Kheron Alston
The fifth Annual CCBC Film Fest will be held on May 1, 2018 at 4:30 PM in the Catonsville Arts Lounge. For years this festival has been growing and is still looking to become bigger and better.
In an attempt to help the festival grow the committee is now accepting films from local college students outside of CCBC. The hope is that by broadening the entries they will bring together a more diverse range of ideas and production and build a network of student filmmakers.
The creator of the festival Beth Baunoch has found ways to expand and better the festival ever since it began.
When asked why she created the film festival Baunoch said, “When I first started working at CCBC 8 years ago I was surprised that there was no student film festival. When students approached me about advising a newly formed Film Society on the Catonsville Campus I knew this was an opportunity to get one started.”
A set of judges are shown the film submissions then come together as a collective group, combine the scores and make their decisions about what films will be screened at the festival.
Baunoch further explained the process stating, “we have a rubric that we use. Some of the categories that we look at are creativity, production quality, direction, writing, performances, structure, pacing, cinematography, and the sound/music involved with the movie.”
First-time judge, MCOM 150 Professor Carr Kizzier, asked how he could help improve the festival and Baunoch decided his expertise in film would be a great addition on the panel of judges.
When asked for his personal judging style as a Film Professor Kizzier said, “it is hard to say with this being my first year as a judge but my style would be based off of how I teach my classes so mise en scene, cinematography, and originality are the three key components I am looking at.
Also, Kizzier added that considering these are student-made films the acting doesn’t hold as much weight as other factors on his scoring.
The enthusiasm and participation of this festival seems to improve each year with the success attributed to many factors such as word of mouth, award prizes, and the general growing interest among students of producing films.
“The Film Festival is always a huge success,” Baunoch said. “Not only do we get more submissions each year and a larger audience, but the way students feel screening their work… well, that is how I would measure the success.”
“Success” to her is that the students walk away feeling accomplished, proud, and with a strong sense of community.
The specific experience of students who submit each year and show that they have learned to make more technically advanced films seems to be another rewarding factor for all involved.
What began as a simple idea has turned into a successful, growing platform for students to showcase their talents. By opening their submissions to all Baltimore-based colleges there is no telling how large CCBC’s Annual Film Festival can grow.
For more information on this year’s festival contact Beth Baunoch at bbaunoch@ccbcmd.edu.
