12 student films with original scores to premiere at Double Exposure
Jillian Waslawski
March 31, 2022
Attendees of the 2018 Double Exposure film festival watch student-made films set to live music. (Terry Wicks | The Media School)
Twelve original short films made by Media School students and scored by Jacobs School of Music students will screen at 7 p.m. Saturday at the IU Cinema in the 10th annual Double Exposure film festival.
The work produced by each student relies on the various partnerships the festival bridges. These partnerships include the IU Student Composers Association, The Media School, Jacobs School of Music’s Music Scoring for Visual Media program, Jacobs’ Audio Engineering and Sound Production program and the IU Cinema.
“Film is collaborative,” said Susanne Schwibs, Media School senior lecturer and event organizer, “and this event and the class is a practice of collaboration and all the professional aspects of film.”
Through the partnerships, Media School students work with student composers to create an original score for their films. They also receive assistance from sound engineers who help properly adjust the sound for each film.
“How much a bit of music and how much a bit of sound can contribute to a film is amazing,” Schwibs said.
Senior Drew Cortopassi, a Media School student whose film “The Psychic” will be showcased at the festival, said that Jacobs graduate student Ebenezer Eferobor, his partnered student composer, came to one of his production days to record the sounds of the environment. He described Eferobor tapping different surfaces and recording the echo in the production space.
“I thought that was really cool, because it’s something I would have never thought to do,” Cortopassi said.
Senior Jordan Iobbi, another Media School student whose film “Half of Me” is being showcased at the event, enjoyed the hands-on nature of working with another student. He said that he could not have imagined what his composer created for the film and how it would change the film overall.
At the event, attendees will hear the original music played by a live orchestra while each film is played. After the festival is over, a live film soundtrack will be created for each film.
To participate in the festival, film students must enroll in a fall Media School course taught by Schwibs. In the course, students take their ideas and generate them into short films. Schwibs said the goal of the class is to create a professional workflow for students. Students also provide feedback for one another throughout the production process.
“Class was like having a constant focus group for your project because we got such great feedback from each other,” Iobbi said.
Cortopassi said the collaboration was a great way to get involved with students from other schools within IU. This type of collaboration is a good opportunity for students to work on their communication skills and prepare for the professional world, Schwibs said.
In addition to giving students a way to practice their technical skills, Double Exposure also helps them prepare for the professional world of film.
Cortopassi said the class allowed him to tap into the professional side of filmmaking. In the film industry, he said, people work with all different kinds of creatives, and it’s important to learn how to effectively communicate.
“I think the best part of this class is merging different workflows and collaborating with so many skill sets,” Cortopassi said.
Schwibs said she can’t wait for students to see their work showcased on such a large scale in front of friends, family and community members.
“That’s another wonderful thing about the experience,” Schwibs said. “There is nothing that can replace a work that you made being showcased in front of so many people on such a big screen.”
Films
4:28
Filmmaker: Zach Berger
Composer: Alex Price
I often find it hard to execute ideas for films. My fear of failure, as well as waiting for inspiration, frequently keep me from writing. “Power Through” represents this dilemma. It serves as a reminder to ignore my internal doubts and simply start creating. My goal was to showcase a symbol of inspiration but make it difficult for the protagonist to obtain. Additionally, I hoped to establish a clear character arc with little to no expositional dialogue.
7:56
Filmmaker: Zachary Cook and Tucker Piedmont
Composer: Aaqil Abdullah
Have you ever had a grand idea? / A picture so perfect, and so crystal clear within your grasp?
Try as you might to make your masterpiece… / …yet the pieces always collapse…
Trying again, and again, and again, / To please a critic, caged within.
No emulation will eliminate a burning yearn,
For the pursuit of perfection, / prevents perfection, always,
from being born.
4:13
Filmmaker: Alyssa Shipman
Composer: CJ Barrow
I created this film to convey the burnout that many of us feel when trying to make the right choices for the environment. Often it seems like the “best” choice still isn’t enough. I don’t intend for the audience to feel hopeless, but rather that we must work with what we have while fighting for a better future.
“Primordial Soup” deals with dualities in our existence, the yin, or feminine energies, and the yang, or masculine energies. While these are separate forces, they are connected as part of a larger oneness of the universe. I want to highlight the unity amongst separation as a mirror of the present state of our world, which forces division and separation. We can transition from seeing ourselves as individual bodies to one collective organism.
4:00
Filmmaker: Tyra Tran
Composer: Yicheng Li
My film emphasizes the need for awareness. The awareness of our surroundings and the ones around us. As people we have more power than we know, and that can be used for good or evil. I want my film to empower people to keep pushing forward, even in extreme situations when things feel hopeless, such as the one depicted in “Persevere.”
5:00
Filmmaker: Sam Wichhart
Composer: Alec Lubin
An exploration of vulnerability in a relationship. This film is a small look into the beginning of a new relationship, an experience that commonly comes with fear and hesitation. Moments of bliss can happen just as quickly as the feelings of dread when risking time with someone new.
3:05
Filmmaker: Camila Miles
Composer: ChengYu Ricky Kuo
This is a film about mental illness. It is common for people to seem okay when they are not, which is sad and unsettling, and can be triggering. I made “Truth” for myself as much as for others. I want people to know that they are not alone, and also that things don’t always get better. That’s okay. Everything takes time and strength.
4:22
Filmmaker: Jordan Iobbi
Composer: Chloe Liuyan Liu
“Half of Me” explores a glimpse of a first-year college student’s struggle with their own well-being and stunted independence through a friendship with another student, a friendship that involves a friend who becomes completely dependent on her in getting through her daily life. Meanwhile, a dark figure is haunting the lives of students and pulling the invisible strings of how they live their lives.
“Unbound” documents the day-to-day struggles of an individual living with an eating disorder and the damaging effects that her mental illness has on every aspect of her life. As she makes her way through the peaks and valleys of recovery, she rediscovers her real voice.
“The Psychic” is a short film based on a poem by my grandmother. It explores the sometimes-alarming consequences of curiosity and questions the nature of evil, whether it can be located, explained or measured on a binary scale. Evil is not always a faraway concept contained by war or violence, but an ever-present, highly pervasive force, seen in our living rooms or friends’ faces.
7:39
Filmmaker: Jack Fahey and Han-Wei Hsing
Composer: Alec Lubin
Our film explores the strange, gross and destructive side of our mental states. The unknowns of our brains are endless, and what lies underneath can be hidden from ourselves and others. Our inspirations come directly from films and scenes that made our stomachs turn and want to look away. We sought to create a simple but vivid story that relied heavily on a special blend of picture, sound, and music.
4:12
Filmmaker: Haynen Johnson
Composer: Pierce Baruk
“Escapade” started with my passion for cinematography, photography and color. It is a journey through the scope of one character’s day. Each scene is designed to invoke a different feeling using a combination of colors and musical composition. The various settings and scenes throughout the film aim to highlight the sensations of enjoying everyday moments.
