One thing that is greatly admired at HC Cal State L.A. is the ability to multi-task; Lucas Benitez can do just that. This Television, Film and Media major is the Editor of Statement Magazine, the campus literary arts journal, while balancing a job with the TVF Department’s Student Production Unit, being an officer with the film club Cinematic Visions and having an internship with Arts and Letters’ Dean McAllister. This might seem like Lucas is always busy, but you would never be able to tell with the way he stops and kindly says hello to every acquantience he comes across on campus. Read on to find out more about this awesome Campus Celebrity!
What made you decide to go to Cal State L.A.?
I’m afraid to admit that a lot of my decision to choose CSULA had to deal with cost. I knew it had a film program and I heard good things about it, so I wanted to see what the department had to offer. I live extremely close to CSULA, so another part of my decision was location, but ultimately it had to do with how relatively inexpensive tuition was compared to other private colleges and universities.
How did you become interested in your major?
I’ve been wanting to become a filmmaker since I was in high school and the second I realized this, I’ve never turned back.
What activities do you on campus?
The two biggest things I do on campus is to help run a literary arts journal by the name of Statement Magazine, and I’m also an officer for the film club on campus which is Cinematic Visions. I also work for the Student Production Unit and I work for Dean McAllister as an intern for his office.
What is Statement Magazine and how did you become involved?
Statement Magazine is CSULA’s journal for literature and art. We publish a magazine every year in May that features student writing and art and occasionally writing and art from honorable staff. I got involved as a freshman and I began filming all of the events that we did. I still film as many events as I can. I do a variety of other things, and now my biggest responsibility is serving as one of the editors for the magazine. I highly encourage students to submit their work and more information can be found here:
http://www.calstatela.edu/statementonline/general-submission-guidelines
What do you think is the most challenging part about being the Editor of Statement?
The most challenging part is deciding which pieces of writing and art should go into the magazine. How do I know what’s good and what gives me the power to choose? I’m not nearly as talented as some of the writers we have on campus, but I am trusted to make these decisions. It’s an honor to work with my fellow co-editors Jamie Tice and Jonathan Lee. Choosing what the magazine is essentially going to be is tough; we always want to have the best possible magazine that features the best possible work. We want to celebrate the amazing writers and artists we have and we want to make CSULA look good. This is hard to do, but we do a good job every year.
What are some ways that students can be involved in Statement?
Basically a student will get out whatever they put in. A student can be involved in any way they wish. They can design flyers, review submissions on our editorial board, arrange and organize events, promote the magazine in classrooms, take minutes at the weekly meetings, participate in writing workshops, film events, help “table” to promote the magazine, perform during open mics. Students can do whatever they want, there aren’t strict or formal ways to help out. The goal for Statement Magazine is to publish a magazine. Besides this our organization strives to build student involvement, and and his or her writing skills. We do a variety of things to achieve this, and it is up to the student to participate in any way they wish.
What do you do in the Student Production Unit?
The Student Production Unit is a student production company. I’m blessed to work with two amazing students, Yzzy Gonzalez and Dillon Kinkead, to create videos for various departments within CSULA as well as a few other organizations outside CSULA. This involves doing anything within the three phases of the production process. I’ve worked on writing scripts, shooting interviews, and editing videos, in addition to many other things. For the SPU, we make videos that organizations can use to share and promote what they do to the CSULA/LA community.
What has been your favorite part about working with SPU?
My favorite part of working for the SPU is getting the chance to meet and work with all types of people outside of “film” as well as getting to build upon my skills as a filmmaker. It is valuable to experience the work that other professionals do, and it is important to realize that the connections I make go beyond my career at CSULA. I work with people from a completely different department that is not TVF to do a video for them and I get multiple benefits from this. I am exposed to other types of professionals, I build my own personal network, and I get better at making movies.
You are also in the Honors College! How has that helped you with your college experience?
The Honors College is important because it challenges students a little more than some classes do. Usually this means more reading and writing, and I like this because it only helps me. The biggest thing however is that the Honors College at CSULA stresses the importance of being an individual within the city and also how the city is apart of the individual. A lot of the classes have some aspect that deals with LA, and this makes the learning a little easier since the subject matter is very interesting; it’s our very own city. Not all classes and universities do this, and what is so unique is that the Honors College does not cater to a certain type of student or major. It embraces the diversity within students that LA itself is famous for.
What do you do in Cinematic Visions?
Within Cinematic Visions, we hold events and activities that are geared towards improving the skills of student filmmakers. In the past we’ve held screenings along with Q&A’s with the filmmakers, networking mixers, and workshops. One of the biggest things that Cinematic Visions does is host the Golden Eagle Film Festival every year, which is a student run film festival that promotes work from our very own student body. It’s also a fun club to be a part of because everyone in it is essentially a film nerd and we all get to connect about that. We are always looking for ways to improve what we do and it really makes us focus on serving the students’ needs and having fun along the way.
What is the Golden Eagle Film Festival? What’s your favorite part about it?
The Golden Eagle Film Festival is now an annual honored tradition we have here at CSULA. It’s exactly as it sounds; a film festival that showcases the creative and academic work of students here at CSULA. I’ve only done one time last year, but it definitely takes a lot of time and energy to put together and it’s very fun and worth it in the end. My favorite part is watching all of the winners’ films at the end and watching their work get the respect it deserves.
What do you do outside of school? Can you tell us about the documentary that you’ve been working on?
Outside of school I try to remain as focused and productive as I possibly can. Right now, I am working on a documentary that focus’s on the work of Sal Castro and the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference (CYLC). Castro was like the Mexican Marlin Luther King Jr. and his life’s work was dedicated to getting young Latinos, who are undeserved in LA, into college. He was a family friend of mine and his death affected a lot of people I know. I thought it would be a good and fun project to briefly tell his story from the perspective of the people who knew him best.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I see myself living on my own and making more than enough money to make my own films with all of my friends.
What advice can you give other TVF student?
Start making movies, even if the only camera you have is your iPhone. You lean from your mistakes and you grow from them, but you need to make movies. Get involved with something on campus, anything! Get out of your comfort zone, make a ton of friends, but most importantly have fun while you are in college.