Conscious Media Student Film Festival

“FILMS IN ISOLATION”

An online film festival brought to you by the students of the Spring 2020 undergraduate filmmaking seminar CIN 330 “Making Conscious Media” at the University of Hartford.

Opening Statement – Professor Dakota Nanton

This semester I had the pleasure to teach the filmmaking seminar “Making Conscious Media” which addressed the topic of what is means to be a creator and consumer of media in the modern world. This class mixed screenings, discussions, writings and creative works to tackle tough topics. Each week students were given a set of questions to respond to such as How can we create representation of others in responsible ways? What does it mean to portray something as fact? How do you use film to navigate the world around you? and What drives you to create?

In moving the class online, we found ourselves quickly shifting gears and looking at alternative means of making and production. Because many of the students don’t own the expensive camera equipment that is required for filmmaking we adapted our class to look at techniques students could recreate with the resources available to them at home: (found footage, cell phone cameras, rudimentary animation techniques, still photography, etc). It was always our intention to end the semester with a film festival of work created by the students in the class, and despite COVID-19, the festival is presented here in digital form. “Films in Isolation” is a tribute to the tenacity, ingenuity and creativity of these students. Each film acts as a student’s own statement of how they they are reacting to, escaping from, or overcoming their current conditions in order to make cinema. Every film is accompanied by a short introduction written by the filmmaker.

THE FILMS

Mechanical Therapy by Matthew Higgs, 3:06, 2020

My project was created to showcase something that I do when I need to relax. This instance is me working on my dirt bike in my home garage. The video opens with me stressing and struggling to finish schoolwork I then hear a doorbell signaling that I would be able to take a break from schoolwork. The “therapy” is me changing out the rear brake system on my bike while I listen to The Doors. 

With the current situation of the world, I had to make something on my own in my own home. I was able to self film this whole project and it allowed me to learn new skills. I had a camera on a tripod most of the time so I made sure to frame shots up the best I could as well as trying out different lighting setups to get the outcome I wanted. 

Time Warp by Shannon Downey, 1:49, 2020

For this project, I wanted to explore time passing while stuck at home in quarantine. I haven’t played much with different shot setups in the past and figured now was a perfect time. I also focused a lot on editing with this project as I haven’t played much with different editing techniques in the past either. I wanted the film to capture the passing of time while also feeling very still and ‘dull’ in a sense as that is what I am feeling in the current circumstances. 

Making this film was a bit of a struggle for me as I have a lot going on right now despite being stuck in isolation, so I was having trouble focusing. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do but always put it off thinking I had a ton of time. When I did get around to filming, I realized that my shots weren’t as varied as I would have liked. This is something I had trouble with as my filming locations were very limited, as it is for all of us. I figured I would mix up how I filmed these locations seeing as I couldn’t change the locations themselves. Overall, filming in isolation helped me to think out of the box and come up with ways to make what I was filming more interesting with what I had available.

Anti-Socially Distanced by Patrick Hogan, 2:15, 2020

To me, mountain biking has been an outlet for me in many ways. It has inspired me to create media based around the sport, and has given me a hobby that will be with me for the rest of my life. Throughout the five or so years that I have been creating this type of content, I have found that I greatly enjoy it, and am currently pursuing a marketing internship with a bike company this fall in California. I have always been very self-reserved, so this sport has given me so much peace of mind over the years. Its allowed me to get outside and away from my everyday life.

As we all know, everything is a bit messed up with the world around us. I wanted to create this video to highlight the purity of being alone in nature, in hopes to inspire some people to get outside and do/find something they enjoy. These are tough times we are living in, and many people are stuck at home, I wanted to show that there are other things you can do while still being alone Thankfully for me, that activity is riding my mountain bike. 

Lypsyncing 101 w/ Ima B. Mess by Kayden Fisher, 9:48, 2020

This film is a bit of a how-to/instructional video about lipsyncing and the editing of lipsyncing videos. I’m a drag artist, and I was also in a lipsyncing competition last summer and I placed 5th overall, was voted most improved and I’m their current reigning mx. congeniality. I wanted to go over how I make a lipsync video using the video I was making for a drag show on twitch. Themes of identity are important to my work so I thought this would be cool to make because it pertains in part to something special to me (my drag).

My challenges to this project (in isolation) are very much connected to my real-life problems. My family doesn’t know that I do drag, let alone being queer. When I disappear for hours at a time I say I’m doing ‘makeup’ I’m pretty sure they just think I’m going to go do traditional femme makeup, when really I’m just sweating in my aunt’s bathroom sitting on the floor turning myself into a whole clown. For this reason, I also can’t have any help, I have to figure out how to film myself or it doesn’t happen. I left my tripod in my school housing, which is why I had to finesse my filming for the lipsync video. I also don’t have a bedroom, so all of my drag stuff I have here (my wigs and my pair of heels) are hidden in my luggage that I take back and forth between here and Hartford. Thinking about it at the moment, it’s actually kinda symbolic that I hide my drag in luggage. Because I hide so much and try to keep my two ‘lives’ separate.  Beyond that, I hope you got some enjoyment out of my film and I hope to see you all in the fall.

