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Student films show community of talent
 Harold John Behling
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No single film set the tone for the third annual SCSU Student Film showcase. Each of the twelve films brought its own creative ideas to the display at this screening.
"Deus Ex Machina."
Val Snobeck, Christa Danien, Andrew Neher.
Length: 2 min.
I'm pretty sure this translates to either "God in the Machine" or "the God of Machines"... something like that. This black and white silent short reminded me of David Lynch's "Eraserhead" combined with some of the implications of the more recent "PI" by director Darn Aronofsky. This film shows two female characters attempting to break some sort of code found on a ticker tape leading out of a towel dispenser in a restroom. The soundtrack is a simple yet effective sequence of heavily distorted tones that brilliantly sets the mood and amplifies the characters' struggles.
"Lucas."
Zachary Dorhold, Brock Thompson, Nate Bisping.
Length: 7 min.
Slow building absurdist depiction of a man purchasing a new pair of socks who then strips to his boxers (and the aforementioned socks) to go frolicking around in the snow in front of his house. It had me thinking the whole time that it was actually going somewhere. But after seeing the climax, I appreciated it even more because it didn't mean anything. I think the deception and the concept alone are enough to be applauded. Also, the camera work and production were flawless.
"Sweepy."
Zachary Dorholt, Brock Thompson, Nate Bisping.
Length: 2 min.
Great comic strip-sized tidbit of humor about a depressed kitchen broom taking a tragic plunge out of a second story window. The antithesis of its predecessor, "Sweepy" is short, to the point and very funny.
"Bust a Move."
Erin Kolodzne, Jenna Feela, Ted Todorv.
Length: 2 min.
A cross between a prank from MTV's Jackass and the Cake music video for "Short Skirt Long Jacket," "Bust a Move" is a good-spirited music video featuring a woman spreading music by approaching strangers with a jukebox spouting the infectious old school rap song. A stark contrast to the some of the darker films, "Bust a Move" was simply a fun clip to watch.
Untitled
Jeanna Platt, Tomoyuki Ishagaki, Julie Rathmann.
Length: 7 min.
Almost as beautiful as it is impossible to understand, this short depicts two characters speaking silently, then dubbed in Japanese (I'm only taking a guess, I apologize to the filmmakers if I've misidentified the language) and subtitled into English. The story is abstract and detached but still interesting and engaging. Even if your attempts to understand it leave you still in the dark (like I was) you're still left with a vivid and beautiful visual experience complimented with unbelievable sound editing and music.
"Black I'd Angel."
Jenna Buescher, Deb Louis, Amy Dombrroski, Joe Hill, Holly Degrote.
Length: 3 min.
Great use of the Radiohead song "Pyramid Song" and a disturbing clip from Salvador Dali's "Un Chien Andalou." This short depicts a woman wandering the aisles of Walmart, analyzing art and glancing repeatedly at her eye which is then compounded by the image of an eyeball being sliced open with a razor (taken from "Un Chien Andalou"). "Black I'd Angel" is a seamless blend between the two existing elements and the original creation.
"Vision of Water."
LeeAnn Illminen.
A barrage on the senses teaming with psychedelically altered images of nature and animals shown over a confused chorus of noise, music and narration. The visual elements are overpowering but I felt that the fragmented story seemed a little forced. The sparse and somewhat poetic dialogue adds an incomplete mystical quality to the film that could've been more poignant. Some of the images are very lasting.
"Virgin Hummingbird."
LeeAnn Illminen.
In the same vein as "Vision of Water," this account follows a yard ornament hummingbird on an eerie wandering voyage. It shows more of the same audio and visual effects and is less focused than the first one.
"Confusion Has a Way of Holding."
KC Meyers
I liked this the best of the three experimental/psychedelic films. It was a mush of different abstracted images, combining nature's landscape with visually distorting effects. Unlike the other two, it didn't seem to have a theme or connecting thread and was more of a showcase of imagery. For some reason, this simple approach had the most lasting effect on me.
"My Banana."
Andy Block, John House.
Length: 5 min.
A guy singing a song about his banana. I liked it.
"Changes."
Ben Swan, Justin Farr.
Length: 23 min.
"Changes" was a tight and crisp short film with a clear message. It tells the story of a black man dealing with his own reluctance to cope with the social pressures concerning his friendship with a white man. "Changes" presents an important social topic in a simple manner and has a lasting message. Although it wasn't as fun or intriguing as some of the other films, it held its own by being sincere, emotional and ultimately uplifting.
The films showcased by SCSU students at the third annual Film Festival showed a community of talented and hard working filmmakers. I enjoyed the opportunity for them to show off their hard work and talent and look forward to next year's showcase.
Harold John Behling can be reached at: [email protected]
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