CUFP’s second round of student film projects are the reel deal

What sets Columbia filmmakers above the rest? According to Max Rifkind-Barron, CC ’11, facilitator of the director’s workshop of Columbia University Film Production’s Production Season, “Columbia students, regardless of their major, have a great background in history, a great critical ability. They have a sense of storytelling.” So where can Columbia’s aspiring filmmakers turn?

Enter CUFP, the student-run film society on campus, devoted to making it possible for undergrads interested in filmmaking to get involved in every part of the process—from screenwriting and directing, to mixing and editing. CUFP offers an alternative outlet for students interested in exercising their storytelling abilities and getting practical experience, since film production courses are often limited and difficult to get into. Last year, Clea Litewka, CC ‘10, one of CUFP’s presidents, started the Production Season, a collaborative workshop for screenwriters and filmmakers that provides the structure, support, and equipment for students to create original films.

Now, the CUFP Production Season is back for its second incarnation, with a few key alterations. While last year, the entire process of screenplay workshopping and production lasted one semester, this year, the screenwriting workshops took place in the fall, and production is taking place this winter and spring to give those involved more time to realize their visions.

This fall’s screenwriting workshop included 10 writers, and only five directors were selected for production this spring. This allowed directors to choose one of 10 screenplays for production. The movies being made boast such interesting titles as “Love and Meth,” “Bad People and Other Friends,” “People Suck! “Elle,” and ”They Were Saying.” CUFP’s decision to produce only half of the scripts was part of an effort, as Rifkind-Barron explained, to “make sure the directors found a project they felt passionately enough about to follow through on.”

Directors and writers include a variety of Columbia College and General Studies students, a minority of whom are film majors. “CUFP exists to cater to non-film majors. The two presidents, neither of them study film. Jonathan Piliser is an English major, and Clea Litewka does creative writing,” Rifkind-Barron said. And the organization is in no way limited to just GS and CC students or to underclassmen—CUFP is constantly looking to increase the diversity and size of their membership. As Rifkind-Barron put it, “the production season is part of CUFP’s effort to build a film community on campus. Just like it is in Hollywood, it is about building contacts, building relationships.”

The directing workshop has been meeting in a small group every Sunday, where Rifkind-Barron facilitates discussions about aspects of the pre-production, production, and editing processes. The directors have just finished casting and will be filming through March. They will have the rest of April to edit, and films are due on the last day of the semester. Some directors may opt to finish their films earlier so they can be in the Spring CUFP Film Festival, but those films finished after the festival will be shown in the fall showcase.

CUFP is a great resource for students with an idea for a film, or for those who are eager to get their hands on a camera without forking over a wad of cash. CUFP welcomes all interested undergraduates and is already actively preparing for the next production season. As Rifkind-Barron puts it, “the CUFP Production Season is a way to make dreams happen.”