Short Film Lab students to debut films on Thursday, May 7

This finals week, students from Boise State's Film and Television Arts program will debut three short films, created in the Short Film Lab. The showings are part of the Spring Film Showcase and open to the public on Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at The Flicks in Boise.

"I love it. It's the hardest class I have to teach," said Ryan Cannon, who directed the inaugural run of the Short Film Lab.

Cannon had previously directed the Narrative TV Initiative, and the Short Film Lab follows a similar model. Students enroll in a series of courses over four semesters, each dedicated to a stage of the filmmaking process: screenwriting, pre-production, production and post-production.

The Short Film Lab differs from standard film classes, though. Rather than digging deep on the theory and craft elements behind filmmaking, students are on the hook to finish the course with a tangible product - a complete film with their names on it. Cannon describes it as "stakes driven."

The Short Film Lab experience captures the collaborative nature of the filmmaking industry. Writers work together on three scripts, polishing them to a production-ready level. Casting calls draw auditions from theatre students and local actors. Student producers navigate the realities of collaborating in the community to access filming locations. In post-production, music composition students contribute their skills for scoring.

"The expediency of the project forces [students] to step outside their natural artist bubbles," Cannon said.

The realities of production also help students hone their creativity.

"Filmmaking is a balancing act between aesthetics, logistics and economics," Cannon said. "We're actually going to make something [in the Short Film Lab], so we're not just writing things in a vacuum."

This practical experience translates into a real advantage when students graduate and seek work in the filmmaking industry. Students finish the lab with credit for a real product that represents their ability to bring technical skills to a large, collaborative project. Just like they'll do as film and TV professionals.

"For the students who go through the process of the Narrative TV Initiative or the Short Film Lab - the difference in terms of their preparation level post-graduation is enormous," Cannon said. "We see firsthand how effective the experiential learning component is."

For the first iteration of the Short Film Lab, three student scripts were chosen, produced and edited into complete films. They are:

• "Awake at Dawn," a zombie apocalypse comedy written by Sarah Danker directed by Kade Leavell.
• "Pretend I'm Someone You Care About," a magical realist drama - Joan of Arc intervenes during a desperate hitman's first job. Written and directed by Kira Compton.
• "Green Bean," a quiet drama about a young girl with an absentee mother who must choose between growing up and facing reality, or holding onto her childhood innocence. Written and directed by Viktoria Crawford.

The films will show at The Flicks on Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., alongside other student work from the Film and Television Arts Program. The showing is free and open to the public, with tickets awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

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