“When a community provides art, it creates artists.”

This really captured the spirit of the event, and it spoke to the dedication and generosity of all the volunteers and event sponsors.

The lead-off film was “Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park” by Tristan Howard. This 30-minute documentary did an excellent job of describing and showing the ecology of this area on California’s northern coast. This film was shot between September of 2008 and January of 2009, and produced from more than 6 hours of footage.

I was impressed with the excellent cinematography and natural sound, particularly of the elk. It was obvious that it took a great deal of painstaking work to get this footage.  “Prairie Creek” showed us the spectacular males, which have razor-sharp antlers and can weigh up to 1, 100 pounds. These are not animals you want to annoy. Yet Howard was able to capture the natural activities. Impressive. The film also also covered the area’s bird and plant life equally well.

Howard is a filmmaker and a scientist, and his narration did justice to his striking images. This film is more than a visual treat, it is a substantial nature documentary. For those of you who didn’t catch this fine film, or would like to see it again, it is scheduled to air on our own PBS station on April 11, 2009 at 8 pm. You also can visit his website for a DVD of this and other films. It’s worth marking your calendar. A footnote for my students, you might want to look at his collection of documentary scripts to get an idea of how you write for a documentary.

Chase Jensen’s fourth entry, which his assistant-directed, was “No Love in Berry County.” Jensen described the film as a “revisionist murder mystery–loosely based on a true story.” Jensen said that the film was challenging to shoot because of snow.

Despite it’s title, “No Love,” is a love story of sorts. Since it is a murder mystery, you can’t expect a happy ending, though. The film also affirmst the old saying: “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” The film’s protagonist demands answers… and gets them at a cost. If you’d like to see a clip of this film on YouTube, look no further.

Filmmaker Will Lascelles was not able to introduce his film, so his father, Mark, had to do the honors. Mark said that Will’s original entry grew to be “too big” to fit festival rules, so Will has to quickly put together another entry. He turned, for his subject, to a friend who does underwater photography. The result was “I Am Rodrigo.” This is a film that does NOT look “quickly put together.” It is visually stunning, and I can only hope that Will makes this available to the general public.

“Rodrigo” is at times a humorous film about a rugged outdoor photographer, and an underwater fantasy of exotic fishes and marine life on a coral reef. Either one of these elements would have been satisfying on their own, but the combination, elegantly arranged with underwater motion and still images and an uptempo music track, was brilliant. My only regret is that Will wasn’t there to receive the recognition due him. Maybe next year. Until then, you can see what Will is up to by looking at his work on YouTube. No word on what Rodrigo Ardanaz’s plans are…. but you can check his facebook page.

The “Spirit of the Himalayas” was a graceful, captivating mixture of interviews and footage from Will Parrinello, and the cast of subjects was impressive, including Sir Edmund Hillary, who first conquered the mountain with his Sherpa guide, Norbu Tenzing Norga. Parrinello also interviewed former President Jimmy Carter.

This was one of those films that treated a topic in a way that opened up new awareness of the life of the Sherpas.  It was shot on location in Katmandu, Nepal, and has vivid footage of the monasteries there and the restoration projects that are helping to preserve them. Most impressive to me was the work done to provide clinics and schools to help protect the young women of Nepal. Here’s the Mill Valley Film Group’s web page.

The last scheduled film came with a burst of energy in the form of “5 Days.” Christoper Parks introduced his film by explaining that the title was really a description of the production schedule. He heard about the competition just days before the entries were due, and he “handed the entry to the last person leaving the Rotary building” minutes before the final deadline. “5 Days” carried the disclaimer that it was “edited to remove material not deemed appropriate for the festival.”

Parks claims that his style has not been confused or deadened by formal instruction. And the film reflects a mixture of extreme skateboarding, tumbles and falls, skirmishes with security guards played in a “Keystone Cops” fashion, and more. The flim veered between locations, styles, including a bit of animation, but it all worked and the crowd loved it. Parks is a communications major at CSU Chico, and says his next entry will be called “362 days…” You can see more of Park’s work on YouTube.

The Festival ended with the film chosen by the audience as their favorite, and so Jesse Rosten once again addressed the crowd to talk briefly about his hit, “The Cart.” Rosten said that he had the idea some time ago, when he and his wife had been looking at a forlorn shopping cart while they were listening to some melancholy  music. But, says Rosten, it took the film fesitval’s contest to spur him into action.

“If not for this festival, the movie would not have been made,” Rosten said. ”

We can only hope he feels the same way next year, and that we’ll all be there able to see the results.

The opening included a clip of Kathleen Kennedy sending her greetings, congratulations, and regrets on not being able to attend. This was a nice touch, and served as a living example of how it is possible to start in a small town and really go somewhere.

The first film of the day was introduced by Dr. Lang Dayton, father of Todd Dayton, who was unable to attend.

Todd’s entry for the festival was “Matsutake,” his senior project for the UC Berkeley Graduate Program in Journalism. It was an impressive film, that took us through the entire process of harvesting and production of the world’s most expensive mushroom, Matsutake.

I was impressed with how the film went beyond just recounting facts to give us a feel for what it is like for those who, at each step of the way, work to bring this exotic food to Japanese consumers. The prices can range upwards of $600 a pound. The forests of Oregon are one of the few places with the specific, volcanic soil to support this fungus.  I was more than entertained by this film, and if I had tuned across a PBS or National Geographic channel, I would not have been surprised to find it there. It was of high quality. His production company’s website is www.falloutpictures.com.

