styles, although she feels the analysis can sometimes highlight unnecessarily specific details.
"It definitely has made me appreciate film more ... as a viewer," she said.
Although not pursuing filmmaking herself, McVicar said she thinks the class would be helpful for someone who wants to make films.
"I think it would help someone who didn't know much about it because our textbook definitely has a lot of information," McVicar said.
After taking and enjoying "Cinema as Art Form," second-year College student José López-Sánchez decided to enroll in DRAM 384, "History of Film II."
He said the class has featured topics such as "Stagecoach" -- the movie that began John Wayne's career as a cowboy -- and the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup."
López-Sánchez said he thinks he is one of only a few students in the class without filmmaking experience, which he views as both a challenge and stimulus.
"I enjoy the fact that I'm immersed in a circle of people who are really knowledgeable and it ... motivates me," he said.
López-Sánchez said he is passionate about film, but he does not plan to pursue it as a career path.
"I'm an international student, and I'd love to do filmmaking, but I really can't tell my parents that I'm going to be a filmmaker," López-Sánchez said, noting that his parents come from a country where going to college to study film is a luxury.
Even though he doesn't see filmmaking as part of his future, López-Sánchez said he will continue to take classes in the field and recommends others interested in filmmaking take "History of Film II."
"It's a worthwhile class, and you're in there with knowledgeable people, [and] a professor who really knows and really feels the subject," López-Sánchez said.
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