Social Distance by Ben Johnson, 3:27, 2020

My project is ways in which I have dealt with boredom and social distancing during these past couple of months. The majority of my films have to do with the outdoors, and I did not want this one to be the exception. People I know, or who I have seen post on social media more often than not have said that they are doing everything they can to stay in their house so they do not get sick, or get someone else sick. While this is not always a bad thing, people seem to be forgetting they can still go outside and enjoy the planet, while not interacting, or getting too close to other people.

This was one of the more challenging films I made, idea wise. What could people do, that would not risk anyone’s health? Filming however, was the easier part. And my encouragement to the audience is: Just get outside. If it is a nice day, maybe go to a lake or do some yard work at home, if it is a colder day, choose those days to go on an adventure. Less people, means more fun for you. And most importantly, do not forget that there is life outside of your living room, waiting for stores to reopen.

The Hustle by Noah Brown, 5:12, 2020

This is a short film of a man who lives in a basement. While stuck in quarantine during the covid 19 pandemic. His name is Eddie and he can only entertain himself by doing the only thing he can do. Which is shooting pool and getting very inebriated during the process. A some point during his escapade, he hallucinates a scene from the 1961 film “The Hustler”.

This film had an evolution. I was having crazy writers block when trying to come up with something for the final project. As a film maker I knew I wanted to do a project that tested my directing skills, because I have very little experience in the first place. So I decided to take an existing script and redirect it in my own style. This ended up being my rough draft. When watching it over, I didn’t feel like the movie was complete. So for the Final I tried using the footage I had, to make a stand alone piece. With a beginning, middle and end. I had to used an Iphone 4 for my camera, which means the footage came out grainy. However I think the grain works for this type of movie

Edging by Nicholas Rachel, 2:25, 2020

For my final project I wanted to create an experimental piece that mixes sexual and religious imagery to act on its own as a commentary on the state of homosexuality in a conservative Christian home. It is meant to be used to replicate feelings of pent up sexual energy that are released in extreme ways. While meant to comment negatively on conservative ideals, I believe it also comments on the dark almost ritualistic behavior of the homosexual hookup culture.

When making this film I wanted to escape from our current situation while still making something that was important to me. As a young bisexual catholic male I have become familiar with both the good and bad sides of these two groups. I had to work around new and unhelpful schedules in order to make this film and I could not rely on the support systems or materials provided at campus. Later on in the project I had to switch editing programs completely. Through YouTube and the remote support of my friends I found the drive to continue creating and hopefully will continue creating throughout quarantine.

Exploring Greece by Grace Mawn, 3:18, 2020

For my final project I wanted to make a travel video about Greece. Over the winter break I was very fortunate enough to be able to visit Greece for a mini vacation and found myself filming everything that caught my attention. Travel videos have a certain aesthetic to them and I really wanted to see if I can improve on creating that aesthetic. I also wanted to focus on my editing and the different use of transitions. The main theme that is explored in my film is culture. I believe that I use film to explore the world around me. To understand different cultures and to see how people live their own lives. 

Right now is a crazy time and the urge to travel is becoming even greater but as a country we know that we must restrict ourselves in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. I specifically chose to do a travel video instead of focusing on the virus because I feel like this is a fun nostalgic video to take my mind off of the current world circumstances. I was luckily to have the footage to be able to create my work. I think what drives me the most to create art is being able to capture some of Earth’s most beautiful landscapes and places. 

Final Topics by Matthew Fernandes, 4:30, 2020

For my final film, I decided to take an entirely different approach, in my first short narrative.  As stated before, I wanted to make an action film parody, however, given the time we live in now, I could not parody any particular aspect, and decided to create something different instead.  The parody aspect is shown a bit in the final cut, with some of the dialogue being over the top and not to be taken serious.  Instead of my own original vision, it is a “post-apocalyptic” world set in the near future, a world that is doubtful to happen in reality, but it is a rather interesting forethought.  It follows a young woman making the most of life after the “corona riots.”  Society does not really exist, and it’s a “free world”, anything is for the taking, including empty buildings.  People, still avoiding the virus, have invented a new technique to settle their disputes, in the form of “Distance battles.”  The rules are they must make up the moves that simulate weapons or fictional powers.  The most creative and destructive win.  Experienced in the art, she defends her marked building with this way of fighting.

