Bright spotlights, fresh popcorn, stylized movie posters, and a new projector transforms the Robinson Theatre into a cinematic destination: the annual student film festival. This year, the venue screened 21 short films spanning multiple genres — comedy, drama, Western, animation, horror, and fantasy — made by Associate Professor Patti McCarthy’s film students in one semester.
The students had access to professional equipment and software, and their hard work culminated in the opportunity to show off their creations to an audience of peers as well as pros in the movie industry.
Students not only directed their own films, but lent a hand as crewmembers for their classmate’s projects to get a taste for the various roles required to make a movie. There was also interdisciplinary collaboration with films starring Whittier’s theater students.
For the comedy Adam’s Choice, rising third-year Nathan Carrasco gave his actors a tremendous amount of freedom. The film major from Pico Rivera was inspired by shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm to make an improvisational comedy with a loose script.
Carrasco wanted it to be relatable, so he told the story of a film student trying to make a short film for class.
“People were saying that it was quality work, and I was really trying to make it feel like something you’d see on TV,” Carrasco said.
Emerson Little, who designed his own major through the Whittier Scholars Program, produced a science-fiction film, In Another Place, for his senior project. That experimental short film went on to win an award from IndieFEST, and was also selected for inclusion in the Accolade Global Film Competition, an industry leader in virtual film competition.
In addition, Little was one of more than a dozen students and recent Whittier graduates who worked on an independent film, Carlos Through the Tall Grass, both behind and in front of the camera. The indie movie, which was produced by Whittier film faculty and filmed in part near campus, went on to be selected for Los Angeles' biggest independent film festival and will enjoy a world premiere at Hollywood's historic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Having professors working professionally in the film industry is an added, and incredibly important, part of the student experience. At Whittier, students enjoy the benefit of their professors' personal attention and industry knowledge.
Whittier film faculty are excited to nurture a community of students interested in the field of film, laying a foundation of intellectual, creative, and collaborative experiences, and preparing them for the professional industry.
