DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Ryan Seng and Jenny
Jordan-Wong spend a great deal of time working in the cluttered
Campus Events office at Kerckhoff 319.
By Katie Leff
Daily Bruin Contributor
Too young to go to the bars? Too cheap to pay full price at the
movie theater? Campus Events Commission has the answer.
Every Thursday and Friday evening this student-run organization
brings a new flick to campus for the pleasure of the student body.
The films are handpicked by the Campus Events staff. This helps to
beat the middle of the week blues for the socially challenged, as
well as those who just enjoy the convenience of seeing a cutting
edge movie right on campus.
“We’re such a diverse campus; we want to make the
films we choose diverse as well,” said Philip Hall, a senior
film staff member.
On a campus of UCLA’s magnitude, pleasing everyone is
difficult. Campus Events attempts to pick movies that have the
potential to interest the student body, from blockbusters to
lesser-known independent films. This attention to the diversity of
interests is addressed in the film selection process.
“People on the staff brainstorm, and from there we talk to
students and movie companies. We try to respond to what the
students want,” said Ryan Seng, a Campus Events staff
member.
Campus Events seeks to bring affordable entertainment to campus.
The blockbusters chosen for screenings are priced at $2 a viewing,
a bargain compared to the steeper $8 at movie theaters. The $2
admission is used only to cover the cost of renting the reels of
film, which range from $400 to $900, with newer movies costing
more.
Even cheaper than the $2 films are the sneak previews, shown for
free. The $2 movies are shown on Thursday and Friday nights, while
the showtimes of the free sneak previews vary.
“It’s a process of give and take with the film
industry. We give them publicity, they give us film to sneak for
free,” said Jennifer Hsu, a Campus Events staff member.
This break in price that exceeds even the most generous student
discount offered at theaters and the convenience of a film on
campus makes the Campus Events film series popular with freshman
and more seasoned students alike. The films are shown in the
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, and draw a wide variety of viewers.
“Thank God for Campus Events. Without them, my social life
would be practically nonexistent,” said fourth-year biology
student Jennifer Bennet.
Campus Events is responsible for contacting movie companies and
studios to make arrangements to show their films on campus. One way
to obtain a movie is to work directly with the publicity department
for a specific film. The alternative is to go through media studios
who are hired out by the movie companies.
The appeal for one of these companies to have its film shown at
UCLA is great. With a student body of about 35,000, a screening on
campus is an excellent way to generate a buzz about a film,
especially those shown before the official theater release date.
Some films draw more attention than others.
“The blockbuster movies that were just in theaters attract
big audiences, but our advanced screenings get the biggest turnout.
Just the fact that we’re showing films that haven’t
come out in theaters, we can usually fill Ackerman,” Hall
said.
According to Hall, the art-inspired independent films that carry
social commentary are the films that draw the smallest audiences.
Despite this, Campus Events staff members try to make sure both
larger studio releases and indie films end up on the Ackerman
screen.
“We want the blockbusters that reflect the industry, but
we also want to educate our community,” Hsu said.