For those not majoring in film studies, the prospect of creating a professional quality movie can seem impossible. However, for the students in the documentary filmmaking class, it’s just another day in the life. These students have been working for the last two quarters on their own documentaries featuring subjects from the surrounding community.
On June 4, in Davis Auditorium, the class will be hosting a showcase of the four documentaries that the students have created.
The first group’s film, “The Village Blacksmiths,” profiles three blacksmiths with very different styles and personalities. Andy is very old school and uses the same techniques that have been around for thousands of years. Victoria, on the other hand, is an artist first, blacksmith second and makes things like steel high heels. The third, Alex, falls somewhere in between the two.
“We wanted to honor the beauty of this ancient craft as well as show the various ways it is fitting into the modern world,” said Casey Morris, a double major in film production and international studies from Manitou Springs. “I grew up around blacksmithing, but I think the thing most people are surprised to see is that it goes beyond making horseshoes. There is some really stunning art produced by blacksmiths.”
The second film, “Our Colfax,” follows a group of kids from the Colfax community network after-school program and how they learn to have agency over their own stories through media literacy. The kids learn together as they’re taught to use a camera and interview each other while producing their own news program. Through the process of learning to tell their own stories, the kids learn patience and cooperation, while gaining confidence.
Kyna Moore, a second year graduate student in media, film and journalism from Monroe, Washington, says the subjects were great.
“They participated wholeheartedly and with great enthusiasm,” said Moore. “I loved watching them be excited about the process. It surprised me how many of them were willing to jump in front of the camera. I thought they were going to be a lot more shy about on-screen roles.”
The third group’s film is about the 501st Legion, a “Star Wars” fan group that dresses up as various villains from the series. The group makes public appearances at conventions and comic books shops, but also does charity work with children’s hospitals and various organizations around the country. This film documents the Mountain Garrison, the division here in Colorado.
“I’d say the most interesting thing for me personally is just seeing the magnitude of ‘Star Wars,’” said Shane Black, a senior graduating with a degree in film studies and production from Broomfield, Colorado. “It’s not just a film series anymore. It reaches into all kinds of media and has also impacted people on a personal level. It was really cool to be exposed to this culture of fans who have really embraced ‘Star Wars’ as a part of their lives.”
“Life Walks,” the last group’s film, explores DU’s very own professor Roddy MacInnes, a Scottish photographer and lover of life. Roddy’s main focus as an educator is to imbue his students with the simple, but most important, aspects of life—encouragement, understanding and love—all through the lens of photography. Despite having a dark past mired with heartache and trauma, Roddy was able to pull himself into the light to offer hope to his students today.
Aidan McCarthy, a junior film studies and production major from Cary, Illinois, said of the process, “I discovered so many interesting things about Roddy during the production of our film despite having already known him for two years. The one detail about his life that caught my attention the most was that he immigrated to Canada when he was only 18, where he worked odd job to odd job, all with a camera in hand.”
To see the results of all of this hard work and talent, and a good glimpse of the surrounding community, be sure to stop by the film screening. There will be a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a screening from 7 to 9 p.m.
