Film students at Syracuse University dread the message: “Media Pending.” It happens anytime they’re having trouble exporting their content on the film editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro.

Associated with the frustration of post-production, and something that has connected film students for years, that message is also the title of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Class of 2018 showcase.

As part of their thesis projects, seniors from VPA create a short film. The Media Pending showcase is the culmination of all their efforts. This year, 37 student films will be screened at the two-day event.

The movies range from dramas to comedies to experimental films, said Sarah Komjathy, a senior film major and co-programmer of the event.

“Everyone has had a different process,” Komjathy said. “Everyone’s film is going to be great in its own way.”

Komjathy said her short film is an absurdist comedy about a girl who feels neglected by her parents, so she looks for a dog as a companion. During the film, which is composed of three skits, she sets up a lemonade stand to raise money and interacts with people who come up to the stand.

The event is a collection of diverse voices, Komjathy said, because all students have different things to say.

While students accumulate the necessary knowledge for film production during four years at SU, their thesis work starts during their final year, said Connor Burns, a senior film major. Students work as a “total filmmaker,” and are in charge of screenwriting, pre-production and putting together a cast and crew.

Courtesy of Connor Burns

They even have to find grants and donors on their own because the college doesn’t provide money to fund the projects, Burns said. He added that they’re really treated like young directors in the real world.

“It feels like my film education has come full circle,” Komjathy said.

This year, seniors are working to increase the event’s reach beyond the VPA bubble — especially because the film industry in Syracuse is growing, Burns said. While the films screened are only produced by graduating seniors, recent alumni and faculty are frequent attendees, he said.

The showcase will take place on May 10 and May 11, and each film will only screen once. The programming team will gather information to divide the films by genre and length across both days, Komjathy said.

“This is what I love to do as my life and as my passion — it’s a huge grind, it takes a lot of time and effort out of you,” Burns said. “We’re really trying to, in our last step here at Syracuse University, get as many eyes on what we love to do.”

Published on April 30, 2018 at 10:41 pm

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu