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Student Earns After Hours Film Society Merit Award, and Fifty Bucks to Support His Habit
Oct. 28, 2008
Written by Donna Emert
MOSCOW, Idaho – Tyler Shaw is using the traditionally light-hearted medium of animation to broach darker subject matter.
“My film is called 'No Use,' and it is the story of a man who makes a deal with death for the chance to be reunited with his lost love,” said Shaw, a Journalism and Mass Media student at the University of Idaho.
“No Use,” was among 87 films submitted to a panel of judges at the After Hours Film Society 2008 Short Film and Video Festival. Submissions were evaluated for structure, story, creative approach, technical and creative excellence, and overall effectiveness.
Shaw, a junior studying television and radio production with a minor in film, was notified last week that “No Use” earned the After Hours Film Society Merit Award. The announcement was accompanied by a $50 check.
Shaw produced the short experimental animation piece for his University of Idaho animation class, taught by Denise Bennett.
"'No Use' is very much a black film, in a literal and metaphorical sense,” said Shaw. “It was made with the intention of utilizing some of the stylistic aspects of German expressionism that I loved so much growing up watching the films of Fritz Lang and James Whale.”
The two-minute short took about 80 hours to create, including writing, building sets and puppets, lighting, filming and editing. Shaw said the project also taught him a lot about film feedback, pitching ideas to an audience and developing an idea thoroughly.
He used a camera and other equipment available free of charge to students taking JAMM production classes. He built, stained and painted three 12-inch wooden art models and then “destroyed the finish in a variety of ways,” to reflect the film’s dark mood. He also built sets he saturated in black paint.
Shaw shot most of the project late at night “in a tiny, freezing cold garage,” because it was a challenge to block out light and create a dark mood in daylight. “I guess my only other real expense was for a few packs of Mountain Dew,” Shaw said. “I relied pretty heavily on the golden caffeinated nectar of Mountain Dew to keep me awake and going.”
He estimates total out-of-pocket expenses at around $100, and worth much more for the insights the experience provided.
“The fact that After Hours has given me $50 and an award for my work is very cool,” said Shaw. “The money – more than anything – was just a nice way of saying, ‘we like what you did. Here is something to encourage you on.’”
Shaw, originally from Pilot Rock, Ore., already is at work on another film for his spring '09 semester digital media thesis class. That production will focus on a woman’s quest for revenge after being left for dead.
For more information on JAMM programs, which include hands-on experience, visit www.class.uidaho.edu/jamm.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Joni Kirk, University Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu
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