Photo by: Caley Van Cleave

DU sophomore Whitney Van Cleave has been selected from a pool of 2,000 college students nationwide to be one of four film critics for BestFilmOnCampus.com. She is also the arts and entertainment editor of the Clarion.

BestFilmOnCampus.com is a Web site connected to mtvU.com containing a collection of student-made films where others can come to view and discuss them. It is updated daily and growing quickly, even more quickly than the creators had anticipated.

Aspiring student filmmakers can register on the Web site and post their videos for others to see as long as they are currently enrolled at a university.

The Web site wanted to get even more students involved so MTV sought out student film critics from schools across the nation to view and critique the films.

“It’s a really exciting thing to see how amazing the films are that the kids have been making!” she said.

Once a month, Van Cleave will choose a film from the thousands on the Web site to write a critique that will be posted on BestFilmOnCampus.com and the Clarion online edition. She will also record a series of video hits that will air on mtvU, mtvU.com, and BestFilmOnCampus.com.

The selection came as quite a surprise to Van Cleave. Five weeks after sending in her tapes, she had not heard anything back.

Van Cleave said she began “to basically give up hope” of getting the job.

Working in the media industry is nothing new for Van Cleave. As a journalism major she has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for the Clarion since last spring.

She also has two weekly radio shows on KVDU. “Basically, that controls my life,” she joked.

Van Cleave’s critique will be up on the Web site soon and her first video clips will air on mtvU on Nov. 9.

If you are interested in viewing videos and reviews created by fellow students, go to BestFilmOnCampus.com to explore videos and read up on what Van Cleave and others have to say about them.

“We’re always on our computers anyway, so why not?” said Van Cleave.