1. c(dtaMie c(dur c(dintnuo:
Campus MovieFest Returns
BY SARA PORCH
J
ust after 8 p.m., a nearly packed
room of spectators watch asthe
lights ofTate Theater dim and the
dark movie screen comes to life. After
only a few frames, a burst of cheers
erupts from a group sitting on the right
side of the theater. They made it to the
finale.
Campus MovieFest, the largest stu-
dent film festival in the world, returned
to UGAthis spring, inspiring student
fjlmmakers to step out of the classroom
and onto their own movie sets.The
annual contest challenges students to
make a short film in one week using pro-
fessional film equipment-all furnished
.by CMF-and discover exactly what it
takes to be the nextTarantino. c~
"People who have always wanted to
make a movie but couldn't because of
high startup costs can, because they do
it with our equipment for free;' Ashley
I!l.
Check out ..r "he Litt {'
Things" hy scanning the
Qncode or , isiting
. . .
" ww.georgwugazllw.('om
thelittleth ing.,
22 ugazine spring 2013
Rives,UGA'sCMF campus representa-
tive, says.
After students sign up in teams, CMF
hands each group a backpack stuffed
with movie-making gadgets: a Pana-
sonic HD camera, a tripod, a shotgun
microphone and a MacBook computer
loaded with Adobe Creative Suite 6.
These Spielberg and Lucas hopefuls
then get free reign and a seven-day time
frame to write, cast, shoot and edit an
original five-minute film that could win
them a spot on the film reel at CMF'sred
carpet finale.
A panel of judges made up of UGA
students, faculty and staff selects the
top 16 films to screen at the Tate Center
finale and decides the winners for Best
Picture, Best Comedy and Best Drama.
In June, these top three teams will fly to
the movie capital of the world to show
their films and I1rushshoulders with in-
dustry heavyweights at CMF Hollywood.
"I wanted a good excuse to make a
movie;' Ben Hicks,a third-year and first-
time CMF participant, says.Hicks col-
laborated with his friends Leighton Tso,
Sam Sherak and lIya Polyakov on their
film titled "The Little Things:'
The film revolves around four guys
talking about life'strivial annoyances:
blaring alarm clocks, burnt toast, bad
drivers and "macho jerks.These minor
irritations begin as pure talk, and then
transform into over-the-top fantasies of
catharsis and redemption.
Although some students find the one-
week deadline to be daunting, Hicks and
his team of mass media arts majors felt
confident they could produce a high-
quality short under the time constraints.
"CMF is open to anybody and every-
body who wants to make a film. At UGA,
with one of the best film production
Tate Theater
#CMFatUGA
www.campusmoviefest.com/uga
FREE ADMISSION
programs in the nation, you know you're
going to have kids who really know
what they're doing making films;' Hicks
says..
Sowhat exactly does making a film in
a week look like?
On Tuesday, Sherak pitched the idea
for "The Little Things"to the team. By
Wednesday, the team collected their
CMF equipment and churned out a final-
ized script. They appointed Tsoasthe di-
rector, Sherak as production coordinator,
Polyakov asgraphic designer and Hicks
as producer and sound recordist by
Thursday night. On Friday,they outlined
a weekend shooting schedule.
With only three days until the dead-
line, filming started early on Saturday
and didn't wrap until Monday afternoon.
A frigid morning shoot resulted in numb
fingers asthe crew forewent gloves so
they could operate their equipment. A
late afternoon reshoot caused a light-
ing discrepancy in the film's climactic
kissing scene, so they reworked the
scene to look, as Hicks described,"very
Notebook:'
A marathon editing session began

2. --- --- ---I
Monday at 6 p.m. and stretched until
7 a.m. Tuesday. After several technical
difficulties and a meager two-hour nap,
Hicks submitted his team's completed
film at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Then, he
waited.
Students don't find out if their film
will premiere on the silver screen until
the night of the finale, adding a bit of
theatrics to an already eventful week.
A record-setting 187 teams registered
for eMF at UGA, ex-
ceeding last year's
turnout by more
than 100 teams.
Despite this year's
strong. showing,
some are less en-
thused about the
student film festival.
James Biddle, a mass media arts senior
lecturer, has taught numerous students
who participated in eMF, Hicks and his
team included. Although Biddle would
never stop his students from entering
the competition, he does encourage
them to read the competition's fine print.
"Ifyou look at Section 9 in their legal,
basically, it states that whatever is made
they own, and they do not have to tell
the student what they are doing with it
and why they have used it;' Biddle says."1
think they could be a little more forward
about that:'
Biddle maintains that eMF is a good
opportunity for students to experience
the movie-making process but is protec-
tive of his students and their creative
content. "They're not going to be pro-
moted as a filmmaker. What they make
get to watch my movie on a big screen.
How many people can say that?"
The night of the finale, Hicks, the rest
of his team and their cast filed into a
middle row. After a few opening words,
the show began where nerves were
running high. For Hicks and his team,
the first four films hit the screen with
no luck. The other participants cheered
as they saw their hard work projected
while Hicks and his friends sat in silence.
The lights came back
on, momentarily
breaking the tension,
for the evening hosts
to encourage the audi-
ence to tweet at eMF
and rouse excitement
for the 12 films that
" eMF IS OPEN TO ANYBODY
AND EVERYBODY WHO WANTS
TO MAKE A FILM. "
remain.
As Hicks watches the theatre lights
fade for the third time that night, there
is nothing but silence. Then, abruptly,
there is noise; cheering breaks out in the
center of the theater as thin white letters
slowly scrawl across the screen to reveal
the title, "The Little Things:'
will be owned by eMF, and they can do
whatever they want with it;' Biddle says.
Although some of Biddle's past stu-
dents were disappointed in their eMF
experience, Hicks is happy he participat-
ed in the festival and is extremely proud
of his team's final product. His eyes
beamed as he talked about the possibil-
ity of showing with the final 16 films:"1
Named an AJe Top Workplace in 2012. Looking for an exciting oPDortunity
in education?
APARTMENT HOMES
Join Our Winning Team
Walton County School District- the place for you!
• Close proximity to Metro Atlanta
• Generous local supplement and benefits
• Mentoring support for new teachers
• Professional Learning opportunities
• Easy access to many universities and colleges for graduate study
• Award winning schools and staff
• A family friendly atmosphere
For employment information, please call
770-266-4520
Visit us at www.waltoncountyschools.org
Post Apartment Homes is an equal opportunity employer. Drug screening
and criminal background check conducted prior to employment. Q ."Together Everyone Achieves More"
georgiaugazine.com 23