Calling all film fanatics, moviegoers and anyone who can’t resist a good story: The School of Theatre, Film and Television senior class will premiere their capstone short films at the I Dream in Widescreen event this Saturday. For one night only, the Fox Tucson Theatre will be the spot to see a smorgasbord of student films that showcase their creators’ talent, passion and determination.
Every year, the seniors create unique films to show to their friends, family and the Tucson community, and this year’s 16 students are no different. The 12 films being screened each took hundreds of hours of work and dozens of dedicated people to turn what was simply an idea at the beginning of the fall semester into a finished product the filmmakers could be proud of.
“The work is especially mature and especially varied this year,” said Jacob Bricca, a film and television professor. “There’s everything from something which the director himself would proudly call a B-movie horror film to a strange brain-twisting sci-fi, to a couple of tender, emotionally searing dramas, to a somewhat high-concept and very silly comedy—there’s a little bit of everything.”
Bricca teaches the second half of the film and television capstone class and advises students on their post-production work. He is also one of the main faculty members in charge of putting together I Dream in Widescreen. Throughout the semester, Bricca has seen the creation of these student films and all the ups and downs of the process.
From writing a script and finding a cast and crew, to weekend-long shoots, to months of detailed editing and color-correction work, an incredible amount of time and effort has been put into each one of these films by not only the senior filmmakers, but all the underclassmen who worked on their sets and the actors who brought their stories to life.
With such large-scale projects, there were sure to be unexpected problems, and each film suffered a moment of panic at some point during its creation. Locations become unavailable the day before a shoot or editors found problems with the film’s plot during post-production. Even something as simple as inclement weather on the day of an outdoor shoot can be cause for alarm when working on a low-budget student production.
“When you go to make one of these films, it’s a several month-long journey,” Bricca said. “Any filmmaker will tell you that, especially on projects that turn out really well, there’s usually at least one major moment of crisis of faith.”
Despite their issues, all the filmmakers were able to recover from whatever bumps in the road they faced and are eagerly waiting to show their final products to the world.
Not only do the seniors get the chance to premiere their films at the iconic Fox Theatre for I Dream in Widescreen, but they also compete for a number of awards. There are five awards that will be given out as a part of the event and are sponsored by various companies involved in film production both in Tucson and from Los Angeles.
Four of the awards highlight an outstanding display of one of the main aspects of filmmaking including screenwriting, cinematography, editing, directing and producing, and award the winning student with various prizes pertaining to their craft.
While awards and prizes are exciting, the focus of I Dream in Widescreen is to display the incredible amount of talent, determination and passion these filmmakers possess, and to celebrate their work thus far and their future endeavors. Soon, the Class of 2016 will be off making names for themselves and finding success in whatever they choose to pursue, but this Saturday at I Dream in Widescreen, the 16 seniors get to shine in the spotlight.
Tickets for I Dream in Widescreen can be bought at the door or found online along with filmmaker biographies, film synopses and the event trailer.
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