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I’ll be the first to say it. Whew! We survived the 2012 apocalypse. At least I think we did. I’m not sure if it hits at the beginning of the year or the end. Since we are still here and spring semester 2012 is rolling around, the best way to shake off the rust is with a film festival.

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The Friday before classes, I had the privilege of being part of an MFA Film and Video screening. This one was special. Apparently this is the first time “first year” students put together an event to show their work. I’m working with trailblazers…awesome!

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The project was spearheaded months ago by my classmate, Jerrod Howe, as a way for filmmakers to showcase their work. It was also a chance for cast, crew, and supporters to see the projects as they were intended– in a theater on the big screen. After weeks of tossing around names like the “Welcome Back Screening” or the “Come Watch or We’ll Find You Screening” we settled on “The MFA Film & Video Student Screening.” This event was about the work and this name said it all. It was held at the glamorous Hokin Theater at 623 S. Wabash. There was no red carpet, but Jerrod’s fiancé, Molly, provided banana bread. That beats a linty carpet any day.

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The screening featured all of the first year Production 1 projects and was open to the rest of the MFA film and video students. Surprisingly only one student outside of our class chose to present. When all was said and done, we had 6 films total and a Q & A session moderated by our screenwriting professor Joe Steiff.

The lineup was as follows:

Holiday Fever – by Rob Cogdell

Frankenkinder – by Anastasia Basche (PRODUCTION 2)

Touch – Joe Moeller

Hands – Jerrod Howe

Robox – by yours truly

Cultural Clash – by Fahima Mohamood

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You may be wondering how it feels to have your project screened. How does it feel when the audience cringes at the right places and laughs at the wrong ones? It’s scary. But I must say, I felt the screening was a success.

I was pleased with how my project turned out. There were a few changes I was concerned about. I added my voice as the narrator. I wasn’t sure how people would react to my voice, but it was received well. Now I’m looking for voiceover work. I also adjusted the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 1.85:1. That means making the picture look “less square.” Here’s another way of explaining it. If you watch TV on an older set and notice black lines on the top and bottom that is called “letterbox.”

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Overall the event was entertaining and instructive, and I got a lot out of it. This was a chance to see how changes to the project were received. It was like having a focus group. The Q&A session was invaluable. All directors have to do the dog-and-pony show, but it usually takes practice to be able describe your project succinctly.

The most important thing I got out the screening was the idea of taking advantage of the facilities at Columbia College Chicago. We are here to create and be seen. Sometimes you have to push the issue to get your material out there.

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