Rosemount Student Films Hit the Biggest Screen

Thirty-three student filmmakers got to see their projects on the screen that boasts of being the largest in the Upper Midwest at the District 196 Film Festival on Saturday.

Fifty video projects were shown on the Minnesota Zoo’s IMAX Theater’s six-story screen, and “The Abduction” by Rosemount junior Ryan Floysand won the prize for best of the festival.

Kathy O’Connell, the theater’s manager, was pleased with how the event turned out. “I was totally blown away by their work,” O’Connell said.

Rosemount teacher Mark Hubbard organized the event. Renting the IMAX Theater is a costly endeavor, so Hubbard secured the corporate sponsors to help fund the event. The theater also cut him a deal.

“IMAX gave us a very discounted rate.” Hubbard said. "They made this event possible."

Best Buy was also instrumental in getting the event off the ground, as it provided the ushers and the prizes, Hubbard said.

Hubbard teaches a year-long course in film and multimedia production titled the "Digital Film Factory" at Rosemount High School. The course is an intensive study of filmmaking that lasts two class periods. In connection with this course, Hubbard has built a relationship with the theater.

Two years ago, he took a group of students on a field trip to the IMAX Theater and projection booth manager Rodney Johnson showed them around.

Last spring, Johnson gave Hubbard's animation class IMAX film that they used to create animated clips by drawing on the frames with permanent marker.  After finishing the clips, the animation students came to the Apple Valley IMAX Theater to view their work on the big screen.

Building on that relationship, this year Hubbard orchestrated the first ever District 196 Film Festival.

“For students this is an opportunity to have their projects displayed on a enormous screen.” Hubbard said. “It’s great we are in the same area (as the Minnesota Zoo’s IMAX Theater.)”

"I hope to make this an annual event and make Best Buy and IMAX partners," Hubbard said.

Hubbard’s Digital Film Factory students created most of the entries. However, high school from around the district participated.  Seven middle school students also entered films.

Rosemount senior Dominic Ollhoff, a Digital Film Factory student, figured prominently into the festival. Ollhoff contributed to five films. His documentary "Best Tennis Town" won 2nd place in the documentary/news category at the festival.

The documentary, which Ollhoff did as a volunteer project, was a finalist in the United States Tennis Association's 2010 Best Tennis Town competition. The distinction won the Rosemount tennis program $2,000.

Ollhoff colloborated with School of Environmental Sciences (SES) junior Alina Orbidan in two projects.

Their documentary entry, "iConsumption" was a SES school project. Ollhoff attends SES part time. The film takes a look at rampant consumerism in America.

The other project they worked together on was "Max Power and the Chopsticks of Fury." The film tells the story of young man who must face his fear of chopsticks.

Ollhoff made the narrative short especially for the festival. The cast and crew had fun with the production, joking around while they shot scenes, Ordian said. Sometimes the shenanigan slowed their progress.

"He'd get on us if we were laughing too much," Orbidan said. "But, he's pretty laid back."

They had to run 15 to 20 takes on a straight-forward scene that should have only taken a few takes, Ollhoff said.

Ollhoff said he plans to attend SCSU in the fall, major in Film Studies, and make a filmmaking a career.

A panel of nine judges critiqued the student work and selected the winners in each category.  The four categories were public service announcements, experimental and music videos, stop motion and animation, and news and documentaries.

Johnson was one of the judges. He was impressed with what he saw.

“If these students had a fifty million dollar budget like they do in Hollywood, they could do the same thing as the professionals,” Johnson said. “The artistic intent is there, and the creative talent is there.”