By Lisa Nault
Staff Writer
What can you make in a week with only a camera, tripod, and computer? Can you create a five-minute-long film? The Campus MovieFest posed these questions to all of the students in the College of the Fenway (COF) area on March 25, two weeks ago. Armed with only the equipment given to them, the students had to rely on their own creativity to produce a movie.
Campus Moviefest is the world’s largest student film festival and premier outlet for budding filmmakers. According to its website, the organization began in 2001 with only four students planning the event. Now, more than 500,000 students around the world have participated in this week-long venture.
If you wanted to participate in the Campus MovieFest event, you had to create a team and sign up online. Since this year is the first year that the Campus MovieFest came to the COF area, the line waiting to get the equipment to begin filming was enormous. There ended up being around roughly 46 teams, some of which made multiple films during the week.
On April 6, a red carpet premier was held in the Linda K. Paresky Center in the Main College Building. Photos were taken, guests all dressed up, and yes, even a red carpet. Plus there was free popcorn, which made everyone happy.
The screening of the films was enjoyable. Due to time constraints, only 16 out of all the films could be shown. Many filmmakers were unable to see their creations on the big screen but were still able to win prizes.
Throughout the evening, the MCs asked questions for the audience to answer on Twitter; the best responses won a DVD of their choice. The audience also received raffle tickets when they entered the room and many gift cards were given as prizes to the winners of the raffle.
The gift cards varied from McDonald’s and Star Market to Starbucks and Regal Cinemas. Plus, the MCs threw into the crowd some Campus MovieFest t-shirts.
There are plenty of awards offered for the films including the Elfenworks award and Fan Choice favorite.
The Elfenworks award is given to a short film that focuses on a social justice issue, which can critique, pose a possible solution, or shed light on a topic. The winner of this award wins up to $20,000.
The Fan Choice winner is decided by the number of votes the movie gets from people online. Whichever film receives the most votes wins $10,000, and voters can potentially win a 2TB My Cloud.
The films that were viewed were all very unique from each other. Some films, such as “Pulp Fiction,” were hilarious and caught the audience off guard with their creativity. Other films, like “Under My Clothes,” took the time to dive into personal stories and made the audience reflect on the messages they conveyed.
The experience was enjoyable to all the people who participated, both in front of and behind the camera. The four films that won at the COF festival will be shown at CMF Hollywood, where they will compete against other schools from around the world.
