Colgate University’s Department of Art held an alternative cinema student showcase at Golden Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The short films were a mix of media, including animation, documentary, experimental and music video. Following the screening, the audience took part in a Q&A session with the filmmakers.
The event gave students across the film and media curriculum an opportunity to present their work from class. Senior Alysha Mendez produced the film “Psycho” for the class ARTS 223 Analogue Filmmaking. Mendez’s “Psycho” used Jack Kittel’s song of the same name as the backing track to an eerie montage of an actor covered in fake blood, walking down the middle of a road. ARTS223 required Mendez to shoot on 16mm analog film instead of traditional digital cameras. Mendez spoke about the challenges of the medium.
“One of the constraints is that your one shot is your one shot,” Mendez said. “The way that it flickers in my film isn’t intentional … and that was my fault with the camera — a little error, but after looking it over again, it worked with what I was going for.”
Mendez also shared where the inspiration for her film’s soundtrack came from.
“A friend showed [the song] to me, and I was in a rut,” Mendez said. “I kind of just took it from what I heard.”
“In the Lantern Light,” created by Seth Walden ’25, blended traditionally shot scenes with animation clips to trace the story of a missing playing card. Walden mentioned that his time working with the animation program OpenSource at the Ho-Tung Visualization Lab taught him how to animate for his film.
“I started thinking about what aspects of a card game would be interesting to see,” Walden said. “It was a lot of fun to play around with the program and learn new things.”
Walden was the only panelist who had completed the film and media studies thesis seminar program. While most of the other films were class assignments, his project was a semester-long endeavor. Walden gave advice to those in the room preparing for the seminar.
“You get about a month to concept different things,” Walden said. “Find things that inspire you. Talk to your friends. Throw things at the wall with people that inspire you … At a certain point, you just have to get started.”
For her film “Upstate,” made for the ARTS221 Video Arts course, senior Ellrose Hanlon compiled footage she originally filmed in high school. Hanlon, who grew up less than an hour from Colgate, wanted to tell a story about what it means to be from upstate New York.
“I started filming my sophomore [year] fall, right before COVID. I found my mom’s old Nikon camera in her closet and began experimenting with photos and short videos of my friends and family,” Hanlon said.
Hanlon set her film compilation to Noah Kahan’s “The View Between Villages.”
“The song’s message about finding peace and meaning in one’s hometown really resonated with me, especially since I grew up just 40 minutes from Colgate,” Hanlon said. “I’ve always loved upstate New York: the community, the genuine people and the calm that comes from being surrounded by the outdoors. I wanted to tell that same story visually, through natural moments, body language and the tone of each shot, without relying on dialogue. To me, filmmaking is at its best when the visuals alone can move someone.”
From narratives to mockumentaries and more, the alternative film festival showcased the talents of Colgate’s film and media studies program.
