SETTING THE SCENE

Student movie makers come together to tell stories on the silver screen.

BY KATRINA CARLSON | PHOTOS BY ELLIE HABEL | DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO

In an interview with Hollywood Outbreak, Michael Keaton once referred to filmmaking as “the ultimate team sport.” The sport of filmmaking encourages the coming together of diverse and creative minds to produce art that makes a couple hours feel like a minute. Like any other sport, filmmaking teams in Athens need a stadium.

The Athena Cinema is a historic and beloved hub of Ohio University’s college town, and its long-term existence serves as proof of a legacy of film on campus. According to the Athens County Visitors Bureau, the Athena opened in 1915, making it over a century old. After owner changes and a fire in 1988, the Athena is now owned by OU and operated by the College of Fine Arts. It is used to house new releases, classic and independent work and most notably, student produced work.

OU offers several opportunities for students looking to produce their own work. As the home of both AVW Studios and Rough Cut Collective, the university’s two major film production organizations, students can join a team of like-minded individuals to gain experience in filmmaking. Created in 1980, AVW Studios originally served as a telecommunications network for students and has since evolved into film production, according to AVW President Akira Jakkson.

Akira Jakkson, a senior studying integrated media production, is the current president and treasurer of AVW Studios. Jakkson says the focus of the organization is to “give students handson experiences on film sets with the newest technologies, and we also want to elevate and include diverse stories that may otherwise go unheard or unseen.”

Rough Cut Collective functions similarly; many students participate in both organizations or collaborate on projects with one another, according to Jakkson. Turner Burton, a junior studying music production and recording industry and the treasurer of Rough Cut Collective, says he joined Rough Cut when looking for ways to get involved. He grew to appreciate its unique qualities compared to other opportunities on campus.

“There’s nothing else really like it on campus,” Burton says. “I don’t know of many clubs that have a focus on learning film. It’s such a low stakes environment where people can be creative, and there’s an opportunity to try everything that you want to try.”

Both organizations emphasize the importance of allowing new opportunities for those that have never had experience in certain positions or even on a film set at all. AVW and Rough Cut allow media and film students to hone their craft but also serve as an opportunity for others to explore filmmaking as a hobby.

“It’s been a great place for me to meet people of similar backgrounds but also varying backgrounds because we have people that are more into animation, or we have had lots of journalism people involved,” Jakkson says.

Sophia Butler, a freshman studying media arts production, joined Rough Cut during her first semester without much prior experience on set.

“When I first got here, I wasn’t involved in too much, and I think that I’ve always found community in different clubs, like in high school I did theater,” Butler says. “I think when you find people who have similar interests, it’s easier to make friends, and it’s cooler to be able to like what you do.”

Butler’s first on-set experience was OU’s 48-hour-shootout, an annual event where teams are given 48 hours with various parameters to make a short film in its entirety. She began as an assistant director during the 48 and has since held positions in producing, hair and makeup and costuming.

The two organizations allow members to acquire real-life experience in filmmaking, which can instruct them in job searching after graduation and assist in resume building.

“I’ve honestly learned more about filmmaking from doing it through Rough Cut than I have in any of my classes,” Burton says. “I’m a music production major, and as a film minor, you can’t really take the film production classes … all of my practical knowledge, all of my hard skills [were] all self-taught and taught through the club.”

Hands-on experience helps students in all disciplines. With this experience under their belts, these student filmmakers will understand how film production works before they leave college. AVW and Rough Cut provide an informal and welcoming atmosphere for learning.

Many memorable experiences for club members have come from creative projects, like Jakkson’s short film shot last semester called You’ve Got A Mothman In Me

“It’s basically a coming of age story that starts out almost seeming like a horror movie, and a little girl is in the woods and meets Mothman,” Jakkson says. “It is very inspired by the 80s … or actual classics like The Goonies.”

Jakkson says the film was a major learning experience many involved.

“It was definitely a roller coaster,” Jakkson says. “It was a big scale thing that I had not done before, and a costume that costs like $800 was a new thing to me.”

You’ve Got A Mothman In Me, along with other studentproduced films, is set to premiere at AVW and Rough Cut’s spring premiere. Film fans will gather at the Athena to see how the teams faired this season. b