UAT DV Vlog: Borderlands Production Fun!

Once again, go behind the scenes of our latest fan film "Change of Hart," based on the world of the Borderlands videogames. This ep - set construction, lots of dust, and Psychos! New vlog every week!

UAT DV Vlog: Behind the Scenes of "Borderlands: Change of Hart"

Check out the latest installment of our UAT Digital Video vlog, this time taking you behind the scenes of our latest fan film, "Change of Hart," based on the Borderlands videogames. Check out those psycho masks!

UAT DV Vlog: Behind the Scenes of "Ouroboros"

We're kicking off a new semi-regular feature, the UAT DV Vlog, which will offer behind the scenes looks at our students and faculty in action on set and in the studio. Here's our first installment, a look at the filming of our new sci-fi film "Ouroboros."

The Making of RED SAND

The UAT Digital Video team has put together 4 behind-the-scenes documentaries about the making of our epic Mass Effect prequel fan film, RED SAND! The videos give a great look into the creative process, the nuts and bolts of VFX-heavy filmmaking, and the community of UATDV students. It's 22 minutes of behind the scenes awesomeness. Check it out!

ONE Community: 'Karen & Nelda'

UAT Digital Video is delighted to share the story of "Karen & Nelda" which debuted on Spirit Day at the ONE Community Spotlight on Success Local Heroes Awards. The video was produced by UATDV students and faculty in cooperation with ONE Community.

This special tribute and video tells the story of Nelda Majors and Karen Bailey who have been together for 54 years. They met when they 18 and 19 years old. Nelda knew that she was gay, yet Karen was in a relationship with a soldier for 4 years prior to their meeting. Six months after their friendship began; Karen came back from spring break and told Nelda that she loved her. Both women were raised in Texas and have lived in the Valley for the last several years. The journey of their lives together and how society’s views have evolved over the last 50+ years was documented at the Spotlight on Success Local Heroes Awards which celebrates LGBT history month and twelve LGBT and allied ONE Community business members in October of each year.

24-Hour Film Challenge: 'Concealed Chronicle'

Here's a fun little film a team of UAT Digital Video students produced for the summer 2012 A3F 24 Hour Film Challenge. That's right, they did this in one day from start to finish! And, it was in the Top 20 Films in the Challenge!

Parameters for the challenge were a required line ("Let's get this over with"), a required prop (a box which had to be opened or closed), and a required theme ("a hidden agenda").

More info about the challenge: http://www.thea3f.net

UAT Digital Video produces Geeks' Night Out videos

In February 2012, a team of UAT Digital Video students lead by Professors Paul DeNigris and Todd Schoenberger provided video production support for the City of Tempe's "Geeks' Night Out" science and technology festival.

Geeks are really important to Tempe. About 20 percent of the jobs in our city are tech-related. We are, perhaps, the most tech-heavy town in Arizona, depending on how you slice it. We love geeks. They're smart, fun and want to change the world for the better. They've cured diseases, built robots, and yes, even helped us get to Mars. (Source)

The students involved in this project were: Alexander Broderick, Evanne Carter, Clayton Dowell, David Ford, Anthony Guilkey, Reginald Riley, and Vanessa Schell. Here's the playlist on YouTube, over two hours of engaging talks and high-tech product pitches. Watch it all here, or bounce over to YouTube to pick and choose which talks to watch.

'Covet' Now Online!

Two crooked cops unleash an evil that corrupts and destroys everyone it touches.

Produced for the IFP/Phoenix 48-Hour Film Challenge, Summer 2011. A co-production of UAT Digital Video, Locked Horns Productions, and SWAT HD. Required prop: battery or helmet (we chose battery). Required line: "As long as it's free..."

The film won 4 awards at the 48 Hour Challenge Screening (Best Director, Best Use of Line, Best Ensemble, 2nd Place Film) and was also an official selection of the 2012 Phoenix Film Festival and 2012 Phoenix Comicon.

RED SAND Update!

The new trailer for our Mass Effect fan film "Red Sand" was published on this past Tuesday and has racked up over 16,000 hits already on YouTube. In case you missed it, here it is on YouTube and on Vimeo:





We've also gotten some great press coverage already:

MSNBC: http://www.ingame.msnbc.msn.com/technology/ingame/move-over-hollywood-mass-effect-fans-bring-game-film-792972

Kotaku: http://kotaku.com/5912979/that-red-sand-mass-effect-fan-film-is-shaping-up-nicely

Mediocrity is the New Genius: http://mediocrityisthenewgenius.com/2012/05/23/first-amazing-trailer-for-uats-mass-effect-fan-film-red-sand/

Gameverse: http://www.gameverse.com/2012/05/23/holy-mark-meer-batman-red-sand-looks-amazing/

PopGamer: http://www.pop-gamer.com/2012/05/mass-effect-prequels-new-trailer/

UAT Digital Video Highlights Reel

Here's a reel highlighting excerpts of UAT Digital Video student works from 2005 to 2012, with peeks behind the scenes into prop fabrication, set design, makeup, effects, and more!



