Heads up Spartans! The Traverse City Film Festival is happening from July 25-30 and Michigan State has a lot of great things in store. From student films and shorts, to virtual reality and video games, there’s enough to keep you busy throughout the entire festival.
Spartan Headquarters
Interested in attending? Alumni, students and friends can learn more about MSU at TCFF and grab some free gear at Spartan Headquarters at 333 E. State Street in downtown Traverse City from 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Tuesday–Friday and 11:00 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday. MSU students can also pick up free tickets here with their student ID.
Feature Film
Theater2Film’s newest feature film, Stay With Me, will be premiering at the Old Town Playhouse on Wednesday, July 26 at noon. The collaboration between the Department of Theater, Media Sandbox and the College of Music had students write and develop an original play that is now a full-length feature film.
This years’ plotline follows a struggling midwest farm family as they’re threatened with the loss of their home. The psychological thriller shows their descent into dysfunction and chaos.
Short Films
A collection of five short fiction and documentary films will be shown at Kirkbride at the Commons on Friday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m. Each of the films was written and directed by students from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts and Letters.
On Friday, July 28 at 9:00 a.m., a program of short films specifically about the Flint water crisis will be shown in the Central High School Auditorium. The program includes shorts by Flint students, MSU faculty and award-winning journalists to explore the ins and outs of the preventable crisis. Expect to see Hard to Swallow by MSU J-School students, faculty and WKAR-TV staff and Here’s to Flint by Kate Levy and the ACLU’s Curt Guyette, the Michigan Press Association’s Journalist of the Year.
The Woz
The Woz is a showcase of virtual reality, video games and mobile games that take you beyond traditional film to the place where art, technology and interactivity meet, placing you in the middle of the story.
The Woz will be held in Hotel Indigo at 263 W. Grandview Parkway. The free launch party is on Wednesday, July 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The Woz will then be open from Thursday, July 27- Saturday, July 29 from noon to 8:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, July 30 from noon to 3:00 p.m.
Film School
MSU will also be holding various workshops and panels at NMC Scholars Hall to get an inside look at the industry. Here you’ll learn about turning your cell phone into a professional videography device, the difficulties of receiving funding for film projects and you could even have a say in the next Theater2Film storyline.
Kids Camps
As the official Learning and Innovation Partner for TCFF, Michigan State University is taking the lead to inspire the next generation of media makers. On July 28 and 29, MSU is offering two-day camps for youth ages 12-16, one focused on filmmaking and the other on game design and development.
By Kaitlin Dudlets