A 100-foot trench on the Penn State campus recently became the home of a student film trying to capture the reality of World War I.

While many student film projects are modeled around a typical college campus, David Cui (junior-film) decided to construct a 100-foot trench at Penn State's Center for Sustainability as part of his set.

David Riley, the executive director of the Center for Sustainability, oversees the land where Cui's trench lies. Riley previously knew Cui through volunteer work at the center.

"His use of the site for that purpose was OK with me," Riley said. "David promised to restore it back to its original condition."

Cui's film, Remains from the Past, takes place at the end of World War I, which meant Cui needed to build a battlefield complete with trenches, and he said he had no choice but to hire contractors to construct his battlefield. "My viewpoint of war is hideous," Cui said.

Instead of having the usual picturesque snowy set for the war, Cui insisted on the gruesome, muddy trench.

"Snow looked too pretty," he said. "All the actors rubbed mud on their costumes before we started."

Remains from the Past tells the story of two women in search of their lovers who had been forced to fight. The film essentially follows the women and also shows flashbacks of the actual war.

The film stars two Penn State students, Ben Thompson (junior-film) and Blythe Hart (senior-theatre), who have both worked with Cui in the past.

"[Cui] has a lot of talent," Thompson said. "It's fun to work with him, and he's very understanding of everybody's schedules."

Thompson said there has never been anything similar to what Cui is doing in regards to student films. "It's the most elaborate film project I've ever been involved with at Penn State," Thompson said.

Maura Shea, Cui's film professor, said she had been "concerned about some of the locations." Shea said she was aware of Cui's ambitions, and she said even if Cui had not been allowed to do the film for class, he would have done it anyway.

"This is way beyond the scope of what's required," Shea said.

Junior film projects require a student to complete a seven-minute narrative, but Cui has taken that one step further.

"My scripts tend to scare people off," Cui said. "Most people tend to shoot 95 percent indoor -- I'm shooting 95 percent outdoor."

Cui has to depend on the help of volunteer actors and crew members for his project to be a success, all of which he has the task of recruiting. He said he has finished filming at the trench and now moved to filming on the tower of Old Main.

Unfortunately, the history he dug up in the trench will soon be covered -- Riley said the trench should be gone in a week or so.

As for Cui's future, he's set on working specifically on films. "My whole life priority is to entertain people," Cui said. "I can't imagine working behind a desk. I could be carrying lights around on a set and be happy."