Lights, Camera....
Sarah Wilson
Junior
Mass Communications Major
“Filmmaking is visual storytelling,” says Sarah Wilson, a student in the School of Mass Communications. “What I love about it is that it touches people. Film can have a tremendous emotional impact.”
Wilson’s video “Drive to Arrive” is a prime example. It’s a public service announcement created for the 2008 Bridgestone/Firestone Tire’s “Safety Scholars” contest and has a chilling final scene.
“I wanted this video to have a powerful ending,” she says, a goal she indisputably accomplished: her piece was selected from 600 entries nationwide as the first-place winner. Her award included airing of the video on MTV and VH1, a $5,000 scholarship, and a trip to the Chicago Auto Show.
Most impressive, however, is the fact that it was the second consecutive year that Wilson placed first in the annual competition.
It’s also the second consecutive year that one of her films will be screened at the International Grand Finale for Campus MovieFest, the largest student film festival in the world. Both this year’s entry, “Rhapsody,” and last year’s, “Focus,” were winners of “Best Picture” honors at the school level. Both years, her team’s work then competed against 800 to 1,000 other films from throughout the Southeast to receive the top regional award for “Best Picture.” This year, her team was presented with eight Apple iPods, two AT&T phones and two MacBook Air laptops for their efforts and “Rhapsody” will be screened at this year’s International Grand Finale at Paramount Studios.
“Representing USF to the nation while beating out competition from some of the country’s most prestigious film schools was awesome,” she says. “There were so many other completely amazing films. Considering the extreme level of craftsmanship and talent we were up against, this is an extreme honor.”
At age 21, an experienced director, producer, videographer and editor, Wilson’s love for the art form started in high school where she was introduced to television production. Since then, her work has been featured in the Gasparilla and Central Florida Film Festivals, and she received the Florida Choice Award from the Independents’ Film Festival two years in a row.
Wilson shares her enthusiasm and experience co-teaching a narrative filmmaking class and working in the video lab assisting students with editing and producing their work. These experiences, plus the small class size and personalized attention of Emmy award-winning professors “whose interest in students’ professional success is genuine and heartfelt,” are bringing her closer to achieving her dream of becoming a professional director and producer.
And probably closer to an Oscar, as well.
-- Mary Beth Erskine, University Communications & Marketing