Cin/Optic

The Northern Lights Film Festival brings independent films and filmmakers to the campus and surrounding community. The festival is a FREE ADMISSION marathon of different independent films presented by special guests. 

http://director.hu.mtu.edu/northernlights/index.html

This year’s guests to the festival are Bob Brown, executive director of Michigan’s Charity Island Pictures production company, and Suzanne Jerva, Feature Film Executive and Michigan Tech graduate.

Friday’s lineup of films and speakers:
Noon: “As We Forgive” - How does one go about forgiving the unforgivable? This is the central question of Laura Waters Hinson’s documentary on Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s release of untried murderers who confessed their crimes, filling the roads of Rwanda with ex-prisoners. Narrated by Mia Farrow. (53 min.)

4:00 pm: “Lioness” - Lioness tells the story of a group of female Army support soldiers who were part of the first program in American history to send women into direct ground combat. (81 min.)

7:00 pm: Guest Speaker Bob Brown - The Governor’s office has announced that 6,000 new Michigan jobs will be created by its efforts to attract film production companies to the state. Bob Brown of Michigan-based Charity Island Pictures will discuss the new film industry tax incentive and its growing impact on Michigan careers.

8:30 pm: “Escanaba in da moonlight” - Named by Variety magazine as one of the highest grossing independent films in 2001, this film was produced by Michigan residents, Bob Brown and Jeff Daniels. When the Soady clan reunites for the opening day of deer season at the family’s Upper Peninsula camp, Reuben Soady must face the curse of being the oldest Soady in the history of the Soadys never to have bagged a buck. (91 min.)

10:30 pm: “Zombie Girl: The Movie” - 12-year-old Emily Hagins is making a movie: a feature-length zombie flick, Pathogen. With the help of her mother as agent, crew, and biggest fan, Emily embarks on a two-year adventure in filmmaking. (89 min)

Saturday’s Lineup: 
Noon: “Student Academy Award Winners” - The Cin/Optic Media Entherprise Team invites you to look at 4 Oscar-winning films produced by students across the world. Films presented are “A Day’s Work” (Narrative), “Viola: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant” (Alternative), “Zoologic” (Animation), and “Auf der Strecke (On the line)” (Foreign). 

2:00 pm: “Illegal Use of Joe Zopp” - When Joe Zopp’s out-of-touch parents squander the proceeds of his finest invention, he skips town, vowing never to return. (110 min.)

4:00 pm: “Trouble the Water” - The most acclaimed documentary of 2008 tells the story of Kimberly and Scott Roberts, two streetwise New Orleans residents who chased down Hurricane Katrina with a home video camera. (93 min.)

7:00 pm: “I met the walrus (short)” In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck and a head full of questions, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. (5 min.)

“Establishing shots” - In this experimental short, McNamara explores the cinematic convention of the establishing shot. Winner, 2007 Ann Arbor Film Festival. (9 min.)

8:00 pm: Speaker Suzanne Jerva and “Changing Keys” - Suzanne Jurva graduated from Michigan Tech with a degree in Scientific and Technical Communication. She worked as Feature Film Development Executive with Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios and founded the mobile-delivery media company, Starcut. She presents her documentary, “Changing Keys,” telling the story of Minneapolis native Billy McLaughlin, who in the late 1990s, began to lose control of his hand and arm, unable to play his own music. Many thought his career was over when he was diagnosed with focal dystonia, an incurable neuro-muscular disorder, but Billy had other ideas. He began the arduous task of retraining himself to play left-handed, one note at a time.

Major: Communication & Culture Studies

Contact Info: tmsotiri@mtu.edu

Why am I interested in Film and Cin-Optic: I am interested in the experience with independent film-making that Cin/Optics specializes in producing–an experience that not only gives me but even demands from me expression in a creative outlet.  While still based on working with clients the interest in maintaining creative expression in the work guarantees a high level of quality from each project.  Working in the Cin/Optic enterprise will guarantee opportunities to work with interesting people, subjects, and narratives that I (and other team members) will have a chance to translate and express in a visual medium accessible to my clients, teachers, peers and others for the rest of my career.  

Skills: Communication and Client Relations so far but I look forward to gaining editing and production experience as well.

What I would like to learn with Cin-Optic: I would like to learn the process of film-making whether creative or documentary in a setting that requires a practical and functional approach to real-world film projects. Becoming involved with this enterprise gives me a chance to be involved at any level of my choice in real film projects. It is also the best opportunity to gain experience with all aspects of a film from creative to production. An enterprise like Cin/Optics that relies primarily on client-based projects but still places such a high value on creativity and individualized expression is truly a unique place to become familiar with any kind of film technology.

Favorite Movie/style of movie: I like films that are set in interesting locations or introduce new ways to look at our own world that make it seem like a new place.

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor): I really liked the story line presented in Run Lola Run which I just found out was written by Tom Tykwer

Favorite Actor/Actress: Franka Potente or Audrey Tautou 

Tidbits:
I grew up in Houghton and love the area whether its the fun beginning of summer, gorgeous end of fall, or the cold middle of winter!

