Moore Norman Technology Center’s Digital Video Production and Graphic Design classes will host the 10th annual Red Carpet Film Festival at 7 p.m. April 13 at the Sooner Theatre in Norman. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased by cash or check at MNTC’s Franklin Road Campus inside the IT Building, or call 801-5000 for more information.

The Red Carpet Film Festival was first created to provide a way for students to experience deeper learning while working on extensive, industry-level projects in a collaborative environment. Students from both programs are empowered to create complex projects that they see through from concept to distribution. This year the DVP and Graphic Design students and instructors want to give back to the film community that has invested in the RCFF project since 2008, with 2018 attendees set to receive a goody bag with event merchandise designed by Graphic Design students. 

The eight student-produced short films to be showcased are: “Unleaded” by Madeline Markcum, “Dining with the Eagles” by Daysan Macom, “Stray” by Rachel Hensley, “Specter” by April Yanda, “Oh Adeline” by Nysa Rivera, “Banned” by Lacey Smith, “Lock & Key” by Shelby Rees and “Faith in Music” by Caleb Harvey. Several mini-short films produced by first-year students will also show during the event.

Students in both DVP and Graphic Design complete a capstone course during their second year of instruction. DVP students write, shoot, direct and edit short films while Graphic Design students work as an advertising agency producing movie posters, DVD boxes, invitations and other print support materials for the event. 

MNTC DVP instructors Amy Smith and Joe Magrini said their students developed, wrote and pitched their short film ideas to a panel of local film professionals in October. Creative Director of deadCenter Film Festival Lance McDaniel was one of the judges.

McDaniel said, “Getting a job is not just about core skills, it's also about presenting yourself professionally and knowing how to interact with adults. The Red Carpet Film Festival is perfect training ground for the students to learn the skills to help them get the jobs that will best utilize their experience.”

Students from the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma provided original scores and sound design for the movies. Chris Freihofer, CSA, with Freihofer Casting worked with DVP students and held a casting call to find local talent for the movies.

During the remainder of the fall semester MNTC’s students cast and shoot their films. This semester the students completed post-production editing and color correcting on their projects.

Smith said, “Our students follow the production process in real way. With the Red Carpet Film Festival, we create a capstone experience for our students that goes beyond any normal classroom assignment.”

Patrick Conlon is the assistant director of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma and has been involved with the RCFF for four years. He serves as an event judge and his students in the Film Scoring class provide original music for the RCFF short films. He said they typically have almost four weeks to compose prior to the festival.

“The first week the class screens the films in class; this is an especially important screening because I emphasize that you only get to see the film for the first time once. Since that’s how most people interact with film, it’s why that first screening is so important,” Conlon said. “Then we divvy out who gets which films. After each film has a composer or composition team, we break down the films by story and feel. We make a list of adjectives, things like soft, tender, driving, that will help form the basic building blocks for the overall musical feel for the film.”

MNTC Graphic Design Instructor Trisha Marlow said her students pitch their movie poster designs to a panel of local graphic designers at an open house event in March. The judges provide feedback, while also selecting the posters that are then presented to the student directors in DVP.

Conlon said, “For any art form you can practice your technique and you can practice your art. The only way to learn how to score for films, even if you’ve learned orchestration, music editing, midi, synthesis, music theory, and all the other component techniques, is to score for films. This is a vital part of letting the next generation into our world.

“This is a fully realized, true film festival that is run by a group of incredible artists. If you want to build the film industry in Oklahoma, investing expertise, artistry and time in future generations of local artists is the only sustainable way to do it.”

For more information about the Red Carpet Film Festival, visit their website at: redcarpetfilmfest.webs.com or search #RCFF10 on Twitter to see trailers for the movies.

To learn more about MNTC’s Digital Video Production or Graphic Design classes visit here or call 405-801-5000.

by Anna Aguilar, APR