Recently, Campus MovieFest, CMF, came to USFSP. CMF is a film festival that goes to different college campuses and gives students all the equipment and tech support they need to create 5 minute short films in one week.
I never competed in a film festival before, so I was a little nervous to join. But since I’m an actress and a lover of everything film-related, I knew I had to participate. My friend, Ban, and I were able to make two films during the week.
The films are titled “Out of Nowhere” and “You Would Never Assume…”
“Out of Nowhere” is about a girl finding out her best friend has committed suicide and focuses on how the girl reacts to the news. “You Would Never Assume…” focuses on a girl who is battling depression, but no one would assume she is depressed since she doesn’t let it show; she pretends she is perfectly fine in front of everyone, but in reality she is not even close.
I wrote, directed, and starred in both films, and let me tell you, it was a physically and mentally demanding experience. I had to come up with two screenplays in one night, I shot from 10am-6pm and edited from 8pm-10pm on Saturday and Sunday, and edited all day on Monday (all with Ban’s help, of course). I truly have never worked so hard on something before, and that’s because I’ve never been more passionate about something than I was with making these films.
I had to do these two films justice because I knew how important these topics were, especially to me. I have seen firsthand what a friend’s sudden suicide can do to a person and to a group of people; usually what these people say is the suicide happened “out of nowhere.”
And as far as the depression film goes, this was a very personal film for me to do because I went through depression; I was bullied, had low self-esteem, had body image issues, etc. I have anxiety to this day because of that dark time. When I tell people these things, they always say they “would never assume” because I seem so happy and nice all the time. Well that’s the thing, they wouldn’t assume because they never truly looked at me or anyone else who was or is going through a dark time.
That was the inspiration for both of these films: to encourage people to truly look at someone and take the time to see if they are okay, because you never know who is struggling.
Being a screenwriter, director, and lead actress in both films really made me get a new perspective on the film industry; it made me appreciate every person’s job by showing me how much effort goes into making a film, even if that film is only 5 minutes.
CMF had a red carpet finale and showcased the top 16 films from all the teams who participated. I am so honored to say that mine and Ban’s film, “Out of Nowhere” made it to the top 16! The moment the film began playing, Ban and I turned to each other and looked completely shocked. For Ban and I, two girls who had never made a film before, to have our film be in the top 16 is a huge honor that I will always cherish. It makes me proud that all our hard work and commitment to do these films justice had paid off. Being in the top 16 solidifies to me that I am on the right path with my passion of acting and filmmaking.
Photo provided by Campus MovieFest
I am so thankful for Harborside Activities Board for inviting CMF to our school and allowing film lovers, like myself, the opportunity to explore our passion for filmmaking. I was truly blown away with the other films shown at the finale; I didn’t realize how talented my fellow USFSP students are in regards to filmmaking.
I hope that this experience will persuade USFSP to offer acting and filmmaking classes, and hopefully one day, have majors in those two fields.
Here are my films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJSOmyvrmZ4 (You Would Never Assume…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peKfd-SHHZY (Out of Nowhere)
Photo provided by Kelli Marie Carmack
HCXOXO,
Kelli Carmack