By Russ Megowan
Good filmmaking isn’t quite as elementary as point and shoot. Countless hours of writing and filming, meticulous attention to detail and obsessive editing go into a good film project, on top of a regular student workload. SCTV, UC Santa Cruz’s broadcasting channel, plans to honor those students who try in spite of an overworked lifestyle.
At UCSC, despite having a comprehensive film and digital media major and expensive video recording/editing equipment, film students often find it difficult to develop and get recognition for their own films.
To change the situation, SCTV is hosting its fourth annual Red Carpet Awards.
“Because we only have a film and digital media major and not enough student film festivals, we don’t have open studios for these students like we do for art students, and there aren’t enough resources to support them,” said Maggie Anderson, who helped organize the Red Carpet Awards.
“The school only offers a production concentration that’s very minimal, and doesn’t provide enough equipment to help students fully develop their own films,” she continued. “What they do is amazing, and I help organize this event to recognize their accomplishments.”
The event has randomly selected film students to judge and assign awards to participating filmmakers and actors based on the aesthetics and content of their films. Some categories include “best cinematography,” “best screenplay,” “best comedic short,” and “best actor.”
Hannah Guenther, a third-year film major, submitted a parody of the 1970s kung-fu movie genre.
“I decided to participate in the Red Carpet Awards the year after I first saw it, because of the chance to see other students’ work and the opportunity SCTV provides to create a substantial film,” Guenther said. “Since you usually hear about student film screenings last-minute, they’re doing a great thing by showcasing our work every year.”
At the moment, the production concentration within the film major is the primary way students can borrow equipment and use studio space to work on their films.
According to Anderson, the UCSC film department tends to focus on critical studies and film theory. This means fewer resources are allocated to filmmaking, restricting access to the concentration to a select few.
SCTV, a major proponent of student broadcasting media at UCSC, provides guidance and equipment to students who are making films for its upcoming event.
“Unless you’re an upper-division film student taking production classes, you don’t really have any opportunities to show your films,” said Stephanie Wilson, events team coordinator for SCTV. “But once you take a camera certification class, you can use any of SCTV’s equipment so long as the end product ends up on one of the station’s broadcasts.”
The Red Carpet Awards will take place in the Porter/Kresge Dining Hall tomorrow from 8 to 10 p.m. The event will also feature UCSC-affiliated performance groups Humor Force V, Cloud Nine and A DUBZ.
