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THEY SAID IT “A film is — or should be — more like _ _ music than like fiction.” Monday, November 15, 2004 stanley kubrick PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Even well-known directors such as M. Night Shyamalan, top, whose early work opened the show, and Martin Scorcese had to 'start their filmmaking careers somewhere. FIRST FEST By D.E. McGuirt THE GAMECOCK Tn a dark, crowded room full of his or her J.peers, their faces poised and ready to break into derisive sneers, the aspiring filmmaker sits awaiting the harsh verdict of the cinema gods. The projector rolls as the sweaty-palmed auteur anticipates fate’s judgment... OK, maybe it’s not that bad. But it does take a certain amount of courage (along with a pinch of hubris) to screen a first film. It’s a rite of passage for any young filmmaker. Even ' masters like Godard, Scorcese and Spielberg had to do it at some point. But they were unavailable for comment, so The Gamecock spoke with some members of the USC community who participated in Saturday’s First Fest, a festival that featured the first works of current USC students, alumni and professors. “It all depends on the reaction you get,” said media arts student Josh Rose, when asked how it felt to see his work on the screen in front of a crowd of about 50 students, professors and strangers. Rose, along with fellow media arts student, Brian Wolfe, were the duo behind two of the shorts that premiered at First Fest. And yes, the reactions were positive. “Comic vs. Hollywood” was a short documentary that featured interviews with comic book enthusiasts who discussed the profitable yet contentious relationship between Hollywood studios and comic book makers. “The Untitled Problem” featured Wolfe, as himself, wandering through a sort of existential maze over the course of a weekday morning. Wolfe said that their film took about seven hours for him and Rose to shoot, and another 20 hours to edit. Other highlights of First Fest included a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi and editing adventure titled “Coriolus,” which was directed by third-year media arts student Jason Steelman, “Rob O. the Robot’s Hideous Secret” mm mrnmmmmm by third-year psychology student Bobby Frankenberger and the crowd pleasing “Action Figure Dance Party” by media arts graduate student Dayton Colie. “Dance Party” involved, by some miracle of editing software, toy action figures getting their grooves on to a techno beat. Fred from “Scooby Doo” stole the show with dance moves that involved both Daphne and Velma. We’ll leave it at that. Most of the works were shot on digital video, but a few were done with black and white 8-millimeter Film. A few were even silent, in the tradition of cinema’s old days. Such was the case with the delightfully anarchic “Sandwich,” directed by media arts student Dennis Ming Nichols. A few professors from the media arts department were brave enough to bite the bullet and show their raw early work, much to the delight of their students. As well, early works from Hollywood directors M. Night Shyamalan and Robert Rodriguez book ended the afternoon. The film festival was the culmination of the semester for students in Media Arts 706, professor Karla Berry said. “They were responsible for all aspects of the festival, from curating the films to' organizing to publicity and even refreshments,” she said. Berry added that she hopes this would be the beginning of a tradition at USC, where students would be encouraged to share their work to the community. Comments on this story ? E-mail gamecockfeatiires@gwm.sc. edu iFilm buffs B find home ■ By CARRIE GIVENS THE GAMECOCK For those whose taste in films varies from box-office mega hits - and pop culture favorites, campus clubs offer a welcome refuge. Members of Refried Films, one of USC’s film-focused clubs, are . becoming quite the knowledgeable filmmakers. ,1 These amateur screenwriters, directors and actors meet Sunday ^M^9 afternoons on the third floor of Russell House to discuss current film projects, decide on future endeavors and critique movies. Club treasurer and second-year theater student Molly Nestor said >;/, that Refried Films “offers opportunities for student to get to make films.” Students are encouraged to submit original scripts, which the club, m turn, votes on to film. Once the club has decided on a , script, the club recruits actors and a stage crew. Refried Films has already produced a number of films including “Oooh scary,” a k parody of horror films, “The Sheer Face of Love” and “Sympathy ^PH for a Stalker.” Nestor first became interested after attending the student organizational fair. After helping with the Refried Films ; 1 production of “Followed,” Nestor wrote and directed a Refried Film produced PSA on teen pregnancy. The club is “open to people of any level of skill ... we provide instruction on the job,” ^^^9 Nestor said. Refried Films “helps out media arts students,” continued If Nestor, by providing a knowledge of filmmaking and offering the ■■■■ opportunity to dabble in film production. ^6-V She said the club is “always welcome to more people.” Nashi, another USC film-related organization, celebrates -vR Japanese anime. The club meets Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. in Gambrell room 250. Nashi now has about 30 members who share k an appreciation of different cultures, focusing on that style of I animation. . gt At the first club meeting of the semester, members vote on L_9 anime series that will be watched throughout the following weeks’ ’ meetings. Over the semester, the club views about 25 anime HPl shows, screening two shows each week. Second-year biology student Neena Agrawal, who says she , already enjoyed the Japanese animation, started attending Nashi ♦ Please see FILM, page 9