UAT DV Vlog: Practical Effects!

Check this out - the students had some fun with dry ice and burning steel wool in the Advanced VFX class. Stick around til then end to see a sneak peek at a VFX shot from our upcoming time travel film "Ouroboros!"

TEDxPhoenix videos now online!

Last semester, the DVA241 / DVA274 class documented the TEDxPhoenix event "Catalysts and Optimists." Here are the videos they produced:

This playlist is over 3 hours long, so if you'd rather pick and choose which videos you watch, surf over to YouTube directly.

FALLOUT Trailer now online!

The trailer for UAT Digital Video's epic sci-fi action thriller "FALLOUT" is now online. You can check it out on our YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo pages, or watch the embedded version right here!

FALLOUT Short Film Trailer from UAT Digital Video on Vimeo.

From the UAT Intranet: "UAT Short Film in Phoenix Film Festival"

Story by Trevor Green

UAT's Digital Video short film A Turkey is an Official Selection in the 2010 Phoenix Film Festival, taking place April 8-15. Created by the DVA442 HDV Production class during the spring 2009 semester, the bowling-based action/drama will screen in the "Arizona Shorts Program A" category.

A Turkey was produced and photographed by UAT students, with Professor Paul DeNigris in the director's chair. Undergrads Nicholas Wassenberg and Susanna Morgan served as producers, Zac Donner photographed the action, Joel Terry was the film's editor, Ryan Loveland was in charge of costume design and Justin Gagen headed the art department. Adjunct Instructor Steve Briscoe wrote the screenplay and acted in the film.

Wassenberg and Morgan took on new tests as producers, putting their stamp on the movie from start to finish. The pair contacted and auditioned actors, set up and scheduled shoot locations, catered, communicated between departments and ensured that everything was on set to facilitate filming. Both chose the script, drawn to the gritty story about a contract killer who has too much information for his boss to handle.

Wassenberg knew he was in for a challenge in accepting the producer role.

"It's a huge change because usually I just take what other people have done and add my own little thing to them in post-production [visual effects] , but now it was an entirely new facet of the industry that I hadn't experienced before," he said. "I'm not the most organized person in the world, and the job requires a fair share of organization, so it's not my cup of tea."

Morgan found the workload mostly enjoyable, finding a potential career focus in the process.

"There were definitely moments when I was working on this project where I wished I didn't have so much to take care of it. But most of the time, it really is a lot of fun. And, when the film is finished, you can sit back and say, 'This really is my movie. I had a part in it every step of the way. I really helped to make this thing happen.' And that's a great feeling."

Gagen utilized his handyman skills as art director to tackle set design, assemble props - which included a false bottom bowling bag and table for a decapitated head - and create makeup effects like fake blood. He found his calling with the role, taking on similar duties in subsequent movies.

"It was my first adventures into art direction, so I really fell in love with it really quick, though. I've been doing it a lot ever since," he admitted. "Everything I've learned from A Turkey has really helped me in [production] since then."

DeNigris took a mostly hands-off approach with overseeing the film, offering feedback and letting the students get their hands dirty with their roles.

"I tried to do as little as possible on it, so I was just directing and the students had to do everything else. And they all stepped up really well," he noted. "Usually, I give them enough specific direction up front and then they can just take it and run with it, and what they come up with definitely fits within my vision."

The vision is one that everyone involved enjoyed gain acceptance into the Festival - with some, like Wassenberg and Morgan, surprised to learn that the film was submitted.

"A lot of hard work did go into the making of A Turkey. To have it accepted into the Phoenix Film Festival, well, that really just shows us that all of that work paid off. That's a really wonderful feeling," Morgan declared.

"It turned out a lot better than a lot of us thought it was going to. I mean, we had high expectations because we were in a 400-level class and we wanted it to be professional-level, but I think it really exceeded all of our expectations on how well we achieved our goals," said Gagen. "We were really surprised how much we could really do with all we learned here. It really put our skills in perspective."

Featured Project: Heart of the Sunrise

Heart of the Sunrise from UAT Digital Video on Vimeo.

