Senior BFA Musical Theatre major, Sean Ormond (age 23), recently acted in a short film that has gone on to screen at film festivals across the country. The film, entitled “I WANT TO BEAT UP CLARK PETERS,” is a psychedelic comedy exploring the ins and outs of college relationships and hook-up culture. It was shot in fall 2014 by a team of University of Miami students and alumni. After winning several awards in the undergrad category of UM’s Cane Film Festival, it went on to be screened in Los Angeles, where it won Best of Fest and the Audience Award over the graduate films, giving it much deserved attention. Since then, it has been on the nationwide festival circuit, collecting recognition and awards along the way. Written and directed by UM graduate Joseph Picozzi, the film is roughly 18 minutes long and was used for Picozzi’s thesis at UM. When asked what made him get involved with the film, Ormond answered that he was looking for professional acting opportunities in the Miami area and saw the casting call for “I WANT TO BEAT UP CLARK PETERS” on Backstage.com, making him think, “Why not go for it?” After auditions here at the Coral Gables campus, Ormond was given three callbacks to read for the title character, finally receiving the part. “The film was shot over the course of nine days” in a mix of full and half day shoots. Ormond was in a production (“Carmen”) at the Jerry Herman Ring Theater at the time, so many days would require filming until six in the evening, performing/rehearsing for “Carmen,” then filming again until “2:30 or 3:00 in the morning and then waking up really early to film all day.”
The team’s hard work paid off. Not only were life-long friendships formed, but professional connections were made that can potentially get these UM students job opportunities post-graduation. Ormond states that he has been rewarded by both the experience of shooting and creating a friendship with director Joseph Picozzi, whom he now plans to remain in close contact with (both personally and professionally) after graduation. When describing the process of filming, Ormond notes that it was “a good exercise for [him]” in that shots were taken out of order, so he had to be hyper-aware of where his character is emotionally at that point and where the character must go from the beginning to the end of the film. This was Ormond’s first experience with “carrying a film” as the lead character, so he was able to explore and challenge himself.
The film will be screened on March 4, 2016 at the Miami International Film Festival. You may be asking yourself, “That’s great, but why should I go see it?” This film was a collaboration between almost every facet of UM student life. The creative team consisted of conservatory theatre students, Sigma Epsilon brothers, a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, countless students from the School of Communications and both graduate and undergraduate students – thus representing the majority of the student body. This gives us as a community something to root for. Also, the film itself is set at the University, and aims to be a comedic, brutally honest look at the world of millennial dating. If you ever wondered what a movie would be like about you, a college student at UM, this would be the one. So get out there and support your fellow ‘Canes!
Tickets begin at $13 (for access to the Short Film category).
Visit: http://www.miamifilmfestival.com for more information, or call 305-237-3456
Image credit: Cover – Sean Ormond