LIFE

‘Shootout’ again challenges filmmakers

By Brittany Dekorte
Staff Writer

Short films made by local filmmakers were screened in the Morris Lawrence building on WCC’s campus on the Oct 14 for the 5th annual Ypsi 24 Film Shootout.

The Ypsi 24 Film Shootout is a very unique event; participants register as individuals or groups, and meet at the shoot out to be given their ‘ingredients”, a list of props or dialog that is kept secret and must be included in the entry. After they are given their ingredients, participants have exactly 24 hours to bring their final product back, according to contest rules.

Beth Kane, a communications professor at WCC, has been a judge for the Ypsi 24 since the beginning. “Mark Ducker contacted me about five years ago for the first event, and I’ve been asked back to work as a judge every year since.”

Ducker is the man who founded the event, and it wasn’t his first time running a film festival.

“Before moving to Ypsi, I lived in Wyoming, and while I was there I helped found the Wyoming Film Festival,” Ducker said.

Ducker, who has worked with media production and organizing all his life, was eager to find out about the local creator’s scene when he moved to Ypsi. He reached out to locals, like Kane, to help run and judge the event. “There was an enthusiastic response, not as big as we have had the past two years, but big. People were so supportive of each other, it was all we could do to try it again.”

This year’s ingredients were a staircase, a door knob, and the line, ‘Does it really matter what you think?’.

“That’s the fun of it, seeing what people do with the ingredients,” Kane said.

One of the biggest contributors to the film festival is WCC itself, where the short films were screened for no admission cost. Many students from WCC’s film and media classes participate every year. “We really appreciate and wish to grow our partnership with WCC. The event is a good example of real life filmmaking for it’s students, because they have to jump right in, plan and execute their ideas. And much like real life, there is a possibility of pay for jumping on in,” Ducker said.

This year’s first place winner was a short horror film involving a daring rescue, entitled “Cycle of the Blessed”, that was produced by Adam Wright, Jack Anderson, and Peter Herod, walked away with $1,000 and a trophy.

“It feels really great to win, especially with a horror film, you don’t see horror films win film festivals often, it’s humbling,” said Herod. The same team entered the festival the year before, but didn’t place.

The Audience Choice, which also won third place, was a short comedy entitled “Cheater”, which was about the shenanigans people go through to cheat on tests.

“I’m just so happy and honored to be recognized,” said Michael Boctor, who worked on “Cheater”. “It was a blessing to have such a great crew and cast to help bring my vision alive.”