Students sample a taste of Hollywood in Film Club
By Lauren Fitch
Everyone loves films. Some love them more than other, yet everyone has one movie that truly tugs on their heart strings. A few years ago, some High Point University students realized they shared an affinity for film and media, thus, HPU Film Club was born.
“We have hundreds on our email list and typically 20-30 come to our meetings,” said HPU senior and co-president Alex Hostetler. The club has clearly gained some well-deserved steam.
Film club hosts a wide variety of media related events every semester, including but not limited to the 48-hour film festival, weekly film screenings, an Oscar viewing party, educational seminars and the occasional high-profile guest speaker. Just last year Film Club hosted Laika, the production company known for “Paranorman” and “Kuba and the Two Strings”.
Anyone can join film club, said Hostetler, who added “We are catered to your interests. we host many events throughout the year that allow you to work more hand-on within the field or showcase your work to peers.”
Students who attend film club can just watch or they can personally take part in every part of the film-making process. Some students only attend the film screenings and subsequent discussions. Others love to get involved in directing, acting or producing.
“We are catered to your interests,” explained Hostetler.
The club is still new as it has only been chartered for a few years. The founding members are still mostly a part of film club, though many will be graduating this year.
Senior members of film club will be quick to tell you about all their adventures. Senior and member at large Brett Deresienski fondly recalled some of his early memories at film club.
“One time during freshman year, a bunch of us tried to start a YouTube miniseries set in the mockumentary style of “The Office” about life at college. At film club, we tried to film the intro interviews where we all describe the character we’ll be playing then realized how bad we all were at acting and scratched the idea completely,” Deresienski recalled.
While this scenario could seem silly, the students involved had a good time. Since this endeavor, students in film club have been exposed to all kinds of projects and genres including a horror film.
Film club is the perfect fit for students who want to have a good time while also learning valuable lessons about media in the modern age.
