Organization brings the love of filmmaking to USU
For years, USU has expanded in its many departments to bring students from all walks of life to campus. However, the university still is without a film major, reason enough for some students to overlook USU in their college decision-making process. For students in the Utah State Film Organization, the fact that USU doesn’t have a film program or major is merely something they hope to change in the near future.
Tyler Woodbury, a senior in interdisciplinary film and president and founder of the organization, said they have been working hard toward starting a film major at the school for some time, and the organization is meant to help bring students together who share the common interest of filmmaking.
For his first few years at USU, Woodbury remained undeclared, as he wanted to go into film and there wasn’t a major for that. He finally worked with some HASS advisers to take specific classes in his field of interest, and turn it into an interdisciplinary film major. The problem he says, is there just aren’t a lot of resources for students on campus who are interested in film. He hopes his organization will help in this area.
“I’ve been working on putting this together for the past year and a half,” Woodbury said, “and what I really wanted to create was a way for those students who were interested in film to have a way of networking.”
Woodbury said part of that networking is having casual, fun activities where everyone can meet, such as the group’s monthly screening night where the group watches a film together and discusses it. Last month, the group watched “Maltese Falcon,” starring Humphrey Bogart, and plan on having their next screening Dec. 15.
Woodbury said eventually the group would love to start doing screenings for independent filmmakers. He said if someone had a movie that they had made, and wanted to show it to a bunch of people, the Utah State Film Organization could make that possible. He said they have the means of reserving a room, spreading the word, and getting other interested filmmakers in to see it.
To club member Travis Bourne, a freshman in interdisciplinary film, the club has opened up numerous opportunities that otherwise would not have been there.
“For an independent filmmaker like myself who only has a limited number of resources, the club has given me information and a circle of associates that I can discuss films and ways to produce work,” Bourne said.
Vice President Jesse Budd said one of the club’s long term goals is to hopefully start a more broad film festival at the school. Budd said the film festival offered by the Caine School of the Arts was a good festival, but there were too many limitations and requirements for filmmakers.
Budd said what the group would like to do is hold a film festival for all filmmakers to showcase their work so they wouldn’t have to worry about making the film specifically for the festival. He said what happens is there are so many requirements for the art school’s film festival, that students had to make their films catered to those specific requirements because they often included things you had to have in your film, such as a sneeze.
Woodbury said the group plans on attracting more students and letting members know when events are using their Facebook page and keeping their website, www.usufilm.com, updated with events and opportunities for those interested.
“We really just want this to be a place for other film-ographers to get together but we still want this to be a place for anyone to come,” Budd said. “If you want to watch a good movie with a fun group, then come.”
– jessica.black@aggiemail.usu.edu