BYU-TV's First Look series

BYU-TV's First Look series is a weekly show that showcases student films in an effort to get them more recognition. The show usually showcases 2 or 3 student films and contains clips from each movie as well as interviews with the filmmakers. I really enjoyed watching this because I have never really had the opportunity to see all the work that goes into making a movie. I could assume it takes a lot of work, but I never really saw the actual process.

For instance, I liked how they showed pre-production and how they have different people in charge of art, story boards, locations, camera, etc.

The first film on this episode was called 285: The Movie. This film I didn't really get. It was basically a film about a film class making a film. The interviewer once asked the filmmakers how it was received at BYU's Final Cut Student Film Festival and they said that not many people there got it either. The interviewer then remarked that perhaps it was "so inside that nobody outside got it." I think that's so true. I felt like one of those "outsiders" and I just didn't get the movie. However, I believe the First Look series did their job in at least getting the film seen. I most likely would never have given this movie a chance had I just watched it without any commentary. The interview and the way they explained certain portions of the movie and the effects they were trying to get got me emotionally invested in the film and kept me watching.

The second student production on this episode was called "Hoagie's." I thought this film had a lot of potential. At the beginning of the interview the filmmaker summarizes the movie and how he thought of the idea. It's based on a website called www.ncmo.com, where people can get on and sign up to meet with someone of the opposite sex at a certain time and place for a...well, you can guess fromt the title. He then says the premise of the movie is to show just what some people are getting themselves into when they sign up for these things. You could get matched up with someone that's...well...repulsive. I became really excited; I thought it would be so funny. However, as I watched the movie I felt like I was watching an amatuer FHE video. Anyone could have made that film. It wasn't extremely clever either. I was a little upset that the filmmaker ruined that much potential.

Overall I think the First Look series put on by BYU is a positive thing for up and coming filmmakers because it gets their films out in the general public, and the commentary gets viewers emotionally invested which keeps them watching.