Take A Look

Starting today and running through Thursday, films by USC students will by screened in the First Look Film Festival, a showcase for industry professionals

By QUIN O'BRIEN
Staff Writer

Thousands motion picture professionals will attend the Director's Guild of America (DGA) building on Sunset Boulevard for the biannual First Look student film screenings this week. The screenings showcase films made exclusively by USC students. For many professionals, it is a chance to watch USC student films and schmooze with the promising young filmmakers that have made them. For the filmmakers themselves, it is an opportunity to show off the films that they have spent months working on, and hopefully begin to secure jobs within the industry.
DJ Johnson, a recent film school graduate and winner of the prestigious DGA Angelus Award for diversity in filmmaking, has two films screening today. One of his films, "A Legacy in Motion," is a USC produced documentary about the film school itself, complete with interviews of such honored USC alumni as George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis. Chosen by First Look organizers to be the film to open the festival, Johnson is excited by the prospects of screening this film and the documentary he directed, "Men Like My Father, Families Like My Own" in front of so many people with film industry ties.
"It's rare that you get such a large group of professionals to see your work. Most people get meetings out of it and some even get deals," he said.
This is perfect for the students, as most have just recently graduated and are still trying to get their foot in the door. For these filmmakers, the screenings are an opportunity to meet people that can help them establish careers in Hollywood. And the people who can help them most certainly will be there.
USC has a reputation for producing intelligent, creative and quality filmmakers, and companies and individuals are always on the look out to discover the next big filmmaker. This year, 16,000 invitations have been mailed to industry insiders internationally, insuring that potential employers will be in abundance.
As Johnson enthusiastically notes, "Everybody comes agents, management companies, production houses, documentary companies and commercial producers."
Katie Ianotti, one of the festival's organizers and a USC filmic writing graduate, applauds First Look's ability to benefit both students and professionals.
"I think that it's a great opportunity industry people get excited because they can get their hands on these films early, but it's also an opportunity for student filmmakers to get their first break and get their work exhibited," Ianotti said.
Putting the festival on does not come easily, however. Through countless hours of work and preparation, First Look remains an event produced and organized almost entirely by the students. Ianotti, herself exhausted from her extensive duties, praises the students for their contribution.
"It's been a lot of fun and a lot of work, especially for the directors," Ianotiti said. "They raise the money for the ad sales and spend an entire weekend putting stickers on invitations. They are also the bartenders, the ushers and the clean-up crew. They really put their heart and soul into it, and it really pays off for them in the end."
The films, products of both undergraduate and graduate courses, are being screened in video, 16 millimeter and 35 millimeter. With a wide array of subjects and styles, they encompass subjects from the Vietnam draft to the construction of a perfect sandwich. This is perfect for the professionals who may be looking for a particular type of film, because of the range of projects to chose from.
"It's very strange why some people like some works and not others there's an arbitrary quality to the whole thing," Johnson said. "Most of it's just based around what a management company wants or needs at a given time."
However, the film festival itself is just the beginning. While some films screened may be huge successes, Ianotti says that a film alone is not enough to ensure a student's niche in Hollywood.
"The students have to be prepared because the day after the screening, the phones are gonna start ringing and they have to be ready to go and meet these people as future employees," Johnson said. "Most people, especially those who have done narrative work, need to have feature scripts, because while your film is enough to get you in the door, it's not enough to keep it going."
Johnson also believes that word of mouth plays a heavy role at the festival, as one can be certain that specific films and filmmakers will generate a positive buzz from their screenings.
For Johnson, this word of mouth has already landed him his first film jobs. Hired by USC public relations to make three films, he's excited by the opportunities.
"I can say that I graduated in May and I'm already making a living as a director," he said.
Yet Johnson is quick to note that the film school community shares such successes. "There has been a history at USC cinema of people pulling each other up. If I get a job, I'm gonna bring my friends along whenever I can. First Look is a great way for people to initially have their work seen by industry professionals, but there's a whole other level to that: your friends."
Despite the whether the filmmakers get deals out of First Look, Ianotti maintains that having a film shown at the festival is an achievement by itself.
"Everyone coming out of this school has an incredible education," she said. "If your film has made it to First Look, it means you have talent and people are looking to get a piece of that talent they want to meet the best of the best."
In addition to the DGA screenings, the films will be shown this Saturday at USC's Norris Theatre, with sets of films beginning at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. If unable to attend the DGA or Norris screenings, the entire festival will be available for download on the AtomFilms web site (www.atomfilms.com) Oct. 9.
For more information and reservations, call (213) 740-1153.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 141, No. 24 (Monday, October 2, 2000), beginning on page 10 and ending on page 11.