Five minutes of fame at touring film festival

ure Spielbergs of CSU to show off their creative prowess.

Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival, has chosen CSU as the next stop in its 10th annual world tour.

All students, no matter what level of film experience, are eligible to compete, and Campus MovieFest will loan everyone who enters an Apple laptop and a Panasonic HD video camera to create their five-minute movie.

“I think kids are going to make movies with lots of intense, crazy stunts. I mean, that’s what I’d do,” said sophomore journalism major Rachel Griess.
Students who sign up by Thursday will have until March 2 to complete their movie.

It’s a small amount of time to create cinematic magic, crazy stunts or not, but representatives from Campus MovieFest say they have seen it happen many times.

“We’re constantly surprised by what a first-time filmmaker is able to accomplish in a week,” said Jessica Reynoso, Campus MovieFest event coordinator.
A judging panel comprised of CSU faculty, staff and students will review all the entries. From this collection, 16 movies will be chosen to premiere at the “red carpet finale” in the Lory Student Center Theatre on March 8.

Reminiscent of well-known award ceremonies, there will be a winner for Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Picture. The winners of the categories will receive the movie production software Final Cut Studio and an iPod Nano or iPod Touch.

The three winners will also be granted an invitation to the Campus MovieFest International Grand Finale in Hollywood.

There, contestants from CSU will have the opportunity to win more prizes and meet actors and movie executives, Reynoso said.

Beyond the obvious lure of Hollywood and gifts, Campus MovieFest is aiming to provide creative-minded CSU students the opportunity to have their ideas seen.

“Our main goal has always been to provide any student, regardless of experience or skill level, the chance to create their stories and see them on the big screen,” Reynoso said.

The Association for Student Activity Programming Film committee, who is helping to organize the festival, hopes Campus MovieFest will bring a novel theatrical experience to the university.

“We wanted to broaden what we offer students,” said ASAP Film Assistant Coordinator Tonya Tooley. “Historically, we have stuck to showing films in the Lory Student Center Theatre, which are great programs that we love.”

“This semester we wanted to bring a new program to students so they could experience film in a way other than just watching a movie,” Tooley said.
Students can find more information and enter at www.campusmoviefest.com.

Staff writer Colleen McSweeney can be reached at verve@collegian.com.