The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, November 13, 1998, Image 3

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    The Bailie Battalion
Aggielife
Page 3 • Friday, November 13, 1998
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BY MARIUM MOHIUDDIN
The Battalion
tudents can express themselves
through short stories, poetry,
pictures, paintings and movies.
However, once students decide
to embark upon the world of
ie filmmaking, their paths take them
one adventure to another.
I Sarah Forbey, director of film produc
tion for the MSC Film Society of Texas
&M and a junior English major, said film-
aking in college has a special vitality.
“There is more energy in a college
!lm, especially when there is not enough
money,” she said. “When you have to
give plasma to make it happen, it be
comes more personal. It is a grueling
rocess, and it makes you want to quit
11 the time. But the satisfaction comes
hen you conquer that.”
Forbey said there is an increasing inter-
[st in filmmaking on campus, and the de-
and should be met.
“We definitely should have a film
epartment at A&M,” she said. “There
> a big interest, and it is getting a lot
f exposure.”
Juan Loya, a student filmmaker and ju
nior journalism major, said making films
at A&M presents interesting challenges.
“When 1 first got here, I used to wish
we were more like Austin,” he said. “I
can imagine that if I were over there, it
would be too cliche because everybody is
into film. It is more unique here. We have
no handouts, and we have to work hard.
When I do this on my own, I find it
more rewarding. ”
Many organizations and departments
have found ways to accommodate the de
sire to make films. There are a handful of
classes that discuss and analyze film. The
Film Society hosts an annual film festival,
and each year, they make a film.
MSC Cepheid Variable, a science fiction
organization, holds Schlockfest, a contest
for students who make films. Schlock
movies are cheap and funny horror or sci
ence-fiction films that are so bad, they are
good. Students create their own schlock
films and have them judged.
Eric Liga, coordinator of Schlockfest with
Cepheid Variable and a senior computer sci
ence major, said the purpose of the festival
is to make people excited about films.
“A year ago, we were all sitting around
and were trying to think of something fun
to do besides getting 49-cent rentals from
Hastings,” he said. “We thought it would
be fun to create movies. There is not a film
department, and there is not a chance to
produce. This allows students to express
their creativity. ”
Liga said last year Schlockfest had four
entries, but this year, the interest grew and
resulted in ten entries.
Making a film may sound easy, but
students have found many obstacles in
the process. It begins with an idea, which
is then formulated into a script. Revisions
and treatments are done to make the
script feasible for film and to give the
characters depth.
Next comes the biggest step in film pro
duction — money.
Forbey said even independent college
films can get expensive.
“Making Hollywood movies falls in the
million dollar range,” she said, “but for us,
the lowest amount we spend is $1,000.”
The Film Society has funds set aside for
production. They also get money from do
nations, student groups, former students
and some independent filmmakers.
Loya said he owns a film camera but
finds making a movie on a video camera
easier and cheaper.
“I bought a film camera, but it is more
expensive to use it, and editing was a lot of
trouble,” he said. “Ten minutes of film cost
about $1,000 or more than that. But stu
dents have learned how to cut corners, so
they can become pretty cheap.”
Once the money situation is taken care
of, the cast and crew for makeup and light
ing are hired. Finally the filming takes
place, and students have to find a way to
edit the work.
Forbey said the process of filming and
editing can be long and tedious.
“It took us one weekend to film our
movie,” she said. “Then you have to
transfer it to video, edit it and then blow
it back to film. We take it to a film pro
cessing lab to transfer it to film and use
the equipment at KAMU-TV for editing.
We have to rent the camera equipment,
usually from Austin.”
Liga said as a student filmmaker he
finds it easier to use equipment found
at home.
“The first year, I had to use a VCR and a
video camera,” he said. “It took us three
days of filming. That got tough. A few peo
ple use the editing equipment in the archi
tecture department. Editing is one of the
trickiest things to do.”
Equipment on campus is hard to find
and difficult to use. There are three organi
zations with AVIDs. AVIDs digitize footage
and allow the user to edit on computer.
Some students also use the equipment in
the architecture department.
Forbey said after everything is done
and the movie is finished, the final prod
uct is gratifying.
“It is something to be proud of and to
show your friends that you did some
thing that you have talked about,” she
said. “It is a desire to show not only a
part of yourself but to create something
that is a part of you.
“A lot of people can write a short sto
ry, but this is more visual, and it reaches
a wider audience. Pictures speak a thou
sand words.”
Loya said he is always thinking
about stories and finds many ways to
express himself.
“I write short stories or make a comic
book, and if I had any sense of music, I
would make a song,” he said. “But some
things just have to be made visual because
it would look better. ”
The final test, however, is in front of
the audience.
Loya said production can be exhausting
but having people view his films can also
be difficult.
“Watching people watching your
films can be weird,” he said. “You want
them to like it, and you wonder what
they will think and if they will laugh at
the right parts.”
Forbey said there may not be a film de
partment at A&M, but there are many av
enues for students interested in film.
“I would say to all those who want to get
into filmmaking to keep writing and taking
all the classes you can,” she said. “Find out
about the film scene and get involved. Go to
a bigger city and see what they have to of
fer. Be willing to make road trips. ”
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