From students to cinematographers

Few students wouldn’t want a week to play around with high-tech movie-making equipment with friends and produce a short film that could win $15,000 in cash grants. Fewer wouldn’t want to do this for free.

That’s what Campus MovieFest is offering students. With help from the Carolina Film Association, Campus MovieFest is coming to UNC for the first time since its inception in 2001. While at UNC, students can sign up for the weeklong intensive movie-making extravaganza and participate in the world’s largest student film festival.

Campus MovieFest launches today. Students can pick up equipment needed to make their movies in the Union Art Gallery.

Available equipment includes Apple MacBook Pros loaded with the Adobe Creative Cloud, Panasonic HD cameras, Sennheiser sound gear and 500 GB portable hard drives.

Promotion manager Alex McGill said providing these tools gives students a leg up in producing great films.

“We want to give students every opportunity to tell their story and make their films,” she said.

First-year Jacob Wishnek, a communication studies major and vice president of the Carolina Film Association, plans on directing two short films.

“I enjoy making films, so I jumped at the chance to participate and lead in filmmaking projects,” Wishnek said.

But Campus MovieFest is not just for those who plan on going into the film industry.

“It allows people that are new to the interest of filmmaking to get experience with good equipment and learn from others,” Wishnek said.

Films must be made by students, less than five minutes in length, filmed in the week provided and contain no nudity or copyrighted material. Students can film as many movies as they want and work with as many people as they want. The movies can also be about whatever they want and in any style.

Junior Jay Haran does not plan on filming a movie for the Campus MovieFest, but he said he believes the wide range of subjects open to students is interesting.

“I think it’s great that students have full creative freedom to just sort of make whatever movie they want, instead of promoting something,” he said.

Organizers will collect the videos Oct. 26. Before the winners are announced on Nov. 5, an anonymous panel of students, faculty and staff will judge the movies and decide which movies will advance to the next round of judging.

The top 16 films will be shown at a red-carpet showcase, and the top four movies of the multi-school contest will move on to the grand finale. Prizes include cash grants, equipment and the opportunity to have the film showcased at the Cannes Film Festival and as in-flight entertainment with Virgin America.

Campus MovieFest is a chance for students to express themselves creatively through a different type of medium.

“We want people to hear your story, and we want people to care about what you care about,” McGill said.

arts@dailytarheel.com