Music video produced for classes DVA241 Digital Video Production and DVA274 Digital Video Editing by student Bryan Simcox. Summer 2009 Semester.

Music: "Heart of the Sunrise" by Yes.

Featured Project: Ticket to the Moon

This week's featured project is a surreal music video for ELO's "Ticket to the Moon," created by student Sean Walter for this semester's DVA241 Digital Video Production and DVA274 Digital Video Editing classes.



YouTube Link

Featured Project: I'm Not Crying

This week's Featured Project comes from last semester's DVA274 Digital Video Editing class. "I'm Not Crying" is another take-off from the "Flight of the Conchords" TV series from students Hido Harada, Luke DeSalvo, and Chris Erickson.



YouTube Link

Featured Project: Peephole

This week's featured project is a short film produced for DVA441 Competition Shorts class during the Fall 2006 Semester. It went on to become an Official Selection of the 2007 Phoenix Film Festival.

Written and directed by Daniel Martinez
Produced by Carl Hawke
Director of Photography Kevin Mason
Edited by Ryan Luibrand



YouTube Link

Featured Project: Room for One More

This week's featured project comes from last semester's DVA442 HDV Production class, written and directed by Shon Major and with stellar cinematography by Ryan Loveland.

Room for One More from UAT Digital Video on Vimeo.

Featured Project: Polarity

Here's a project from last semester's DVA241 class, produced in HD by student Chris Erickson. This one has it all - great cinematography, editing, and visual effects - and a compelling story. Check it out!

Polarity from UAT Digital Video on Vimeo.

New DVA101 Finals Now Online

Last semester's crop of DVA101 Final Action Movies are now on YouTube. Here's one of them... check out the rest here.

New DVA101 Commercial Spoofs Online

Last semester's 30 Second Commercial Spoofs are now online on YouTube. Here's one... the rest can be found here!

Featured Project: A Day For Tea

During the 2005 Summer semester, DVA441 Competition Shorts was run for the very first time, and the students were tasked with producing a number of short films that would be "competition ready" - for submission to film festivals and to competitions like IFP/Phoenix's "Screen Wars." Here's the second film produced by that class (the first one presented here as a Featured Project was "Bad Whiskey" back in March). This one is called "A Day For Tea" and is a good example of how DV students can use the UAT campus in creative ways to double for other locales. Watch it on YouTube.

New DVA101 Action Portraits online

The latest batch of "Action Portrait" projects from this semester's DVA101 classes are now online on YouTube. Here's one to get you started. The rest can be found here.

Featured Project: Homina Homina

This week's featured project is a music video created for DVA241 Digital Video Production by student Johanna Arcand during the Summer 2004 semester.



Direct YouTube Link

New This Summer - DVA451 Advanced Visual Effects

Jump into the world of visual effects! In DVA451 Advanced Visual Effects students will combine live action actors, greenscreen composites, 3D environments, CG characters, matchmoving, particles, and more to create stunning professional-quality VFX shots. If you are a Digital Video or Digital Animation major, this class is a must! DVA451 is offered on Wednesdays and Fridays @ 1:30 pm this Summer. See Professor Paul DeNigris for an override to join this exciting course!

Featured Project: You Could Be Happy

This week's featured project is a music video created for both DVA241 Digital Video Production and DVA274 Digital Video Editing by student Daniel Sontag during the September 2007 semester.



Direct YouTube link

Featured Project: Healer

Here's a great example of a DVA101 final project from the Fall 2008 semester. "Healer" was created by students Luke DeSalvo, Chris Erickson, Hido Harada, and Arron Willoughby.



Direct YouTube link

New DVA101 projects posted to YouTube

The "Morning Routine" projects from this semester's crop of DVA101 students have been posted on YouTube. Here's one of 'em:

Direct YouTube link



Check out the rest here!

Featured Project: Bad Whiskey

This week's featured project from the UAT Digital Video archives was produced for DVA441 Competition Shorts class and was the winner of the Screen Wars Western Film Challenge during the summer of 2005.