Notre Dame students win film award
By ALISON HEINZ
News Writer
Two Notre Dame Film, Television and Theatre majors won the Communicator Award of Distinction for their production of a public service announcement (PSA), "One Organization Can Make All the Difference."
Senior Charlie Holden-Corbett and junior Tim Ryan won the award for their production of an announcement highlighting El Campito, a multicultural family and day care facility in South Bend. The PSA was shown at the 2001 Student Film Festival.
"We picked El Campito to let people know that it's out there and what services they provide. El Campito is trying to build an image of a multicultural center instead of just day care," said Holden-Corbett.
The PSA was created as part of a class requirement for Professional Video Production. Holden-Corbett and Ryan researched other PSA's before they began production of their own.
"I was inspired by a film I saw a few years ago at the Film Festival which also featured a series of still photographs, so that's kind of where the idea came from. But, Tim and I watched a bunch of other PSAs to help prepare us for making this one," said Holden-Corbett.
Their methods proved successful, as their entry, which features a series of black and white still photos that gradually fade into color, was selected by industry professionals from a pool of more than 3,000 entries from 47 states and eight foreign countries.
Ryan and Holden-Corbett's hope their PSA will be aired locally soon.
"Right now we are hoping that it will run on WNDU," said Holden-Corbett. "We have to get El Campito's approval as well as signed release forms from all those who are featured in the announcement."
The class creates PSA to use their talents to give back to the community, according to instructor Ted Mandell.
"Producing PSAs is one way our students give back to the South Bend community, while finding out a bit about themselves in the process," the associate professional specialist in Film, Television and Theatre said. "The award confirms the professional quality of the work, not only by Charlie and Tim, but also by many of our film and video students whose creativity and technical skills are extraordinary for an undergraduate program."
The Communicator Awards are part of a national program that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. The Award of Distinction won by Holden-Corbett and Ryan is given to those whose talent and ability to communicate exhibit a high standard of excellence.
"There are a bunch of different awards," said Holden-Corbett. "I thought we might get an honorable mention, so I was really surprised and excited that we won. I would definitely do it again because it helps to see that our work can compete with those that were done by professional production companies."
All News Stories for Monday, February 5, 2001
