Filmmakers club | Unwind Magazine

by Holly Cuozzo

The process of film-making is indeed a long and tedious one. It begins with an idea that is fleshed out with a script, followed by casting, planning, shooting, reshooting and editing. However, it is becoming easier for students to love this process, as film-making becomes a cheaper and more easily-accessible activity.

?When I stepped onto a film set for the first time, I thought ?This is what I want to do for the rest of my life?,? said president Peter Garafalo, a senior majoring in film studies, and active member of the Maryland Filmmakers club.

The Maryland Filmmakers club is the well-known club on campus that focuses solely on film-making. There are roughly 80 active members of the club. Members pitch ideas for films once each semester and, if accepted, they showcase the final films in a film festival hosted by the club.

Officials not only judge the films but also give awards for the best cinematography, best director, and other superlatives. This year?s Winter Film Festival will take place on November 30 in the Hoff Theatre.

To make their films, the student filmmakers in this club are able to borrow one of the three sets of equipment; consisting of microphones, cameras, lights, and more. Members also cast student actors through casting calls open to all students. They shoot the footage and spend hours and days editing until they have their final products, which many deem incredibly rewarding.

?I like the idea of capturing a picture and showing it multiple times. If I get one take that I think is perfect, I can show it again and again,? said sophomore and undecided major Waill Essa. Many students in the club have experience outside of the films that they make for the club, usually on YouTube.

Essa, for example, began film-making with his friends, making comedy skits and posting them on the channel ?DoorstepTV.? Matthew Kubisiak, a freshman journalism major, also got his interest in film-making by posting school projects and short films on YouTube. Garafalo, on the other hand, has taken his love for film beyond the club, though he is working on a feature-length film to debut in the Spring. He spent one year shooting, and is finishing up his year of editing.

Filming with the Filmmakers club, however, is more educational, says Garafalo. He said that ?the whole thing is a learning experience,? reflecting on his first film during his freshman year, when he lost all of his footage because he did not back up his shots. Now, Garafalo triple-backs up his material and is much more cautious, which is something that he is thankful to have learned so early on.

The student filmmakers get more of a professional look at film-making through this club, as they are working to showcase their best work in the festivals. They are driven to produce good material for the festivals because, according to Garafalo, the festival is only as good as the material that is showcased. The filmmakers particularly love receiving good reactions from their audience.

?A really good film can make you think or change the way you think sometimes,? said Kubisiak.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://unwind-magazine.com/2012/12/09/filmmakers-club/

internet blackout jessica capshaw seattle times seattle times walker recall censor pipa and sopa