CapU hosts BC Student Film Festival
There was a buzzing of activity today at the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation on main campus as CapU hosted the return of the BC Student Film Festival. All high school student in B.C. are eligible to enter films, and the 2002 event has drawn students from local high schools as well as students from Powell River, Campbell River, Nanaimo, the Okangan and the Kootenays.
"We have over 100 high school students in the Bosa Centre today for the BC Student Film Festival. Faculty are running five workshops in the morning for students and there is a student films screening in the theatre in the afternoon," said Michael Thoma, chair, School of Motion Picture Arts at Capilano University.
Workshops:
- Animation: (Taught by Glenn Sylvester)
Participants learn in one of CapU's state-of-the-art Animation Labs and are guided in using 2D Animation software to explore a few of the 12 Animation Principles.
No animation experience necessary, just a willingness to try it out! - Costuming: (Taught by Denise Gingrich and Karen Matthews)
Students experience the creation process for a costume with hands-on styling of selected stock costume pieces to create characters from well known films and theatre pieces. - Cinematography: (Taught by Karl Herrmann, Earl Kjargaard and Danny Nowak)
A lighting demonstration on set gives an overview to creating a mood. Once the mood is established, the attendees are put to work as actors, camera operators, dolly grips and focus pullers using industry standard equipment to shoot a scene. - VFX: (Taught by Will Morrison)
Students get an introduction to After Effects where they’ll get the chance to animate text in 3D space.
"We hope this experience today gives students insight into the post secondary experience with industry professionals and a chance to meet students from all over the province who share an interest in film," said Diana Brucculieri, director, BC Student Film Festival. "Plus, all participants get the oppotunity to have their film screened on a big screen in the Bosa Theatre. What could be cooler than that? This is an amazing opportunity for students."
According to Brucculieri, "CapU is the full package." It offers the ideal location to hold the event as it has the unique advantage of faculty who are leading experts in their field, teaching areas for multiple discplines within the film industry as well as a theatre for film screenings all in one place.
"The students are starstruck. This event is the heart and soul of learning to be a filmmaker. It is an amazing opportunity for the students to see what is offered at CapU, to meet the faculty and to make connections with fellow students across BC," said Joe Shields, a film production teacher at Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River, who brought 13 students to the event. "I get excited about Bosa in general and how all these great teachers, with such a collaborative spirit, are here inside the same building."
"The workshops are really beneficial," said Griffin Lelliott, a student from Carihi Secondary School. "I was excited to see everyone's films and to do the workshops. The workshops give us hands on experience with technology that we don't normally have access to and that has been really interesting."
The event is returning this year after a two year hiatus. Shields shared how, for his students, the chance to gather and get out to in-person meetings and events is important, particularly because having the skills to network is crucial to their career development as a filmmaker: "The world has been tough for them. They haven't had the same chances to make social connections or to have opportunities to gain confidence through in-person conversations and events. I am watching some of my students today, and I see that this event is a really big strech for them. They are stepping into opportutnities and it's exciting to see them take those next steps."
Submitted by: Communications