Spartan Daily

Aspiring SJSU film makers gear up for Campus MovieFest

Wesley Dugle, Spartan Daily

RTVF students Ian Irwin and Chad Weilert joke with Campus Movie Fest video manager Ramsey Yount, as they get their equipment on Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Dorian Silva / Spartan Daily.

“I think this is a great opportunity to showcase the talent on this campus,” said Andy Tran, sophomore health science major. “It’s pretty cool, and I’m excited to use this free stuff for a week.”

Tran was one of many students in attendance to sign up for the contest that has been held at SJSU for six years, according to promotions manager Logan Williams.

“This is my first year promoting the festival here at San Jose State,” Williams said. “It’s always a delightful experience here on the West Coast and we’re really excited to see what kind of films comes out of the talent here.”

Several students shared their plans for their projects.

“I definitely want a bike chase scene in my movie,” senior psychology major McTate Stroman II said. "I don't know how I'll mesh this with spoken word though, because that's my kind of thing."

Stroman wanted to enter the contest last year, but he didn’t have the opportunity because of a conflict with a class.

“I’m excited about the opportunity now that I can take part in it,” Stroman said. “Now that I don’t have class, I can put forth some of the ideas that I’ve had for quite a while.”

Another student said she has her film completely planned out and shared a little about her film’s main character.

“I want to make a suspenseful movie about a happy-go-lucky mortician,” freshman biology major Kim Alefman said. “She loves helping people so much that she even likes helping people after their death, thus the mortician.”

While Alefman has a lot of plans for her film, she said she has no experience using the equipment.

“I don’t know a thing about Final Cut Pro or any of that stuff,” Alefman said. “It’s going to be quite a journey. If anything, I’ll just be running around campus filming stuff.”

Like previous Campus MovieFests, students who entered the contest are required to film a five-minute movie within seven days. To further assist students, both a camera and Apple MacBook with video production software are provided to the students at no charge.

“This is some pretty high-quality stuff they lent us,” freshman pre-nursing major Byron Ng said. “Being a lover of photography, I know the value of this equipment.”

The campus’ Campus MovieFest finale when the top 16 films will be shown is Oct. 11.

“Prizes will be awarded for best picture, best drama and best comedy voted on by students, faculty and staff in the SJSU community,” Williams said.

According to the SJSU Office of Public Affairs, SJSU student films have a history of winning top honors in the fest’s competitions.

“I just found out about this yesterday,” said Kevin Kilpatrick, a senior industrial design major. “We have a week, but I’m sure everybody here will put out some good stuff.”

SJSU films that have received awards include the 2006 Bay Area Grand Finale Winner, "Chicken Strip Jeff."

“Love Struck,” filmed in 2007, was a Bay Area Grand Finale Winner for best comedy, and “Bobby’s House” was a 2008 National Grand Finale Winner for best comedy.

According to the Campus MovieFest website, the festival is now the world's largest film and music festival and is the only event of its kind to provide MacBooks, Panasonic HD camcorders and training for free to students worldwide.

Students at participating schools have a week to complete their movies, with each school hosting red carpet finales to showcase its top movies.

The winners will move on to compete against hundreds of other students' movies at the Campus MovieFest in Hollywood. Amateur student filmmakers at SJSU sign up to receive free movie-making equipment for the annual Campus MovieFest.