Campus MovieFest rolled out the red carpet in the Russell House Ballroom Thursday night for the festival finale, which showcased the top 16 films that were chosen by the panel of judges — but not before an appearance by “Cockappella,” a USC acapella group.
This year, Campus MovieFest attracted an eclectic and talented group of filmmakers. The films encompassed a broad spectrum of topics including: rape, reincarnation, how to make a movie for Campus MovieFest and getting your braces off in a post-apocalyptic world.
Campus MovieFest gives you the opportunity to make a movie in one week, a caveat that seems impossible when starting. However, the showcase demonstrated otherwise.
Whether it’s a “Lord of the Flies” revamp, where instead of schoolchildren being marooned on an island, it’s an elevator, or whether it’s an infomercial about owning a household cyborg gone wrong, Campus MovieFest definitely produced some laughs.
While there were plenty of laughs, there were also silences. Many dramas dealt with themes of rape, abuse, sexuality and depression, fueling raw emotion in their films.
One film in particular, “Dreamcatcher," was based on a poem written in memory of the writer’s late best friend. Going on to win best story, Finn said, “My friend Brendan died just before Christmas. I stayed up really late one night, and I thought to myself ‘ I need to express how I feel. What’s really easy to write in? Iambic pentameter,’ which Brendan would have loved.”
While cinematography is usually applauded, editing and sound design are all seemingly subtle qualities of films that tend to go unnoticed. Nevertheless, “Feels” was a prime example of how editing can make or break a film’s entire skeleton. Without words, “Feels” was able to make the viewer really, well, feel.
Other highlights include “How to Make a Movie for Campus MovieFest” which won a jury prize, to which the writers, collectively known as GVK, responded, “Wow, we did not expect that at all!”
As the original story for their film fell through quickly, they pieced together shots to create the final project.
From the serious to the slapstick, this year’s Campus MovieFest showed off an abundance of cinematic talent in USC.