It’s 7:30 on a Tuesday night, and five friends are gathered around debating the differences between “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” Make that five friends and a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic science. “Star Wars,” they decide, is the clear winner.
These aren’t just any students; they’re members of the Video Production Committee. And they aren’t just discussing “Star Wars;” they’re talking about its role in the plot of their latest student-produced film, which will begin filming on Saturday.
The group, an affiliate of resTV, is an organization dedicated to helping students create their own independent films. A learning experience for many students, the group provides firsthand experience on each and every aspect of the filmmaking process, from pre-production to filming to editing to exhibition.
Although some students do come in with prior filmmaking experience, committee advisors Stephen Greim, the resTV production studio manager, and Jeffrey Lew, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, stressed that experience is not necessary to be a member of the group.
“I want students to see this as an opportunity to gain practical experience, to learn about the filmmaking process and see if it’s of interest to them as a career or even as a general interest,” Greim said.
Greim and Lew advise the students as they pitch ideas, write and rewrite scripts, film, edit and complete their projects. Overall, the group creates roughly one to two films per quarter, ranging from five to 20 minutes in duration, as well as a 30-second promo.
For this year’s first film, “The Pity Date,” the “Star Wars” influence struck a cord with the group when they discovered their shared love for the film.
“We’ve all had a cathartic experience with “˜Star Wars,'” said Jack McKee, a first-year undeclared student who is the director of photography for this quarter’s production.
The film centers on Suzy, a girl who goes on a pity date with a nerdy classmate. However, Suzy soon becomes the odd man out when her date takes her to a “Star Wars”-esque sci-fi film with three of his equally nerdy friends. The night-gone-wrong ends with Suzy, and hopefully viewers, having a new perspective on the meaning of a pity date.
“The Pity Date” is the brainchild of writer-director Kylie Anderson, a first-year English student. Adapted from a short story she had written during high school, she based the story on herself, her ex-boyfriend and friends.
This film, along with the others made by the VPC this year, will be exhibited at the committee’s annual gala event. The four or five films and promos are shown during the gala and then repeated on the resTV channel.
Executive Board member Rose Fadem-Johnston, a third-year film student, explained that resTV is allowed to repeat the films, but the directors are the ones who retain the copyrights to their films.
“A lot of kids have these “˜pie-in-the-sky’ ideas about filmmaking and they have no idea how to get to that next step, and that’s what we try to provide for people,” said Megan Pratt, a third-year film student who is also on the Executive Board.
They do this by not only providing the manpower to create films, but also the equipment and technology. Because the group is affiliated with resTV, they are able to share cameras, sets and computers for editing. This allows the group to use its $1,000-a-year budget on other things, such as props ranging everywhere from rented paintball guns to a disco ball.
“There is very little we can’t do or can’t fake,” Pratt said.
This sense of confidence runs deep in the committee.
“We had a motto a long time ago. … It kind of just developed during one of our productions,” Lew said. “It said, “˜We’re the VPC. We can do anything.'”