Scene shop offers film students realistic opportunities

JENNIFER MASSEY
News Writing Student

The sounds of drills and hammers fill the air in the Visual and Performing Arts Center. The Film and Video Production department's new scene shop is abuzz as sets are being built for upcoming student films.

Power saws, drills, paint and wood line the walls of the shop while students come in and out to work on their projects.

In years past, students in the film program shared a scene shop with the drama department but the need for a film-focused space became necessary.

“The idea is to create realistic sets for film as opposed to theatrical sets,” said Sean Lynch, cinematography professor.

Lynch said realistic film sets are necessary because small details are important on camera.

He said he is the person responsible for the shop's upkeep.

Film and Video Production professor Greg Mellot believes it is critical for film students to have a a place to build their sets.

“It would be irresponsible not to provide this resource to the students,” Mellott said. “Hands-on learning is what this program is all about.”

Lynch recalled the days when he was a student in the film department at OCCC.

“We built sets out of nothing,” he said.

A grant by the Kirkpatrick Foundation opened up money in the department’s general fund that provided the tools and supplies to fill the shop. Now, with the new scene shop, film students have the resources to build full sets, Mellott said.

In one area of the shop, students are working away at creating the interior of a spaceship. One student, Patricia McDaniel, said she is thrilled with what is available to her.

McDaniel is directing “The Race,” a short film set in a rickety old spaceship. The spaceship measures 28 feet by 28 feet and its construction was made possible by the work of production design and cinematography students in the scene shop.

“It took one hour to put down the floor plan, and people started building it that day,” she said.

The excitement in McDaniel’s eyes is evident.

“I mean, how many people in their first year of film school get a spaceship?” McDaniel asked.

Celia Gunn, another film student, also is working in the scene shop.

“We’ve got pretty much everything we need to build a full set,” Gunn said. “What we don’t have already, they can get pretty quickly.”

A budget is set aside for each class every semester that pays for materials for student films, Lynch said.

Gunn said this makes OCCC's film department unique.

“There are very few colleges in the state that offer the resources that this film school does," Gunn said.

Another student, Allison Brown, agreed with Gunn.

"This program is something I pay out-of-state tuition for," said Brown, who is from Texas. "It's awesome."

The idea is to create more interest in the program, not only by prospective students but also by producers who are looking to use the film studio professionally, Mellott said.

Mellott said films made by OCCC students have won awards locally and regionally at film festivals such as Dead Center and Bare Bones.

As interest in the film and video program grows, he said, he hopes to continue to expand the scene shop to keep up with the demands of current technology and stay ahead of the competition.