Major: Scientific and Technical Communication

Contact Info: jtjones@mtu.edu

Why I am interested in Film and Cin/Optic: Film is something I have always enjoyed and been able to connect with. The enterprise is a good outlet for experience in production as opposed to study.

Skills: Pretty good at watching movies; could also throw in project management.

Skills I would like to learn with Cin-Optic: Would really like to learn anything I can, although especially interested in the editing process.

Favorite Movie/style of movie: At a glance I might go with On The Waterfront, The Shining, Paths of Glory, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Rear Window, Psycho, There Will Be Blood, Citizen Kane, and Schindler’s List.

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor): Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Joel and Ethan Coen, Francis Ford Coppola, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg… 

Favorite Actor/Actress: Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Stewart, Al Pacino, George C Scott, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Malcolm McDowell… 

Tidbits: Ski poles are more dangerous than they look.

Here are some movie related websites that we can all enjoy (feel free to comment and add your faves, and I will add them accordingly):

http://filmsound.org

http://www.imdb.com

http://www.apple.com/trailers/

http://www.filmthenext.com/

Major: Technical Theater

Contact Info: skboicou@mtu.edu

Why I am interested in Film and Cin/Optic: I’ve been watching movies since before I can remember and it has retained a special place in my life. I have been doing lighting for nearly seven years in small productions and plan to pursue a career combining them both, hopefully in either Light and/or cinematography.

Skills: Lighting

Skills I would like to learn with Cin-Optic: I am very interested in editing and the production aspect of film.

Favorite Movie/style of movie: It would have to be a tie between Akira Kurosawa films (samurai movies) and the 1940’s film noir preferably with Humphrey Bogart

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor): Favorite director Akira Kurosawa, Ben Burtt of Wall-E and Star Wars

Favorite Actor/Actress: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Tishiro Mifune

Tidbits: My guilty pleasure is to watch the original Star Wars. I am slightly obsessed by it.

I hope you enjoy your flight…

We are one of the many Enterprise Teams at Michigan Tech and our specialty is film.  We discuss, explore, create and wish to create films and masterpieces.  Explore around, and as this is a new blog for our young team, I am sure you will bear in mind that we are only going to get better.

Major:  Biology and Psychology

Contact Info:  efbundsh@mtu.edu

Why I am interested in Film and Cin/Optic:  I like movies, and creative projects

Skills:  coming up with ideas/stories, some editing

Skills I would like to learn:  more editing, general idea of all film skills

Favorite Movie/style of movie:  Epic (LOTR, Godfather, City of God)

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor): Peter Jackson, James Cameron 

Favorite Actor/Actress:  Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman, Adam Beach

Tidbits: erythrocytes, dustballs, spaceballs

Major: Electrical Engineering

Contact Info: mjskwars@mtu.edu

Why am I interested in Film and Cin/Optic: I’ve always been interested in how film can exist in so many 
ways; artistic, informative, entertaining, etc. For me, being in an 
enterprise team that works as a technical, business, and creative entity 
is really an ideal situation for the opportunity.

Skills: Well versed in pretty much every aspect. Directing, producing, 
editing, cinematography, animation, lighting….I’ve done it all.

Skills I would like to learn: I’d like to use Cin/Optic as an opportunity to build my 
leadership and business practice skills for my professional development 
while also immersing myself with creative and visual arts.

Favorite Movie/Style of Movie: Picking your favorite movie is like picking your 
favorite animal, it really can’t be done.

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor):  Jean Pierre Jeunet, Mathieu Kassovitz, Stephen 
Spielberg, Darren Aronofsky, Wes Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson 
Wells, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorcesse, Michel Gondry, Edgar 
Wright….the list goes on and on and on…

Favorite Actor/Actress: Oh I don’t know, I’m going to say Peter Sellers or Cary 
Grant but I’m sure I could make a list just as long as the favorite 
directors…

Tidbits: …are also known as morsels.

Major:  Sound Design

Contact Info:  dcnichols@mtu.edu 763-350-9761

Why I am interested in Film and Cin/Optic:  Interested in Production

Skills:  Sound, camera, and sort-of editing

Skills I would like to learn:  Like to learn editing better

Favorite Movie/Style of movie:  Idiocracy, Donnie Darko, Matrix, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor): No favorite film people.

Favorite Actor/Actress:  No favorite actor/ress

Tidbits:  No tidbits–m&m’s are way better.

Major:  Scientific and Technical Communication

Contact info: dllewis@mtu.edu

Why I am interested in Film and Cin/Optic:  I am interested in developing my skills as involve the process of video-making and all related areas.

Skills:  All of the videos of note I have edited together before are hosted on my website (http://www.dllproductions.com). I believe that what is there represents what skill I have better than my inadequate skill with words would.

Skills I would like to learn:  I would like to learn how to work with nonmusical projects, as well as about the other aspects of vide-making.

 Favorite Movie/style of movie:
The only aspects that will really make me like a movie are how well it is done and how interesting it is, and the former can eclipse the latter.

Favorite Crew (director, editor, sound editor):  None.

Favorite Actor/Actress:  None.

Tidbits:  I have a lot of difficulty talking, so I like to communicate through the Internet.
Also, I am originally from New York, and still call it home, though I have lived in Michigan for nearly a third of my life.