KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� May 11, 2023 鈥� If simple or bare bones comes to mind when you think of short films, you鈥檒l be in for a surprise if you check out the end of semester film screenings in Edwards Hall on Friday, May 12.
The night will showcase nine short films from 32 students in the 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Film/Media Department capstone production class, along with a handful of short films from a cinematography class. The screenings start at 6 p.m. in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road. The event is free and open to all; free popcorn will be served in the lobby.
The night is a celebration for the students in the capstone class, many of whom are seniors showing off their 鈥渇inal and highest-production-quality鈥� movies at 溏心vlog免费B站, said Alexander Pretorius 鈥�23, this year鈥檚 Film/Media Excellence Award winner, a teaching assistant in the class, and director of photography on one of the films.
鈥淟ots of people invite their families and friends and many alumni come back to watch the movies,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is also tradition for us to get dressed up red-carpet-style in tuxedos and ball gowns.鈥�
鈥淭he end of the semester screening is very important because the students who are working on these semester-long films put in a lot of hard work on making them come to life,鈥� said Tommy Finston 鈥�23, who directed the documentary 鈥淚n Plain Sight鈥� with Logan MacDonald. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 realize how much work it takes to make these films.鈥�
Students in the class take on all the jobs needed to produce a film, said Keith Brown, a professor in the Harrington School of Communication and Media. While there were 10 student directors for eight of the capstone films (two films had two directors), the rest of the class crewed on at least two films 鈥� taking projects from script review to screening in just one semester.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an enormous amount of work,鈥� said Brown, who co-taught the capstone class with Professor Nicholas Corsano. 鈥淭hese students put so much time into this one course and it鈥檚 all condensed into one semester, which makes it even more challenging.鈥�
The short flicks 鈥� all about 15 minutes in length 鈥� cover a wide range of topics and genres, including a documentary on injustices faced by the Narragansett Tribal Nation, a comedy about a person obsessed with a McDonald鈥檚 Shamrock Shake, the story of a man caught in a twisted game show, and a spoof on a reality show based in Rhode Island.聽
One thing all the films have in common, though, is the willingness of the filmmakers to pull out all the stops.
For his film, 鈥淎pollonius鈥� Bucket,鈥� Jonah Major 鈥�23 of Smithfield melded genres and media to tell the story of a fictional constellation, Apollonius鈥� Bucket, whose story is passed down over generations. To show that span, Major鈥檚 film moves from a silent comedy set in Ancient Greece that captures the creation of the constellation in black and white 16mm film, to an MGM-style musical filmed in 35mm color, to finally a faux commercial for Coca-Cola that was filmed digitally.
鈥淚鈥檝e made a handful of student films 鈥� both on film and digital,鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, this is definitely my most ambitious film.鈥�
The musical segment alone was filmed overnight at an empty Lincoln Cinema World and included a crew of a dozen. 鈥淲orking with this incredible crew in an otherwise empty movie theater at 1 a.m. was one of the craziest things I鈥檝e gotten to do in the film program,鈥� said Major, a major in film/media and Japanese.
To film the scene, Major and director of photography Pretorius rented a 35mm Arriflex LT camera, thanks to grants from the 溏心vlog免费B站 Center for the Humanities and Rhode Island PBS. The film was one of several supported by this program.
鈥淭he scene is in the style of golden age musicals — one of my favorite eras of film — so it required us to pull out all the stops,鈥� said Pretorius, of Warwick, a major in film/media and English. 鈥淲e rented an $80,000 film camera and dolly and used all the highest quality lighting equipment that we have in the Harrington School. It felt like working on a real set in a lot of ways.鈥�
Senior Allison Magnus, who wrote and directed the dark comedy 鈥淐herry Pie,鈥� is nervous and excited for the first screening of one of her films. Magnus overcame numerous challenges while making the film 鈥� including shooting a period piece, finding a classic 1950s car 鈥� and handling visits by the police. Twice police came to the set 鈥� once as the crew filmed in a North Kingstown diner at 1 a.m. and then again during a night scene in a cemetery.
鈥淎 large group of students gathering around an old Buick at 10 p.m. in a graveyard apparently looked suspicious,鈥� said Magnus, a double major in film/media and English from Long Island. 鈥淭he police showing up became a running gag with our film.鈥�
鈥淐herry Pie鈥� tells the story of Franny, a young woman who returns home for a funeral only to be asked by her estranged sister to help coverup the murder of her ex-boyfriend. The film is set in the late 1950s and Magnus, a fan of the era鈥檚 music and aesthetics, wanted to capture that color and feel. One problem was finding a vintage car 鈥� which was eventually discovered a block from the film set. Another was the experience of digging a grave in a friends鈥� backyard.
鈥淐reating a short film isn鈥檛 easy but it is one of the most fun experiences I鈥檝e ever had,鈥� said Magnus, who had a crew and cast of about 16. 鈥淭he film is a little over 10 minutes long. It is certainly the most ambitious project I鈥檝e ever attempted. We faced many hurdles but with the help of an amazing crew and cast we produced a film I鈥檓 very proud of.鈥�
For their capstone project, directors Tommy Finston 鈥�23 and Logan MacDonald 鈥�23 went a different route 鈥� filming a documentary about the injustices faced by the Narragansett Tribal Nation.
Their short film, 鈥淚n Plain Sight,鈥� focuses on the violent 2003 鈥渟moke-shop raid,鈥� when dozens of Rhode Island state troopers raided the tribe鈥檚 newly opened cigarette store on the Narragansett reservation. Members of the tribe and troopers were injured in the raid, which Narragansetts consider one of many racially motivated attacks on the tribe. For the documentary, Finston and MacDonald interviewed tribal councilman Randy Noka and his wife, Elder Bella Noka, who were arrested during the raid.
鈥淚 wanted to make this film because I have the opportunity to spread awareness with my capstone project,鈥� said MacDonald of Marshfield, Massachusetts, a major in film/media and minor in creative writing. 鈥淲e wanted to tell this history the way it should be told 鈥� by the people who were there and who carry this trauma every day.鈥�
As a child, Finston of Massapequa Park, New York, visited relatives in the Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation community in New Brunswick. But he didn鈥檛 learn about their hardships until he started researching different indigenous peoples.
鈥淏y creating this documentary, I would like to bring awareness to the present-day experiences of the Narragansett people,鈥� said Finston, a major in film/media. 鈥淚t is important for our indigenous cultures to be known as part of today鈥檚 world, for we are all still here, no longer infringed by the notion 鈥楰ill the Indian, Save the Man.鈥欌��
Finston and MacDonald hope to create a longer version of the 15-minute documentary from the hours of film they have shot. It would cover numerous issues across the years that the tribe has faced from the State of Rhode Island, Finston said.