Sundance Film Festival Defines Inspiration

Every year, over 9,000 films are submitted in hopes that they will be to be chosen for the renowned Sundance Film Festival. Out of these films, only 200 are chosen to be screened at the actual festival.

Over 50,000 people flock to Utah to gather in the regions of Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance to view these amazing films where a variety of movies, ranging from short films to documentaries and dramas are shown. Of these 50,000 people, a few were lucky Quinnipiac University students.

"As a film student, seeing what these independent films accomplish with such a small budget is remarkable" said senior Brad DePrima, one of the students selected to attend the festival.

DePrima viewed five different films, "Celeste and Jesse Forever," "Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie," "Shut up and Play the Hits," "Excision" and "HitRecord," which was actually a live show starring Joseph Gordon Levitt.

"I felt that this film had a very unique take on the romantic comedy genre," said DePrima on his favorite film, "Celeste and Jesse Forever," starring Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones. "It was filmed in such a way that it didn't look all bright and cheery like most romantic comedies, but more like a bigger, polished film."

DePrima said that he thought the writing of the film was also incredible and hilarious. He thinks that in the future this will be a movie people will definitely be quoting for some time.

Along with seeing the films, the audience is allowed to go beyond the screen. Viewers are allowed to sit-in on panel discussions with the newest filmmakers and people in the film industry. At these panels, festival-goers can interact with some of the most influential people in the industry on issues ranging from current events to their opinions on the showcased films.

Those that attend are also invited to "At the Lodge," which is a more casual get-together where people are given the chance to talk with the filmmakers.

Here, the audience is on a much more intimate level with the members of the industry. They can gain personal insight and are able to ask questions about the creation of their films.

While the Sundance Film Festival is mainly about movies, the festival also chooses to recognize the important role that music has in the film industry.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) created a program at the festival that allows viewers to hear a wide range of songs from the films throughout the event.

At the end of the festival, there are 27 awards given out to recognize the best films seen. These awards range from Winner of the World Cinema Cinematography and Winner of the Best of Next Audience Award, to the Winner of the Grand Jury Prize.

"Since I am doing a documentary for my senior project, I took a lot away from ["Shut Up and Play the Hits"] regarding story, camera work and lighting," said DePrima on the film about band LCD Soundsystem. "This documentary was exceptionally well made. I really have never seen anything like it."

The privilege of getting to meet some of the most famous people in the industry offered a lot of inspiration. Among the Quinnipiac students that attended, it was unanimous that the ten-day celebration is one they'll always remember as their journey to become filmmakers begins.