Rolling a wheelchair inside the Venture II Building on Centennial Campus, Mark DeMaria instructed his team to get in the elevator. They were filming their entry for the Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival.
“In low-budget filmmaking, we do everything,” said DeMaria, a junior studying computer science. “If we push our cameraman, Cole Smith, in the wheelchair, we get walking shots smoothly. It prevents jerky camera movements; it’s a convenient trick.”
His team, the Filmmaking and Storytelling Society, shot the entirety of the film inside of the Venture II building. The lights were intense enough that they didn’t have to supply much of their own lighting. Smith is the cameraman and a sophomore majoring in film studies, Patrick Pfeiffer, a junior studying physics, controls the lights and DeMaria directs and edits.
“In earlier films I’ve made, I’ve had to take care of the camera, lights and editing; essentially, the only thing I wasn’t doing was acting,” DeMaria said. “Directing allows me to focus on Jimmy Spore, the actor, and let him know the motivation for the scene and what he needs to execute.”
Spore straightens his tie and prepares for the scene. After DeMaria implements a camera adjustment, filming resumes and the elevator closes.
The underlying concept of the short film is, “What if one pressed a floor button on the elevator and the door opened in a different time period?”
DeMaria began filming in high school and later attended UCLA’s Summer Film Production Intensive.
“I liked the storytelling aspect of it, and from there it developed into exploring different kinds of mediums,” DeMaria said.
The primary objective for the Filmmaking and Storytelling Society is to mesh as a team. Working together for the first time, the team said the competition pushes them to do their best work. A criterion of Campus MovieFest requires the film to be shot within a week.
“We were up until 3 a.m. shooting,” DeMaria said. “We intended to wrap at 11 p.m., but decided to power through it. It’s fun. It’s better to stay up until 3 in the morning doing something you love, rather than something boring. In that regard, it’s worth it.”
Augustus Vieweg, director of the Jokey Edgars team and a junior studying electrical engineering, shares a similar appreciation for film.
“I like editing a lot, because you don’t know if your footage is good until you get to the editing room,” Vieweg said. “So when it’s good, it feels awesome.”
Last year, the Jokey Edgars’ film was one of the finalists that made it to Hollywood. According to Vieweg, this year’s entry is about a private investigator, Wilson Walker, and his new assistant, Spivey Bricks, looking into a corporate anomaly amidst a city of colorful characters.
Addie Jackson, a junior studying industrial engineering and the team’s production assistant, favors the process involving casting and making props.
“During casting and filming we all get to hang out; it’s a lot of fun to be with people you actually like and get to work on a project together,” Jackson said.
The films for CMF can be about any topic and should be about five minutes long. Students do not have to be proficient in filmmaking.
“This is a festival for students who have a story to tell,” said Alex McGill, promotions manager for CMF. “We just want students to try something new and different. Many people have not touched a video camera other than the one on their phone.”
Students utilize professional equipment free of charge that they likely would not have the ability to access otherwise. If needed, 24-hour training is available and tech support is on campus on selected days.
“For me, it’s a lot like being in a band; every instrument makes the other instruments sound better,” said Walker Powell, lead actor in Jokey Edgars and a sophomore studying engineering. “An actor’s dialogue and actions makes everything around it better and can make a really good film.”
According to McGill, students have three categories that they are judged on: overall quality, technical excellence and content. NC State student teams compete against one another and have the opportunity to compete nationally for $100,000 in cash and prizes. A panel of celebrities and industry professionals judges nationals. If a team wins, there’s an opportunity to attend the Cannes Film Festival in France as well.
McGill participated in CMF every year when she attended the University of South Carolina. She said her favorite part of CMF is providing students the chance to recognize a potential that they never considered before.
“Seeing their excitement is amazing; it makes me so proud,” McGill said. “Filmmaking can be far out of one’s comfort zone, and gaining confidence spreads to other fields of your life. CMF isn’t just about movies; it’s about growing as a person and doing more than you thought you could initially.”
On Thursday, the top 16 films will be shown, with four of them advancing nationally to Hollywood.
“I like seeing the finished product of the film,” said Patrick Povinelli, Jokey Edgars’ lead actor and a senior studying nuclear engineering. “You put all of this work, time and energy into it, and at the end of it all, you’ve got something unique. It’s pretty special.”
The CMF finale will be in Witherspoon’s Campus Cinema Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Entry is free and open to the public.
