The Digital Filmmakers Guild, DFG, hosted its second meeting for the semester on Friday. The classroom was wall-to-wall with passionate students keen to begin laboring on their projects.
Co-president Daniel Chimal of the DFG welcomed students back for another semester, planning to create even more short films than in previous years.
“You gotta toss them to the wolves,” Chimal said.
The wolves, in this case, are 12-hour shoot days in unknown conditions, encountering problems that force members to adapt quickly and overcome individual challenges.
After the pandemic, Tanner Simpson, an English major who graduated in 2023, re-sparked the flame of the DFG.
Simpson, along with his friend and right-hand man Benjamin Sherwin, worked together to bring in more students and resources so DFG would have the ability to share more student stories.
Members of the DFG celebrate at the end of the year with the Student Media Arts Showcase, featuring student short films, music videos and other creations throughout the year.
SMASH 2023, compared to SMASH 2024, bolstered growth in membership, storytelling and attendance said Chimal.
A very Wes Anderson-esque stop motion short film premiered at SMASH 2024 called “Quik Stop for Fests,” created by Bean Emerald Productions.
Other films such as “The Rolly Chair,” directed by Liam Aiken, and “The Company Snitch,” directed by Aiden Schaper, contain clever absurdist comedy.
Leah Mcckenie directed “INTRUSIVEASF,” an experimental film contrasting two relationships.
Current club co-presidents Chimal and Seth Trachtman said they are raring to carry on Simpson’s legacy and grow the club.
You may recognize a Trachtman covered in pink scarves bound by purple handcuffs running out of a house from the 2023 short film “JR Heist of 4th Street,” directed by Simpson.
The club has grown immensely in the past years, going from about 20 students working on one project after another, to over 50, working on multiple projects simultaneously.
At first they had very little resources, but now they have much of their own gear and routinely check out gear from the media arts checkout room.
Collin Babin, the DFG editing lead, was very excited for this semester, saying people seemed ready to learn and give it their best shot.
Many students, both new and returning, networked after the meeting, sharing ideas and names, as well as looking for the projects they wanted to work on.
“This semester, the DFG has the resources to help create more projects than in previous years,” Chimal said.
This semester students will have the opportunity to choose the sets they want to work on. Directors will choose their team and, with the assistance of the whole club, see their films to fruition.
“It’s a different feeling with an audience, you know, to see something you made that was in your head and went to paper, then all of a sudden, it’s physically there,” Chimal said in an interview.
At the meeting, DFG’s secretary, Meghan Atherton, presented some positions one would see on a standard film set:
- Director
- Directing team
- Writer
- Script Supervisor
- Director of Photography
- Camera assistants, gaffers and grips
- Production costume and art design
- Sound recordists
- Makeup, hair and wardrobe
- Executive Producer
- Producer
- Production assistants
- Actors or talent
Some students, such as Dashiel Murphy and Christian Flamino, relish music, helping conduct music and design sound for the short films.
Others, like Nolan Aiken, may enjoy wardrobing, hair styling and makeup, helping turn the actor into the character they are becoming.
Chimal mentioned at the end of the school year, the DFG will host SMASH 2024, showcasing the student short films made over the next two semesters. Last year, over 300 people attended SMASH.
This year, the DFG plans to make more films and include additional students in the process, opening up a myriad of opportunities for people to join the DFG.
Anyone who wants to participate in making short films or is curious to see how the art form is created can head over to Tehama Hall 116 on Sept. 13 from 2:30-4 p.m. for the first script pitch meeting.
If you have a script idea, bring the script and present it for a chance to turn the words on the page into a moving picture on the screen.
For updates, follow the DFG Instagram account.
Chris Hutton can be reached at [email protected].
To read the article in Spanish, go here.
