Southeast Missouri State University student publication

First-time filmmakers find experience through Fault Line Film Festival

Monday, November 9, 2015

Over 30 student filmmakers from around the region submitted their short films to Southeast Missouri State University's Fault Line Film Festival this year.

"This is the sixth year of the event," Fred Jones, Southeast TV and film professor, said. "For the past few years we've started opening it up to regional universities, and that's actually worked out really well. This year, half of our entries are coming from other universities. It's kind of cool to see how our films compare with other universities' films, and usually our films stack up really well. Our students are really among the better filmmakers in the region."

Jones said he received submissions from Iowa, Western Kentucky, William Woods University and the Kansas City Art Institute. He added that there was even variety from the students submitting from Southeast, with a few student directors from the theater department and other majors beside mass communications.

"In my class I make them do a film, so sometimes you just need some motivation to get going," Jones said. "There's other students though who aren't in the class. I noticed there are a lot of entries from people from theater or underclassmen. And those are the films that are fun to see because they're doing it because they love to do it."

India Duff, a music theater major, who directed a film for Fault Line is on the fence about whether or not she wants to work more in film, especially after working a summer internship at a film production company. She said she loved the experience of making her own film.

"The entire process was awesome," Duff said. "It was so fun. I don't regret a minute of it because it was so exciting. My cast and crew were just so excited to even be a part of something like this and we were all kind of experiencing something like this brand new."

Duff said the festival is one of the few times in which the mass communications and theater departments connect, despite their similarities. She wrote the film during the summer and started production in September.

"It is a drama about this girl Eileen," Duff said. "She is a singer trying to make it big. She has a husband, her family and friends to support her. And it's about betrayal of her husband and the reason why things aren't going well. She finds out that he is not faithful and so things turn awry."

Duff added that even if she doesn't become a director, this experience will help her, as an actor, understand the filmmaking process and be able to create her own film opportunities in the future.

Ben Hendricks, a senior TV and film major, also submitted his first film to the festival this year.

"I've been to the gala before and seen some of the previous films, but this is my first time [submitting]," Hendricks said. "My film is sort of a suspenseful thriller. It's about these students who show up for a psychology experiment for their class late at night. Nobody shows up, so they start to try to leave but they can't get out."

Hendricks said the students start getting picked off one by one, and that it ends with a twist. He said his most challenging day was the first day of filming, but that as the process continued the cast and crew got into a groove.

Hendricks said he was able to learn about working on a set, doing shot setups, audio recording and editing tricks.

"It was experience doing what I've always wanted to do, but on a little bit larger of a scale," Hendricks said.

Stephanie Salyer, a junior TV and film major, directed her first film called "Be Persistent" for Fault Line this fall. She said her short film is about a guy having trouble asking a girl out on a date and then having even more trouble getting to that date.

"This is your idea," Salyer said. "There is really no guidelines for the project. It's more like, 'Here, your film needs to be at least 30 seconds but under 10 minutes' and that's it. And then you get to be really creative with it. You can do whatever you want. You can use a tripod, you can just hold the camera yourself, you can do any kind of color correct. They let you have complete creative control over the process."

Salyer said one of her favorite parts of the process was working with actors from the theater and dance department.

"I hadn't realized how amazing all these actors were until I got them together," Salyer said. "Because when I had my script and I was reading it I thought, 'That is kind of funny,' but when they actually did it, it was hilarious."

The Fault Line Film Festival award ceremony will occur at noon on Nov. 11 in the the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. Jason Stamp, a director who has done work for Nike, HP, Chrysler and Gucci, will be the keynote speaker. Stamp will also host a masterclass at 3 p.m. that same day in Rose Theatre.

"He's such a great cinematographer and editor, and he does these cool advertising spots too, so we hope that he integrates things like that," Jones said.

There will be a 90-minute gala where all of the winning films will be shown. The event, which includes a red carpet, will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday at Rose Theatre. At this event, Cape Air will give away door prizes and the audience choice winner will be decided.

"We've got a good mix of mysteries, dramas, we have a category called 'Other,'" Jones said. "I took a glance at one and it was a choreographed dance to a song, so that will be kind of different. We have some animations that are going to be cool too. I saw a stop motion one, so that will be kind of fun. There is always something new every year."

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