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February 5, 2004Oscars on the way?Student filmmakers make big showing at competitionByRecord-Eagle staff writer SUTTONS BAY - Eighth-graders Brendan O'Hara and Hans Dalton painstakingly moved the clay figures hundreds of times to film a three-minute movie of commercial parodies. Because of that and five other short movies, Suttons Bay youths will receive three awards and three honorable mentions from the East Lansing Children's Film Festival in late February, the most of any competing school. All but one of the winning entries from here was animated. The exception was a live-action film by Matt Marek and Trevor Scott, the two boys who started the Animation Club here in 2001. The club now has about 15 members. They use their home equipment or one of the three cameras provided by Ken Scott, Trevor's father and a professional photographer who advises the group. All of the winners are Suttons Bay public schools students except Trevor, who attends Interlochen Arts Academy. Suttons Bay students are not new to winning awards. They took five awards and an honorable mention at the festival last year. "The Suttons Bay schools always get a lot of awards," festival director Jerri Puerner said, adding that they also submit more entries than most schools. "I think it's a combination of having really talented children and a leader who invests a lot of time," she said. While schools with film or animation clubs or classes are probably in the minority, the number is growing because of the availability of relatively inexpensive digital cameras and editing software, Ken Scott said. It is educational, covering such concepts as time and space relationships, coordinating sound with pictures and collaborating with other people, he added. It also teaches cooperation. The students often help each other with their projects. The students love what they do, and some do it whenever they can even outside of the club. "Four of us are neighbors and sometimes we just get together and make movies," said Dana Wessels, a fourth-grader. Several said they'd like to get into film-making, but are more interested in live-action movies than in animation. Marek and Trevor Scott felt the same way and made a live-action spoof of a martial arts movie as their winning entry. "I've always wanted to be a director," Scott said. The students put a lot of hours into their productions. "It was taking us a long, long time and we were getting pretty crabby," seventh-grader Lizzy Freed said. But it was worth it. They're looking forward to going to the festival, attending workshops to improve their craft and seeing other students' productions. They said it's also fun, but nerve-wracking, to know a large audience will see their movies. "It's cool, but it can be embarrassing," Wessels said. "I don't like how my voice sounds," she said, laughing. Here is a complete list of the winners from Suttons Bay: Elementary school division - 1st place, "Animals in Space," 8 minutes, Zoe Allen-Wickler, sixth grade. - Honorable mention, "Owners Away...Dogs Play," 6 minutes 30 seconds, Dana Wessels, fourth grade. Middle school division - 1st place, "Grapes Anyone?" 1 minute, 20 seconds, Aimee Plamondon, eighth grade. - Honorable mention, "The Snowman," 1 minute, Lizzy Freed, seventh grade. - Honorable mention, "Commercial Break," 3 minutes 12 seconds, Brendan O'Hara and Hans Dalton, both eighth grade. High school division - 2nd place, "The Test," 4 minutes 37 seconds, Matt Marek, 10th grade Suttons Bay High School; and Trevor Scott, 10th grade Interlochen Arts Academy.
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