MU hosts Silverscreen Film Festival

Silverscreen offered opportunities for would-be filmmakers.

By Kara Henderson

Published April 20, 2009

Last weekend MU hosted the second-annual Silverscreen Film Festival. Located in Jesse Wrench Auditorium, the two-day event provided a venue for aspiring actors and filmmakers to showcase their talent and to get advice from the people who have been there.

Friday night was dedicated to screening all films from every genre and quite a range of style and quality. Many of the films featured were amateur, but the showings still impressed many in attendance.

The film "Leo" by Matthew Szewczyk displayed above-average cinematography and acting and was cleverly written as well. Fans of Bright Eyes would enjoy the short film "Landlocked Blues" by Laura Wilson. The film got its title from a Bright Eyes song with Conor Oberst's lyrics read as a monologue while flashes of images conveyed the story told in the song. Collette Wainwright presented an interesting but well executed concept in her film "Pookie Chicken" which she produced solely using food and children's toys.

Finally, the film "Ben and Kelly's Greatest Best Day Ever" left the audience laughing to the clever script, narrated in the style of a children's book, despite the plot being hardly toddler-appropriate.

The festival continued Saturday night, mostly as a forum for discussion directed toward the hopeful filmmakers and actors who contributed to the submitted films.

First to take the floor were guest speakers and MU graduates Noah and Laura Schuffman. Noah is an actor who has played various roles in independent films with an upcoming appearance on the popular television show "House." Laura is a stylist who has pulled looks for magazines, such as GQ and has even dressed Mischa Barton from "The O.C." The pair discussed the importance of networking, gaining exposure and the sometimes rocky experience of taking on Hollywood.

The second speaker in line was R.J. Visciglia, a producer who worked on the television series "Touched By An Angel" and the more recent "My Boys." He discussed the importance of hard work and the ups and downs of navigating a career in the film industry, particularly how common it is to be unemployed after spending a lot of time on a project. Visciglia delivered a similar message as the Schufman's on the importance of keeping connections and networking.

"Remember, you meet the same people on the way up as you do coming down," he said.

Such advice from seasoned Los Angeles veterans was sure to help the budding artists in the audience. Then panel of festival judges (Visciglia, Ramsay Wise, Mike Boles and Jeremy Brown) opened the floor for discussion, answering questions from the audience.

Although there were some rough patches in terms of editing, writing and filming of the movies, Silverscreen promoted the art form and offered an outlet and advice for budding filmmakers and actors to get started in the industry.

Some films did receive awards were given out, such as Best Comedy and Best Acting, though not much emphasis was placed on the awards. Instead, it was a forum to share and promote independent films and those who make them.