Watching a student film screening is like walking into a theater blindfolded.

Along with the anticipation of coming across something fresh and unexpected –– and in the most sublime cases brilliant –– part of students’ film’s allure is the thrill of the unknown.

On May 14 and 15, the August Coppola Theatre screened two full days of films produced by SF State cinema students in the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters, giving all fledging filmmakers an audience.

“Both days are a complete amalgamation of documentaries, experimental films, live-action and animated,” cinema major Kachain Thing Manee, 28, said of the previews.

Along with student reaction, films are critiqued by two full–time professors, one full-time staff member and one undergrad MFA and MA student who choose the films to be included in the final program.

“The previews are an egalitarian way of all films being seen, the idea being that everyone’s work at any level is worth showing,” said cinema department production coordinator Ray Rea.

Rea said the finals are a "huge end-of-the-year blowout event created by the department" to acknowledge the hard work it takes to complete a film.

Ranked from one to five, the top films go on to be included in the annual three-hour Film Finals on May 18, which will feature the best of cinematic talent coming out of SF State.

For some of filmmakers, like senior Rebecca Farmer, 26, the previews were an exercise in the nerve-racking.

“At first I was blasé about it and was just happy to see people see it, but now as the hour approaches I’m very nervous,” said Farmer, who submitted three films for the preview.

“My plan is to sit in the back of the theater and see how the audience reacts,” Farmer said.

Cinema students streamed in and out of the theater throughout the day and into the night, watching and rating some of the more than 80 films. Each piece ranged in length from 2- to 33-minute productions, including the work of students in lower division classes, and that of intermediate and more advanced skill levels.

The film formats varied like their subject matter, from the controversial, like gay couples adopting, to everyday student life, imaginary monsters and cowboys, to name just a few.

“It is a really big deal for the students. If your film is chosen for finals it is shown to 300 to 500 people in the outside world and professional media makers,” said cinema lecturer Kara Herold as she collected ballots outside the theater.

“I was interested because I had never been to a student screening before," said cinema major Ben Sawyer-Wong, 19, who said one of his favorites was Brandon Arnold’s “Toward a Theory of Evolution if the Turkey."

”It was funny and creative and very well done,” said Sawyer-Wong of the 6-minute short in which a hand-drawn turkey comes to life off the page.

“This is the third [screening] I’ve gone to and this year’s was much better than last year’s. They brought up subjects that caught your eye,” said Bill Gafney, 58, who has taken several cinema classes.

Cinema senior Daniel Kielman, 21, echoed the sentiment from the projection booth.
“The quality of films this year is much, much better than last year,” he said.

According to cinema department chair Stephen Ujlaki, one reason for the improvement of quality is the fact that many students are now completing their editing and post-production digitally, whether they shoot on film or not.

“It is far cheaper and faster to work digitally and this enables them to have more time to solve the creative problems,” said Ujlaki.

“I’m impressed by the logistics of how some of them were put together and how some of them got so many people to participate,” said cinema major Jason Armitage, 23.

Some students enjoyed the range in subject matter and skill level, although it made ranking the films a more difficult task.

“It looks like there’s a pretty big mix in quality. You can tell some people concentrated on story more while others paid more attention to the look of the film which makes it hard because what do you judge on?” said cinema student Dore Kiniry, 22.

Standing outside the Fine Arts building before her screening, Farmer shared a piece of advice given to her by cinema professor Larry Clark. Regardless of whether their films are chosen or not, it is something she thinks is crucial for all students to remember.

“He said ‘Stop calling yourselves student filmmakers. You are filmmakers,’” Farmer said.