Film Explored in 'Sight and Sound'

Author: Jason Dane
Staff Writer

As any film student will most likely tell you, showing your project on the big screen for the first time is one of the most exhilarating experiences imaginable. And on Dec. 8, 2001, the students of Sight and Sound II got a taste of that excitement first hand during their final project screening in Dana Auditorium. The screening, which lasted from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., was the culmination of an entire semester of mastering the process of digital video production.

As the auditorium filled up in anticipation of the event, it became increasingly clear whose work was about to be shown as almost all the students involved excitedly greeted their friends and fellow film buffs who had come for the evening's screening. Having spent an entire semester working up to this event had the filmmakers both excited and nervous to show their work in front of a packed theater.

"It was a great learning experience to have our work screened in front of a real audience," said an enthusiastic Eliza Mitchell '04, one of the film students presenting projects that night. "It was neat to see how you can have an impact on people simply in the way you put images together."

To kick things off Deb Ellis, who taught the Sight and Sound II class in the fall semester, gave a brief introduction to the audience, explaining a little about the class and the evening's screening. The 12 week class proved an intense period during which students were introduced to the Media 100 non-linear editing program and learn the basics of digital video practices. At first the program may have seemed daunting, but the students quickly became acquainted with it and in turn spent much of their time and energy in the editing room in the basement of the Sunderland Language Center for much of the fall.

"Deb was awesome and enthusiastic," said Mitchell. "She was like, 'Here are the cameras. Go try it out, and let's see what you come up with.'"

Bernadette Gunn's '04 project, "Cave," was a particularly memorable experimental piece, which exhibited a unique talent with editing techniques. Comprised of both "found footage" and original filming, Gunn's project was a montage that takes the viewer on "an emotional journey from the confinements of fear and intimidation to an overall sense of freedom and optimism."

"The films were very diverse this year," said Abbie Vacanti '02, another student presenting her project. "It was interesting to see where everyone was coming from and what they came up with in the end."

The variety of subject matter covered in the film projects seemed to be much more diverse than in previous years. Usually, an audience member could expect to see a majority of satires and semi-dramas, with the occasional documentary or experimental piece to break things up a bit. This year's class, however, exhibited a much broader scope with pieces including animation, documentaries, comedies, avante garde, dramas and even a mock preview.

Noah Bickford '03's self referential piece was a notably poignant creation made up of footage he had shot a couple years earlier. Also leaving a lasting impression in viewers' memories was Peter Yordan's '04 off-beat comedy, in which a team of freelance matchmakers-gone-hitmen patrol the grounds of the College to regulate romance on campus.

While many of their projects had been shown in class, this was the first time during the semester that an external audience had the opportunity to view Mitchell's and other students' work. "It was really good to put our films up on a big screen," said Vacanti. "It gave the people working on them a totally different perspective by having a full audience watch our projects."