Promotional Photo provided by film student Courtney Clementine.
The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. in the Bardo Arts Center at WCU to let in excited film enthusiasts and proud film majors for the seventh annual film festival, Controlled Chaos.
Controlled Chaos features two senior thesis projects as well as several other films as short as 15 seconds created by WCU film students.
Most of the audience members have no idea how much work goes into each project shown at Controlled Chaos, particularly the senior thesis films.
The first senior project film titled “Cold Coffee,” written by Bayleigh Janusik, is a dark comedy addressing the difficulty in dealing with a breakup.
“My script was chosen last year to be made into a film, and I directed it in January of this year. Cold Coffee was made for around $7,000 and was shot over 7 days. The months leading up to shooting were filled with making sure locations were locked, schedules were arranged, and everyone had a job on set that suited their needs as a student,” said Janusik.
The second senior project was “Lost Soles,” and was also a dark comedy. “Lost Soles” is about a college student whose life is forever changed when he goes on a mission to find a lost shoe.
“Lost Soles had me laughing out loud. Definitely my favorite part of the festival. The acting was amazing too,” said junior Evan Stalder.
WCU Bardo Arts Center theater was almost filled up, which is about the same turnout as last year. Tickets were $10 and all the funds will go towards the next year’s senior thesis projects.
“We all dream of having polished work on the big screen, and this is the opportunity to celebrate the hours of hard work put in by each student. From horror movies to silent films, our top-notch programs encourage film-lovers to come experience the talent, art and entertainment they’ve come to expect from Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen,” said event organizer Kasey N. Summers in a press release.
The films deemed “the best” of Controlled Chaos will be shown in Cashiers in August.
