Redding Pilot
Film festival successful despite setbacks

Mar 25, 2008

Turnout was good for the second annual Junior Class Film festival Saturday night, March 15, despite the fundraiser’s initial set backs. The festival, originally scheduled the previous month, had been postponed due to snow and could not be rescheduled on a Friday. While Saturday night is historically a poor-turnout evening for high school functions, almost 100 enthusiastic film aficionados came to see their fellow students’ offerings. By the evening’s end, Class Treasurer Paul Carleton classified the fundraiser as “very lucrative.”

There were 10 films selected for presentation.  Three Joel Barlow staff members, who graciously agreed to be judges, awarded freshmen Conner Schuurmans and Timothy Rooney first prize with their stop motion movie, A Day of Fun (see a clip here).  Stop motion is a form of animation in which objects are filmed frame-by-frame and altered slightly in between each frame.  One of the most appealing moments of the movie concerned a game of chess. Pictures were taken of the chess pieces. Then the chess pieces were moved and pictures were taken again. In a chess game played out in this manner, it looked like the pieces were moving on their own accord.

Second place was awarded to Rewind (see a clip here), a film that employed reverse motion techniques for special effects, by Ted & Ty Bakanas, Kyle Gibney and Paul Carleton. Observing the regurgitation of a clementine, which was then peeled back together, drew loud groans and laughter. Dan DeSalva’s dark comedy Olde Fashioned Insanity, took third place and charmed viewers with its bizarre twist.

All members of the class council have high hopes for third festival next year. “We think the fundraiser has the makings of a tradition,” mused junior class President Ted Bakanas.  His hopes seem justified as more than twice as many films were offered as entrants this year as compared to last year, the first festival.  And despite the weather, there was a significant increase in attendance. “After next year when we will be seniors, we hope to persuade a younger class council to succeed us and take over the responsibility of running the fundraiser so that it can continue after we graduate.” With the talent and interest shown by the younger classes, it is likely the festival will only get more popular.