Make award-winning movies with these students

Filmmakers packed a theater to celebrate their peers’ best work. Excitement filled the air as the audience took their seats, wondering which film might take home the gold. The nominees included a raw character study of a college student, a horror film about a date night gone horribly wrong and a dystopian science fiction tale in which a group of survivors must stick together to survive a shapeless threat.

This wasn’t the Oscars. This was the Carolina Film Association Film Festival.

Making a movie is one thing, but this Carolina student organization is dedicated to giving young filmmakers the proper spotlight with a ceremony that shows off and celebrates their hard work.

Members of the CFA not only can express themselves through film but also get a year-long simulation of the filmmaking process. From the trials of pre-production to the logistics of film exhibition, CFA guides students through the practicalities that come with getting a film off the ground.

All this culminates in the group’s own rendition of the Oscars.

Keller Huffman (second from left) took home the people’s choice award for last year’s film “Dingus,” alongside Thompson Sewell, who won for best actor. (Submitted photo)

“What’s really cool about our organization is that there are people joining who have never done this before,” said MK Ware, a senior and CFA’s vice president. “A lot of the students have never taken a film studies or communications class, and they’re not alone. So it’s really like an intensive learning experience together.”

It starts with students submitting scripts to the organization’s script review board, who decide whether to produce the short. They then assign it to club members who move it through production. Students form production crews and then decide who occupies what role, both in front of and behind the camera. Each film has a time limit of approximately 20 minutes and after post-production is finished, the films are screened and awards are presented at a final showcase.

Aside from the short films, CFA also has, with each workshop, focused on a different aspect of producing a project.

With executive board members and veteran participants leading the workshops, any Carolina student is welcome to join and receive a crash course on anything from editing to lighting to how to properly photograph headshots. The organization’s leadership says it’s all part of wanting the tools CFA offers to be something that students can take with them even after they graduate.

“We are very based in practicality,” said Keller Huffman, a senior and CFA’s president. “We want to provide people with the applications they need, whatever their careers aspirations might be.”

“Our target audience is not film buffs,” Ware added. “Our target audience is anyone who wants to learn more about a certain aspect of production. Our goal is to give them more confidence to try these things out.”

The final projects range from the silliest of comedies to the most disturbing of horror films.

“One constant in my time here is that there hasn’t ever been one type of film,” Huffman said. “All of these students have unique things to say and that’s always been the case with this organization.”