Next up was Chase Jensen. Jensen’s story is that he left Redding for Los Angeles to work in the fashion industry, but was drawn in by film and landed at Azusa-Pacific His second entry for Sundial, “Revenge of the Mouse” was three-minute long  claymation with a dark sense of humor.

Chase acknowledged the work of Michael Stevenson, who’s claymation had screened on the first evening of the festival, and he commented on how “Revenge” was not done solo, as Stevenson’s work was. Chase estimated that he and his co-animator spent more than 150 hours to produce the three-minute film.  It was often intense, Jensen said.  “We’d spend 10 hours straight, without breaks, working to make the mouse take 8 steps and look up.”

Hard as it was, the work paid off, and the small moments, the details of movement and characterization in his characters, added an air of reality to the story. Jensen’s cast looked like it came right out of the bar scene in Star Wars, a bizzare group indeed.  But in the end, this group of baddies learned that you don’t mess with mice.

“Baba Yaga” was the work of Eric Pace and his talented crew. This film was offbeat and one of my personal favorites. Pace said that he wanted to do an adaptation, but a full-length novel was not appealing to him and his team. So, he found a 13-page story, with “dark illustrations,” and found the perfect vehicle for this film, which mixes some cutout, stop animation with live acting. The blend works, I think, and made for a creepy story. The best part is that this tale is on YouTube, you can search for Baba Yaga or click here.

A footnote: Pace said it took three days to make the film, and that he had a blast. Check out his band on his myspace page.

The last film before the intermission was that of Tom Stovall, whose work began as a narrated slide show of his trip to France. Stovall, who steeped himself in WWII history, went to pay his respects to the men who died during the re-taking of France. “They saved the world,” he says simply. And this film, in somber images and reverent tones, is a tribute to the 9,386 men who lie in the Cemetery that overlooks the shore that they wrested from the German army. Stovall’s film is, as he says, not about him or his trip, but about expressing thanks. He was asked, during his visit, if anyone there “was his.” He said, yes, all 9,386 of them.”

Chase Jensen returned after the intermission with his third entry, the “Reclamation of David Simms.” If there were an award that represented the sheer range of ability, Jensen would win it hands down. Each of his three films had a different look and feel. “Reclamation” was pure adrenaline rush from the first frame on. Jensen’s story returns to the theme of revenge for wrong doing, but this time the film’s star, Simms, is offered a chance to chose his redemption or save himself at the expense of another. The action is fast-paced, seamless, and compelling. This  sequence, this story, was well choreographed and executed, and it would be at home in any big-budget film. I can only wonder how Chase can top himself on day three, with his fourth film.

“Campus Safety 3″ was an delightful farce and spoof of police-action films. Director Michael Gallegos won this year’s Simpson Film Festival with his entry, and the film itself was shot at Simpson and dreamed up during graveyard shifts there. Gallegos played a lead,comic role in this film, and was a strong player in the ensemble. Of course, the bad guys did manage to get away…. and we can only wait to see if Dr. Sad and the 400 club turn up in a sequel…

“Paid In Full,” a film by Josh McHale, takes us back to the Old West, and has us asking two questions. First, who will end up with the loot, and, even more importantly, who ends up with the hat? The strength of this film lies in how unexpected it is, reversals and all.

I think it was Alfred Hitchcock who said that he felt he “owed” his audience a happy ending after they’d sat through a feature-length film, but didn’t owe them at all in his short-form, TV shows. McHale must agree with this philosophy, because the man with a black hat rides off after committing some vile deeds, and there’s no marshal to set things right.

The last film of the day was “Profiles are Lovely,” was a week-in-the-life of Montgomery Creek. Filmmaker Jeffrey Loveness was warm, funny, awkward, and captivating as the lead in a film he also wrote and directed.  I am a sucker for comedy, and I was enthralled with “Profiles.” It’s great how such a short work can have so many “favorite moments.” The scenes on the tennis court are feasts of visual humor.  Loveness’s lovestruck and lonely persona dominates this film, but he shares the stage with another interesting character: the town of Montgomery Creek. It’s mossy presence amuses and aminates much of the action.

That’s it for day 2 of the festival. I’m grateful to the sponsors of this event, and to those who volunteered their time to make it happen. Every one of these films was a treat, and the energy at the festival was an integral part of this unique experience. The organizers are already talking about next year. That’s the best news yet.

I’ll be adding contact information on the filmmakers when I am able.

I’m Robb Lightfoot, the webmaster here, and a teacher by trade. I’m a communications instructor, teaching everything from debate and speech to journalism and multimedia.

In short, I’m a utility player. I have long had a passion for the spoken word, hence my degrees in speech. Vox is, of course, Latin for “voice.” It also has another meaning that I cherish. It’s a shorthand expression from radio, ham radio in my case, for “voice-operated transmission.”  This is where, when you start talking, the radio kicks itself on.

This was a new thing when I first hit the airwaves in 1970, and I thought it was pretty cool. Talk, and the technology is there with you.

We’ve come a long way since then, and I’ve changed with the times to follow other passions, including documentary film making and music.

The great thing about New Media is that it is a “big tent” sort of discipline. All of those pursuits will be found here as we develop this networking site. I encourage you to participate.

Thanks for checking us out. You can expect blogs on the local music, media andarts scene. Cool local businesses will be featured, too, as will interesting classes, instructors and students.

I an be reached here, or via my home web www.robblightfoot.com.