The School of Communication’s documentary production class held a film production premiere for their final projects on Thursday, May 2.  The show featured a total of seven short pieces, each about 15-20 minutes, in FSU’s Student Life Cinema (SLC).

Throughout the spring semester, groups of media production student filmmakers worked on developing and producing documentaries.  They were not only responsible for creating a video of professional quality, but crafting all of the concepts, facts, and content.  The RTV4332 course is taught every spring semester by Dr. Andrew Opel, Communication Associate Professor and Media Production Program Director, who coordinated this screening event.

The cinema was filled with students, friends, and faculty as the lights dimmed and the night’s showing began.  Many aspects played an integral part in the success of each film.  The thorough amount of research and planning incorporated into the student’s original project concepts was evident.  The cinematography and graphics demonstrated their creative strengths.  A round of applause from the audience greeted the end of each documentary shown.

While the film topics were diverse, they all had one thing in common—high quality and attention to detail.  Dr. Stephen McDowell, School of Communication John H. Phipps Professor and Director, attended this event and said, “I was impressed by another year’s successful documentary screening coordinated by Opel and the work produced by our students.  The level of research, story, and presentation improves significantly each year.”

The pieces covered various themes such as: climate change, party buses, organic food, computer ennui, graffiti ghosts, mental health policy, and costume play.  They ranged from issues of local interest to global importance; showcasing journeys of struggle to stories focused on displaying culture and talent.  The seven videos showcased were titled: As We Grow, Baker-Acted, Chasing Ghosts, Dis|Connected, Finding Nero, Perfection Zero, and Shabooms Springs.