The deadline for entering films in the Student Film Festival, sponsored by Penn State's Student Film Organization, has come and gone, and with it the possibility of some senior film projects being screened at the April 29 event. We took the opportunity to discuss the plots, themes and inspirations of some of this year's crop of senior films with the directors themselves.
'Tomorrow We're Gods'
Director: Kelly Cramer (senior-film and video)
Plot: "It's about six kids and their quest to be famous. They disappear for a year without telling anyone where they're going or where they've been. They each want to come back at the end of the year with great stories to tell, but ... things go wrong."
Inspiration: "We [Cramer and co-writer Kevin Cramer] were really disgusted by reality television."
Theme: "In today's world, there's so much about 15 minutes of fame that it's gotten out of hand. This film's about how people will do anything at this point to be famous, even if it takes away from their morals."
'The Fort'
Director: Ben McCambridge (senior-film and video)
Plot: "It's about a kid who is picked on in school, and one day a kid sticks up for him. Max, the main character, runs off to the woods where he's building a fort, and this new friend Jack helps him, and they build this fort together. It then jumps to high school, where they're still friends and are building a new fort."
Inspiration: "As far as the story goes, it's just packed with Arthurian things. The Arthurian theme really runs through; it's pushed hard."
Theme: "One of the themes is friendship. I used to build forts with my best friend, and I wanted friendship to be a strong theme, as well as the idea of having a best friend and what that feels like."
'Watching'
Director: Mike Dougherty (senior-film and video)
Plot: "It's a Twilight Zone-type story about a married couple who buy a television in which they can see their neighbors. Their neighbors don't like them as much as they thought, and that causes a lot of tension."
Inspiration: "In terms of the issue, I thought I heard someone referring to me as obnoxious ... and it got me thinking about what it would be like if you could see people talking about you without them being aware of it."
Theme: "It's about how you see yourself versus how others see you, and how it can be jarring when you find out that others don't see you the way you think."
'Zombie Samurai Yakuza Part 4'
Director: Ygal Kaufman (senior-film and video)
Plot: "It's about a writer who faces zombies and other things while writing his script."
Inspiration: "I'm a big horror comedy fan; I like Sam Raimi and early Peter Jackson, some old John Carpenter."
Theme: "I hope it's a fun movie. There's some gore, but it's not heavily gory. I just wanted to make something about the process of writing that was also cool and fun, like zombies and samurais."
'Just Can't Get Enough'
Director: Dan Gonzalez (senior-film and video)
Plot: "It's a romantic comedy set in 1985, and it all takes place on New Year's Eve. It follows this character, Rob, who ... was recently dumped by his girlfriend and always wanted to get a kiss on New Year's Eve."
Inspiration: "I really like the Beach Boys, and I remember thinking that I wanted to make the 'Good Vibrations' of moviemaking. Brian Wilson said that ['Good Vibrations'] was his pocket symphony, this incredible experimental song with pop sensibilities. I wanted to make something that was accessible, but also uniquely my imprint on the world."
Theme: "Moving on, following your heart and growing up. Moving out, moving forward, basically coming of age and love."
