Encourage Students to Join in the Fun at Campus MovieFest

Associated Students Productions asks faculty and staff to encourage students to become part of the first ever SSU Campus MovieFest.  This event showcases Sonoma State students’s five-minute long masterpieces; films all to be made within the week of Oct. 3. Students will be supplied with a digital camcorder, a tripod, a Mac laptop equipped with iMovie and Final Cut software, 1,300 songs to create a soundtrack. Expert staff will be on hand for a week to provide technical assistance.  The event is completely free and will culminate with the finale at Spreckels Theater in Rohnert Park where 16 chosen films will premier on Oct. 12.

Everyone is invited to join in on the movie making process especially those who have never previously handled a camcorder and worked with film editing software. 

"In the 21st century, preparing students to enter the workforce means more than study in their field. Students must become familiar with all aspects of essential technology including filmmaking," says ASP publicist Megan Solomon. 

Campus MovieFest began at Emory University in Georgia in 2000 as a program put on by residential life staff and has quickly grown in the last six years with film fests taking place every year across the country and even in the United Kingdom. 

This year, the top films from Sonoma State will compete against those from Stanford University, San Jose State, Santa Clara University, University of San Francisco and UC Berkeley in the regional finale on Oct. 20 in San Jose’s California Theater. The participants in SSU’s first place film (up to ten members) will win engraved iPods and teams in the regional finale have a chance of winning Apple computers.

"Please encourage your students to participate no matter where their interest lies, if it’s a class project or done just for fun on their own," says Solomon. The films can be comedies, dramas, science fiction, action and adventure, thrillers and documentaries. Additionally, CMF has partnered with Turner Classic Movies and the History Channel.  Films deemed an instant classic will be aired on TCM and quality documentaries will be aired on the History Channel. 

For further information, phone 4-4129 or e-mail as.pr@sonoma.edu.  More information about the event and the ability to sign up can be found at the Campus MovieFest Web site. Team spaces are limited so please let students know as soon as possible.