This was the first film I made shooting with a real camera, and I played around a lot with the settings on it to make it look my most presentable feature yet. I still think it could have been better,  as there was one shot that came out very bad, but I adjusted it to the best way I possibly could.  The star of this film was an old friend of mine from high school, and it was great that she took time out of her schedule to help me with my project, especially in this time.  No boundaries were broke, as seen in the film.   I used my step-father’s store, and the baseball field adjacent to it as my filming location.  (The number his business is in the film, please don’t text or call it, he will kill me, unless you want to buy a car), so it was safer than others.  I had hoped to gain more in the realm of learning about editing and sound editing, and I would very much like to become a professional film editor, as that was my favorite part of this project.  While not a typical film in isolation, this one is, in a sense, because it’s fictional.  
Anyway, with all that said, I hope you enjoy my film.  

Tele-Vision by Benson Thai, 5:27, 2020

This film is a mini-documentary about one of my most prized possessions, one of my absolute favorite instruments: the Fender Telecaster. I explore some of the Telecaster’s history, its technical specifications, my favorite Telecaster users, and my relationship to the instrument. All of my films, including this one, seem to chart a progression in my efforts to capture my love of music in a documentary aesthetic. The first was simply capturing performance, the second was mixing performance with other elements to approximate a documentary style. Now it seems everything’s come together: performance, narration, archival footage, etc. to create what I consider to be my first true documentary film. I hope this conveys to people my love for music and hints at what my future work will be—how I want to it to look, sound, and feel.

This was produced after my university decided to continue the semester completely online in light of the 2019-20 Coronavirus pandemic. As a commuter student, I thought this wouldn’t impact me significantly, especially since I already have my own equipment. However, I found it difficult adjusting to a semester spent entirely in my home. I thought it meant I would have more time than ever to make films but I instead became overwhelmed with the rest of my coursework and somewhat unmotivated to do anything academic much less creative. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for the subject as well as the art and craft of filmmaking gave me the impetus to create and complete this film.

Marijuana by Laurielle Carter, 4:28, 2020

As a college student, I’ve had my fair share of marijuana usage. I’ve used it for recreational purposes and for medical purposes to help cope with my anxiety. I never in a million years would have thought that a drug that everyone labeled as “harmful” could do so much good in a person’s life. Marijuana has not only helped me cope with my mental illness, but it has also opened my eyes to a world beyond me that I would have never imagined. It’s opened up the creativity in my brain to help me go further outside of the box and camp outside of it. 

As the realization of just how much my life has changed since I began using, I started questioning the benefits or disadvantages it’s had on other individuals. I wanted to see and hear the perspective from another person on how much their life has changed since they began using and what if any changes did they notice afterwards. I decided to interview my sister, who is an active smoker because I thought she would have more input to share about her experiences. I asked 5 simple questions, deciding to keep them short and simple because I wanted to capture her in her element as she was smoking and getting high. I wanted to hear her perspective but I also wanted to show her method of smoking since there are so many different ways people do it. Why do people use marijuana differently? Why do people feel differently about this drug? As the viewer is watching I hope you are reflecting on how yourself and how you use the drug, and what affect has the drug had on you.

How to Make Bubble Tea by Shane Smallshaw, 2:53, 2020

This film is a short tutorial on how to make bubble tea (also known as boba tea) on your own at home. It addresses all the ingredients and the steps to the recipe in the clearest way possible. To make things more interesting (and more fun for me, as the filmmaker), I tried including a variety of creative shots/transitions.

Coming up with an idea for a film during the current pandemic isn’t easy, and it requires some extra creativity. Bubble tea is something I greatly enjoy, but since I can’t buy any due to stores being closed, I decided to look into other options. After researching how to make bubble tea at home, I realized that the process is much simpler than I thought, and that’s when I got the idea to make a film about it. It allowed me to stay inside and make use of the things I had available to me. So, in addition to being able to make bubble tea at home during the quarantine, I was able to overcome these circumstances and prevent them from impacting my ability to make creative work.

How I Didn’t Lose it During COVID-19 by Jacob Newman, 1:23, 2020

The goal of my final project was to show what my personal experience was like during the beginning of this pandemic. I was trapped inside, and I eventually was able to purchase masks and gloves, so I could finally see the world again. When I walked out most of my regular spots were completely empty. That imagery was so striking to me that I chose to have it be the images that drive the visual side of of this project. Through the combination of this imagery as well as me telling my story, I hope that the viewers will be provided with an interesting perspective during such an uncertain time.

Making films in this type of world we now live in, was both a challenge as well as a gift. it was hard because I couldn’t stay outside for very long so getting the right shot wasn’t always easy. But it was also a gift because the world has a kind of beauty to it when it is this still and quiet.