At the Academy Awards, actors, writers and directors line up to receive awards for films that have people sitting in the theatre for an hour and a half or more. At D.H. Hill Library Thursday night, student filmmakers lined up to showcase their own films – all five minutes or less.
“An Evening of Short Student Films” was designed to give film studies, communications and animation students an opportunity to screen their films for people on campus, said Sarah Stein, an associate professor in the department of communications.
“All the work shown was original work, and each of the producers had a chance to talk about making the piece and to take questions from the audience,” Stein said. “We had [six] animators, one digital video producer and seven 16 mm filmmakers. All of the entrants are students who are studying the concepts, theory, aesthetics and craft of making cinematic productions.”
The films had to meet the criteria of students’ specific course assignments, but other than that, students were free to choose any topic they liked, Stein said.
“…We saw an amazing range of topics, from science fiction futurist visions, to experiments in composition, lighting and typography – all wrapped in engaging narratives,” Stein said.
According to Marian Fragola, director of planning and outreach for NCSU Libraries, the films had to be short, from 30 seconds to no more than five minutes. The shortest film was 35 seconds, and the longest was 4 minutes and 57 seconds.
“If artists can create a really compelling short film, they have achieved a great deal. We all know how easily you can be turned off watching something even for 30 seconds that doesn’t engage you,” Stein said.
Matt Harris, a senior in arts applications, conspicuously incorporated artificial light in his film, Duplicate.
“[Duplicate] asks the question: ‘What if our reflection existed outside the mirror, on the other side of the glass?’ It is an attempt to highlight the similarities that we all share in our daily routines,” Harris said.
Harris said he drew on elements from the film Primer — specifically the concept of duplication.
“I used software to composite shots of the same actor into the same shot. I spent most of my time editing these special effects,” Harris said.
According to Fragola, NCSU Libraries would like to do the event again, “as it was well-received by attendees, and the filmmakers enjoyed participating.”
Film titles, filmmakers, film run time.
Being a Better Villain Kirby Culbertson 4:00
Something About Rats Lorrie Guess 0:35
Cat Mart Kat Saville 0:39
Where Do Pigs Really Go When They Die? Nick Helton 4:39
A Life Alone Adam Osgood 1:01
CTRL Marc Russo 1:36
The Lucky Three Aaron Chen 4:35
Composition Kieran Moreira 2:09
Imakandi Wes Latta 1:00
If It’s the Beaches Caleb Durham 3:57
Duplicate Matt Harris 2:55
The Letters Pamela Nichols 1:19
Gazebo David Hambridge 4:57
First Assignment Matt Woldtvedt 1:21
Source: NCSU Libraries