Student Filmmakers Showcase Their Talent at Alternating Currents

Chosen student applicants had the opportunity to showcase their filmmaking capabilities this past weekend at the Alternating Currents arts festival. The showing took place Saturday afternoon at the Figge Art Museum. Each short film eloquently displayed the distinct artistic style and vision of its creator. Some creators approached the filmmaking process more experimentally through the use of VHS tape, layered visuals, and interestingly angled shots.

WARNING: Explicit Language

Each film catered to notable contextual styles. In the film “Coming Out Straight” actress and director Paris Davis uses a voiceover narrative to describe the inner thoughts of a girl amidst the process of coming out to family and classmates. Contrary to the dramatic tone of most of the student films, Amber Krieg and Caroline Breitbach’s “A Love Affair in Brief” offers comedic relief as the characters break the 4th wall and jump in and out of a constantly changing story of short-lived love and heartbreak.

Now more than ever, relatively low-cost yet high-quality technological resources allow young adults the ability to articulate their creative ideas in film. Through both self-teaching and the help of experienced mentors, students are getting a head start on perfecting their craft before entering the work-force. Platforms like Youtube allow content creators to develop their own personal style while also building an online portfolio. Of course, we must still give credit to organizations like the Downtown Davenport Partnership and Figge Museum for their promotion and support of local art.

The future looks bright for young filmmakers!