Students from all over the country, and even from the United Kingdom, were present at Brown's fifth annual Ivy Film Festival this weekend. The festival featured screenings of student-made films and panels with industry professionals, reflecting the interests and concerns that many students have about the world around them.
"I think that this year's festival was much more relaxed than any of the years past," said Festival Volunteer Coordinator Tenneil Cobb '06.
Cobb said the presence of Brown alums made the festival more accessible to participants.
A Saturday afternoon panel of members of the film industry featured Rob Friedman P'07, COO of Paramount Pictures and vice chairman of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount Pictures; Meredith Lavitt '93, a documentary filmmaker and former associate director of the Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program; Carl Bressler, CEO and founder of Montana Artists; Jeff Mandel, "Murderball" producer; and Mark Downie '91, an independent film and television producer. The panel answered questions about working in the film industry from moderator Josh Koplewicz '05 and from audience members. The panelists commented on the industry and the future of filmmaking.
Another topic of discussion was the evolution of independent films. According to Bressler, "everything that starts on the fringe, if it's good, will end up in the mainstream."
"The studio systems have changed," Friedman said. "Every studio has an independent wing."
Cobb said a theme of this year's festival was the "importance of maintaining your integrity, keeping a sense of yourself in those purposely superficial industries."
The panel concluded with a discussion of the effects of the "digital revolution" on the entertainment industry.
"It will change entertainment as we know it," Friedman said. "Absolutely, completely educate yourself about the digital revolution."
Another feature of this year's Ivy Film Festival was a presentation by John Hamburg '92. Hamburg collaborated on the "Zoolander," "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers" scripts and wrote and directed "Along Came Polly" on his own.
While showing clips from his films, Hamburg offered commentary and insight on what has worked for him as a writer and a director.
Hamburg revealed his obsessions - two friends, jumpsuits, Jewish guys and uncomfortable moments at dinner tables. All of these obsessions allow his audiences to "identify with someone, put you in the psychology of the character," he said.
"I like to do character-based comedy," he said.
Hamburg said he likes to create characters who "think they're in a drama," taking themselves more seriously than they should. The effect, he said, is "comedic" and "relatable."
Hamburg also spoke about the difference between working on an already written script and writing his own screenplay. "Writing an original is the most satisfying thing to me - but torturous," he said.
He advised budding screenwriters to avoid the Internet -"When you write, don't be anywhere near an Internet port," he said.
Hamburg closed his talk with a few words of advice. "(Try) to understand storytelling," he said. "Bring some kind of heart to it."
The Ivy Film Festival concluded Sunday afternoon with awards given to student-made films. Brown directors garnered two honors at Sunday's awards brunch. Michael Metzger '05 won the Director's Award for his film, "Scarlett Ribbon," and JB Herndon '04 and Celina Paiz '04 won the award for Best Undergraduate Experimental/Animated Film for their film, "The Bird in the Head."
