Two Salt Lake Community College students who are first-time directors of documentaries have been picked to have their films premiere this week. Films will premiere this Friday, December 9, at the Tower Theatre at noon. The Tower Theatre is located at 876 East 900 South. There is another showing of the films on Saturday, December 10 at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus in TB203 at 7:00 p.m. The films were made as a project in Communication 2510, Advanced Video Production Documentary.
“What we’re trying to show is the history of old movie theatres,” said Drew Lawrence, a full time student at SLCC. “How they came to be what they are today, and why it’s important to keep these structures going and to keep supporting them.” His film is titled “Our Feature Presentation.”
“So far, I’ve learned that they’ve [owners of old theatres] had to adapt with the changes and the behavior of the movie goers,” Lawrence said. “It’s always going a different way and they’ve had to adapt a lot. To keep business going, they actually rent out their spaces to families for get-togethers and parties.”
The project gave class members the opportunity to know what filming a documentary is like. It will give them the experience firsthand to know what to expect when working in a group. Some students may have already had experience in the past with making independent short films on their own, but this is the first time most have had a whole crew to help make their own documentary.
“I’m getting more used to delegation, like letting everyone do their own job. You have to learn how to trust your fellow students as well as your teammates. I’m so used to doing everything on my own, but it’s good. I like it,” Lawrence said.
Julio Puentes, a full time student at SLCC looking to earn his film technician degree, has been chosen as one of the other directors for this semester’s project. His film is titled “Utah: Mild to Hot.”
“The idea of my documentary is to show the history of the salsa culture in Utah to those who are not familiar with its music and dance movement,” Puentes said.
His team has been going around to local dance studios and clubs where Salsa is popular and has seen the professional dancers in Utah show their best moves.
“It’s not just about the dance and the music. Dancers regard themselves as family to each other,” Puentes said. “A person who may be shy will open up so much more when they talk about something they love.”
