Thursday, April 3, 1997
FILM:
College students broadcast their lives over the Web in
‘Cyberdorm’By Ricky Herzog
Daily Bruin Contributor
The popularity of the Internet grows exponentially with each
passing year, and entrepreneurs are starting to notice. Even
filmmakers like director David Secter are realizing the popularity
and interest in this wave of the future. A Canadian moviemaker,
Secter has set out to create a film that incorporates the Internet
into a compelling story about the lives of five college
students.
"The idea for a kind of ‘The Real World’-type of story on the
Internet made sense," Secter says. "Eventually people are going to
do on the Internet the kinds of things they’re seeing on
television; that’s where the ‘Real World’ idea comes from."
The film inspired by Secter’s observation, titled "Cyberdorm,"
focuses on five diverse college students who set up cameras in
their house and broadcast their lives’ dramatic ups and downs over
the Internet. Their project sparks international attention and
controversy. Though the technology in the film is a little ahead of
the times, it is not unlike some things currently happening over
the Internet.
"I read about some colleges that did stuff that is similar to
what I did with ‘Cyberdorm,’" Secter recalls. "I read that Boston
College hooked up all the professors and students with cable
modems. So a lot of the professors were starting to give their
lectures over the Internet. I thought the idea of taking cutting
edge Internet, cable and computer technology and combining it with
a real world story was a natural."
Because the film is about up-to-date technology, "Cyberdorm’s"
logistics posed some problems. The film is fairly complex for its
relatively low budget of just $200,000, and Secter had to seek
several different sources to raise the necessary funds.
"This is very ambitious for a low budget film," Secter says.
"It’s got a very large cast and more scene changes than most low
budget movies usually have."
Part of what makes the film so ambitious is its large and
diverse cast. Secter often had to get resourceful when it came down
to writing and filling all the roles.
"We had a very broad canvas of people who auditioned for the
various roles," Secter recalls. "Because a lot of them weren’t
right for any of the roles I had in mind, I wrote them into the
script."
While the film had an unexpectedly diverse group of actors, the
crew was also made up of numerous nationalities. This wide
assortment of people fit in perfectly with Secter’s movie’s
theme.
"One of the main themes that runs through a lot of my films is
the whole idea of diversity and people from different cultures
learning to live together," Secter says. "And a lot of the crew
were European, which turned out to be really helpful, because an
Internet story by nature is a really international thing. I thought
it was very appropriate that we had such diversity in the cast and
crew."
This variety of nationalities helps reinforce the idea of the
global expanse of the Internet. This worldwide communication is one
of the things Secter sees as imminent in the future of the
Internet.
"I think people are basically going to be able to create very
exciting television shows and video conferences in all different
countries," Secter says. "We will basically be able to set up a
network and communicate with people around the world."
This possibility of global interaction is not the only positive
thing Secter sees in the future of the Internet. He sees it as an
untapped area for a new form of art and expression.
"I think that within a couple years a lot of institutions will
be able to set up an underground television network, like that kind
of real low budget ‘The Real World’ meets ‘Wayne’s World’ thing.
That public access type of TV show is the kind of thing a lot of
people are going to be doing on the Internet. And I think before
long it will become a much more unique, intrinsically Internet
oriented kind of art form."
"Cyberdorm" can be accessed over the Internet at
www.cyberdorm.org.