Milwaukee film scene ready to thrive
Milwaukee knows film — probably more than most people would expect. Lately, the city has been humming with film-related events and opportunities that display the growing film community. While Milwaukee creates its own cinematographic buzz, a thriving community of people passionate about films at Marquette is doing the same.
At a glance, the only film related activities available to students through Marquette are the relatively new blockbusters shown at the Varsity Theater on the weekends. But there is so much more students can become involved with.
College of Communication junior Alex Gelhar hopes to bring Marquette students together in the name of film, so much so that he started a film club on campus called Fade In Film Society.
“The group’s purpose is to bring like-minded individuals together whether they just have a passion in watching movies and talking about movies, or whether they are serious about movies and learning more about the craft,” Gelhar said.
Fade in Film Society plans on bringing in area professionals that includes writers, cinematographers and directors to campus to talk with students about their options after college if they are seriously interested in the film industry. The organization also hopes to hold movie screenings and trivia nights.
“ ‘Fade in’ are the first words that start every screen play, and I thought the title was fitting because hopefully it’s starting a film community at Marquette for a long time,” he said.
Gelhar, a filmmaker himself, believes that Marquette needs to build an attachment to the film community for it to continue to grow. Some of Gelhar’s upcoming projects include a feature length film about college students in debt and the struggles they go through to pay the bills. Gelhar also wants to shoot a short film on campus that includes Marquette students in order to gain exposure to the campus’ film community.
Marquette also offers students classes in film that include Seminar in Broadcast and Electronic Communication: TV & Film Aesthetics, Reading Film as Narrative: Horror Narrative as Film, Topics in Film Studies: Issues in Film Studies and Film as Art.
The courses focus more on studying film rather than making films, but they still teach students about the art and history of film.
Professor Patrick McGilligan, an instructor who teaches film minor classes, understands the importance that films have.
“Films are universal,” McGilligan said. “Filmmaking is important as an act of expression but is also a act of reflection of society or what’s going on in society.”
Students can become involved in the film community off campus by just walking into the city of Milwaukee. In September the Milwaukee Film Festival, which ran for 11 days, had a total attendance of 20,000 people and included award-winning films like “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” at the Landmark Oriental Theatre and the Marcus North Shore Cinema.
Milwaukee has many film groups that are dedicated to bringing exposure to local filmmakers and projects. Firestarter Films is a local organization that helps filmmakers showcase their work. During the company’s events, attendees are able to network and interact with other fans. Firestarter provides people with the opportunity to build their portfolio, receive feedback from others and hang out with others who have the same interest as them.
Co-Creator Shawn Monaghan’s primary reason for starting Firestarter Films was to give people the chance to show their talents.
Monaghan said he believes Milwaukee can give filmmakers just as much inspiration as bigger cities can.
“Milwaukee is unique because how many times have you seen the empire state building or Times Square in a movie?” he said.” “I think Wisconsin Avenue is pretty cool. I grew up here, and I like filming here. Some people think they need to run off to L.A. and be successful, but if you’re creative, you’re creative,” he said.
As the passion for film continues to grow in Milwaukee, so will the events and opportunities that come with it. In the meantime, Marquette students can support the local film movement already underway by supporting the local filmmakers.
Gelhar and College of Communication sophomore Chris Visser’s work can be found on their Web site. Students can also see what Firestarter Films is all about by attending their event Nov. 13th at 228 S. 1st St. Admission is $5.
Tags: communication, film, filmmaking, firestarter, Movies
Loading ...