As the preparations for Oxnard College’s Youth Digital Film Festival enters the final stages of production, Festival Director with Oxnard College Television (OCTV) Kitty Merrill is hoping the event will give future directors life skills other than how to make a good flick.
“Once you know how to wrangle a bunch of people together and make something happen (with a movie), it’s a great life skill,” said Merrill.
The event, presented by Oxnard Independent Film Festival and sponsored by the Oxnard Recreation Division, will be on Oct. 17 to the 18 at Oxnard Plaza 14 Theaters. The first day will host the first screenings of student made films at 7 p.m., with the second featuring film related workshops as well as more screenings. Tickets to the screenings will be $5 per person, with workshops on the second day free to previously registered parties.
Both days will feature screenings of films made by youth and students from all over the country, as well as Oxnard College. The second day will have workshops instructed by professionals in the industry, with everything from acting for film and editing techniques to directing animation.
The animation workshop will feature one of the directors of the “Pinky and the Brain” television series, Nelson Recinos, which Merrill believes will give students a look at how putting together an animated project can differ from live action.
Other workshops include a walkthrough of the inner workings of the editing software Final Cut Express, with courses ranging from beginner to intermediate.
Just Add Video is another workshop that will task students with making a film in the course of the day, and the final product premiered in the evening along with the other student films.
With Hollywood directors such as Robert Rodriguez making films using low budget “guerilla filmmaking” techniques and the advent of Youtube, Merrill wants to emphasize how students can start their directing careers with just a camera and a few friends.
“Guerilla filmmaking is really how film directors start out,” said Merrill. “It helps to put the pieces together to make a movie.”
For more information contact Kitty Merrill at (805) 986-5817 or email her at [email protected].
