The annual Campus Moviefest comes to USF St. Petersburg in less than a week. Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or simply looking for a creative outlet, this event is an opportunity to show off your talents.
Founded in 2001 by four college students at Emory University, Campus MovieFest has reached 30 colleges, awarding over $2 million worth of prizes.
The rules of the competition are simple. Contestants have one week to create their movie with the equipment that the MovieFest staff provides. Professional cameras, microphones, Apple Macbook Pro and hard drives are provided on a first come, first serve basis.
The film can be on any topic, as long as the final product is not over five minutes long. While the teams may write scripts and cast for additional members before the event officially starts, filming is forbidden until Wednesday, Feb. 22. Afterward, students have until Feb. 28 to shoot and edit their movies.
Anyone can act in the film, with the only requirements being that the people designing or capturing the movie must be USF students. Filming crews are also allowed to submit more than one video.
Several of these films and their creators may be nominated for titles, such as “Best Actor” and “Best Documentary,” but only four pieces will be chosen as the best of the best, which will be determined by the Campus MovieFest staff. This year, the main awards are “Best Story,” “Best Director,” “Best Picture” and “Best Sound.”
Along with bragging rights and trophies, the winners will receive a year’s subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud and will be given the chance to enter the Campus MovieFest Grand Finale Terminus in Atlanta during the summer.
Terminus is a red carpet award show that celebrates the top films with appearances from celebrity guests and presenters.The winning teams will also be invited to attend the Cannes International Film Festival in France.
Movies may be entered into separate competitions for different genres as well. Each competition rewards a grand prize of $10,000. The winner of the “Seekers Category” will also receive a trip for two people to the 2018 Cannes International Festival. For additional information, a session is scheduled on Feb. 21 in the SLC lobby from 6-8 p.m.
Student Shannon Gazdacka, a senior mass communications major, created a documentary called “Survived By,” which discussed the impact of suicide. It was one of four winners of last year’s competition.
Whether you want to bring awareness to a topic that needs to be known, or you just want to get a crazy out of your head, Gazdacka says this is an event for you.
“You can do anything you want. This is a chance for people what kind of work you can do,” said Gazdacka.
As parting advice, Gazdacka noted that contestants shouldn’t procrastinate and should save a few days to edit their films.
“Focus on your video; don’t worry about what anyone else is doing,” Gazdacka said. “I remember getting there and feeling really intimidated, but don’t try to compare your video to anyone else’s. Just enjoy it, because it’s a great experience.”
A panel of judges comprised of USF professors and students will display the top 16 videos at the Finale, held on March 6 at 7 p.m. in the USC Ballrooms.
Photo by Tim Fanning
