Leslie Armstrong previews annual film production screenings in April. For every 10 minutes of run time, a film student spends 10 hours at the craft
Leslie Armstrong
Arts Editor
@Peachcrate
This year, York’s film production program ends in a screening of around 150 student films, collectively called “The Finish Line.” It’s the result of a lot of hard work: finding actors that will work for free, pulling all-nighters in the freezing cold, and getting perfect footage on a 16mm film camera.
The student films are divided into six categories: first year (shot in black and white on a 16mm camera), second year, third year fiction, fourth year fiction, third/fourth year documentary, and third/fourth year alternative, all of which will screen over eight days from April 10-20. Here are some of the contenders:
I Know You
Erica Dennis-Orofino and Spencer Jarvis Gaum, First year
Orofino and Gaum’s first-year black-and-white silent explores themes of gender identity, confusion, and self-consciousness through the lens of a transgendered woman whose girlfriend doesn’t know her secret. She dresses in men’s clothes day to day, and lives in trepidation under the weight of her secret. Gaum uses a chiaroscuro aesthetic, playing with lighting and shadows to convey emotion. He was happy to work with his co-director Erica Dennis-Orofino. “Co-directing only works when the two directors understand each other and get along well,” he says.
Huldra
Gabrielle Dupuis, Third/fourth year alternative (pictured bottom left)
Based off of a Norse tale, the story follows a man and his wife living in a primal village setting. When the man becomes obsessed with the Huldra, a female creature who lives in the forest, his wife wages war against him. “The theme that ties the film together is the tension between the natural world and reality,” says Dupuis. The film was shot on both a film and a digital camera, and is acted and shot on a studio theatre stage to present the story from the perspective of a spectator in the audience. The footage also captures the process of making the film.
19
Matthew Murray, First year
Murray tells his personal story in a whirlwind of montage. On his 19th birthday, a young man moves on to manhood as he reflects on his life while blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. “I’m 18, going on 19 soon, and I’m going through the same thing,” says Murray about the experience. “A lot of people in first year can relate to it.” Production was a struggle—on the crew’s first shoot, the camera malfunctioned, and the footage had to be re-shot the following weekend.
Loss Together
Earl Oliveros, Third year fiction (pictured top right)
When an employee no one knew dies, her co-workers from the office mourn her death—all but one. Fred wonders why he should grieve over someone he never knew, but is pressured by his co-workers to care. Our own emotions are affected by the emotions projected around us, says Oliveros, and this truth extends to mundane life rituals. “On Facebook, you say happy birthday to all your friends, but your real friends will call you up. What is this emotion that builds up?” he asks.
Erasermen
Jeff Garneau, Fourth year fiction (pictured top left)
A fictional company makes house calls to families to erase online identities after the death of a loved one. In life, people leave their mark online through social media. The main character Alex, desensitized and bored by his job, uses his unique position to exploit vulnerable women.
October Country
Jenna Elzein, Fourth year fiction (pictured bottom right)
Two young brothers come across a well while playing tag in the street. One brother believes there is a man trapped in the well and wants to save him, while the other doesn’t trust his brother to venture down. Inspired by a Ray Bradbury story, Elzein’s film explores sibling trust and family dynamic while exalting in nostalgic images that Elzein describes as “an aging photograph” and the rich imagery of magic realism.
