r Whenever I think of young filmmakers I think of the legendary stories of Steven Spielberg’s 8mm adventure films he made during his high school years. He had an early passion for writing and directing films, and he followed his passion. There is probably no one who reads Serve Daily who has not seen a Steven Spielberg movie. You never know where you might see a young film maker’s name someday.
We have some young men in our community who are gaining recognition for their filmmaking that we should watch. Taylor Davis from Spanish Fork and four of his fellow filmmakers, David Heath, Steven Olsen, Barrett Burgin, and Matthew Siemers have directed six short films they call “Strange Visions”. They use that title because all the films have a sci-fi/fantasy/other-worldly element to them. The films will be shown at the Megaplex in Vineyard, February 8 at 8:30. Tickets are $5.00 which can be purchased at the door or on their Eventbrite page: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/strange-visions-tickets-42210237958 .
The filmmakers are all students or alumni of BYU’s film program. The event is not sponsored or connected to BYU. The faculty of the Department of Theater and Media Arts has been supportive of independent filmmaking and public screenings. In addition to the screening at the Megaplex Theater in Vineyard, several of the films will be selected for the LDS Film Festival.
Information on each film follows.
Spaceboy
Directed by David Heath, produced by Danny Hunt
A short six-episode webseries chronicling the mundane lives of workers of a futuristic mega-corporation set on colonizing the furthest reaches of space. Each episode is about 1-2 minutes for a total running time of about 10 minutes, and these episodes will play in between the rest of the films. This event will be the premiere of this series.
Arthur Weatherby
Directed by Steven Olson, produced by Anna & Kent Thalman
A story about a narrator trying to maintain control of the stories he tells to his audience, which seem to have a mind of their own. This film was shown at BYU’s Final Cut Film Festival in 2017 and will be shown at the LDS Film Festival in March.
Out of the Ground
Directed by Barrett Burgin, produced by Garrett Helgesen
A drama about two scientists who have left society to build a machine that will regenerate all human life in a futuristic time of global turmoil. This film has been shown at the Knoxville Film Festival (at which it was nominated for several awards, winning best production design), the BYU Final Cut Film Festival, and will be shown at the LDS Film Festival in March.
What Am I Doing
Directed by Taylor Davis
A stop-motion animated film about dealing with crippling apathy and understanding one’s own worth to the world, told allegorically through the story of a little plastic man floating adrift through space. This film was shown at BYU’s Final Cut Film Festival in 2016 and will be shown at the LDS Film Festival in March.
Where We Are Now
Directed by Taylor Davis
The sequel to “What Am I Doing”; a story about regaining control over one’s life after everything metaphorically falls apart. This event will be the premiere of this film.
Thorn, Thank You for Coming
Directed by Matthew Siemers, produced by Jennifer Baker
A comedy about a young man who just wants to watch Soylent Green before the world ends at midnight. This film was shown at BYU’s Final Cut Film Festival in 2017 and will be shown at the LDS Film Festival in March.
