Students and faculty members attended the Student Film and Video Showcase on Tuesday, Sept. 10, where they watched short films created by Colgate University students between 2023 and 2024. The selected works hailed from ARTS 221 “Video Art” (Fall 2023), the Film and Media Studies New York City Study Group (Fall 2023), ARTS 223“Analogue Filmmaking” (Spring 2024) and the Film and Media Studies Senior Capstone 2024 Projects.
The collection of short films was followed by a Q&A with four student filmmakers, seniors Kellie Couch, Renata Burnett and Leila Bekaert and sophomore Wyatt Thompson, who shared their filmmaking processes.
Lindsey Lodhie, visiting assistant professor of film and media studies and organizer of the event, shared that the films reflected the artistic journey each student had.
“Most of these students, almost all of them, were in classes that I taught last year. It’s great to see the development of students’ work over the year and return to some projects that I haven’t seen since last year,” Lodhie said. “I think the variety of voices that you see in each individual artist is pretty clear. I’m happy to see this growth for the film and media studies major.”
The event showcased films ranging from two to 15 minutes and included genres such as documentary, thrillers and melodrama. Films such as junior Bennett Rowe’s “Halo” and senior Kyleigh Russo’s “The Orange” invoked a sense of nostalgia for the viewers. Senior Clay Brewer’s “Apoptosis” even got a few jumps from members in the audience. Many of the narratives illustrated in the films were impressive, especially in the Senior Capstone Projects. The filmmakers utilized a wide variety of techniques and styles that elevated the atmosphere of their works. It was also valuable to see some analogue films, which highlighted a unique form of filmmaking.
The Q&A session provided an interesting look into the challenges and inspirations behind some films. One of the actors in Thompson’s film also studies audio production, and collaborating with him was a unique opportunity.
“I thought it was really fun doing the two separately because I was able to be more creative with incorporating a lot of music,” Thompson said.
Couch shared that the showcase was a great way to get inspiration out of class.
“It was a great opportunity for us to showcase all of our films. Even though I am a film major, I don’t really see other people’s work unless I am in their class,” Couch said. “There were so many, so it was a great experience to gain inspiration and watch each other’s films.”
Bekaert added that her experience at the film study group was beneficial to her film work.
“I’m definitely going to promote the New York City Study Group because it was an amazing experience. It was just 13 of us, but it was valuable not only to live in the city but also to film in the city and take narrative classes,” Bekaert said.
The New York City Study Group is a collaboration with The Independent Filmmakers Project, which is based in Brooklyn. To learn more about this study group, visit the Colgate Off-Campus Study Group’s homepage to see a list of currently offered study groups.
This event was co-sponsored by Film and Media Studies and the Ryan Family Film Series. The Ryan Family Film series reviews, analyzes and critiques works of art each semester.