Complete list of projects, in order:

"Fallout"
"Bad Whiskey"
"I Have Some News"
"Reset"
"Get Pade"
"Data Stream"
"Pirate Booty"
"Like You Said"
"Somewhere (dot dot dot)"
"Extraordinary Colleagues"
"Flight of the Melvin"
"Red Sand"
"Nardo and the Sock of Destiny"
"Breeze in the Wind"
"Chet vs. The Elevator"
"Backup Plan"
"Peephole"
"Covet"

Nerdtacular!

UAT Digital Video is pleased to announce that we will be partnering with FrogPants Studios this summer to provide video coverage of their "Nerdtacular 2012" event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FrogPants has made a name for itself as a premiere podcaster dedicated to comics, videogames, and all around geek culture. (A perfect fit with UAT!) In 2007 they started Nerdtacular as a live event to connect with their fans, and the event has grown over the last several years into a min-con of sorts. This year is their biggest event yet, closing out a concert by with geek comedy music duo Paul & Storm.

Professor Paul DeNigris and a team of top UAT DV students will be traveling to Salt Lake City in June to document the day's events. We'll be livestreaming all day, and then will return to Arizona for post-production. Once edited, the coverage of Nerdtacular '12 will be posted to the web and will be distributed via DVD by the folks at FrogPants. We are super excited to be part of this event!

Two more UATDV-produced TEDx Talks Make it to front page of TED.com!

Two more of the videos we produced for last November's TEDxPhoenix event have made it to the front page of TED.com!

"Rick Guidotti: From Stigma to Supermodel"

Rick Guidotti is a fashion photographer with a passion project: finding and sharing the unmistakable beauty of kids with albinism and other conditions that affect their physical appearance -- and the way society treats them. At TEDxPhoenix, he shares some of their stories and the empowering effects of a little glamour as he redefines their beauty in a flash.

"Brenda Brathwaite: Gaming for Understanding"

It's never easy to get across the magnitude of complex tragedies -- so when Brenda Brathwite's daughter came home from school asking about slavery, she did what she does for a living -- she designed a game. At TEDxPhoenix she describes the surprising effectiveness of this game, and others, in helping the player really understand the story.

These videos were produced during the Fall 2011 Semester by the DVA241 (DV Production) class and edited by the DVA274 (DV Editing) class, under the supervision of Professor Paul DeNigris and Associate Professor Todd Schoenberger. Students involved were: Ty Bitterolf, Kennedy Gray, Ariel Navarrete, Neil Sparks, Nic Vereen, Dylan White, and Annie Winn.

'Fallout' Selected for Fright Night Film Festival

Just when we thought our festival run for "Fallout" was all wrapped up, the folks at Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, KY, contacted us and asked to screen the film. One of their programmers apparently caught the film at the Terror Film Festival last October and thought it would be a good fit. So "Fallout" rides again on the big screen this summer. Check out the festival's official website here!

'Parallax' and 'Covet' at Phoenix Film Festival this weekend!

Professor Paul DeNigris' Master's Thesis film "Parallax" will be screening twice during the 2012 Phoenix Film Festival's opening weekend. The film was produced by an all-star team of UAT Digital Video students and alumni who came out in force to help their prof!

"Parallax" - part of "Arizona Shorts"
Saturday, March 31 @ 10:40am
Sunday, April 1 @ 4:25pm

Click here for tickets for "Parallax"

And "Covet" - a multiple award-winner at last summer's 48 Hour Film Challenge, produced by many of the same folks who worked on "Parallax" - will also screen at the Phoenix Film Festival.

"Covet" - part of "Arizona Shorts Showcase"
Saturday, March 31 @ 9:05am

Click here for tickets for "Covet"

Another TEDx Talk Produced by UAT DV Makes Front Page of TED.com

Another of the videos we produced for November's TEDxPhoenix event has made it to the front page of TED.com! The video has racked up over 100,000 views in just a few short days!

"Kelli Anderson: Disruptive Wonder for a Change"

Kelli Anderson shatters our expectations about reality by injecting humor and surprise into everyday objects. At TEDxPhoenix she shares her disruptive and clever designs.

The video was produced during the Fall 2011 Semester by the DVA241 (DV Production) class and edited by the DVA274 (DV Editing) class, under the supervision of Professor Paul DeNigris and Associate Professor Todd Schoenberger. Students involved were: Ty Bitterolf, Kennedy Gray, Ariel Navarrete, Neil Sparks, Nic Vereen, Dylan White, and Annie Winn.

Watch "Kelli Anderson: Disruptive Wonder for a Change" here!

TEDx Talk Produced by UAT DV Makes Front Page of TED.com

One of the videos we produced for November's TEDxPhoenix event has made it to the front page of TED.com and has garnered over 60,000 views in just a few short days!

"Lucianne Walkowicz: Look up for a change."

TED Fellow Lucianne Walkowicz asks: How often do you see the true beauty of the night sky? At TEDxPhoenix, she shows how light pollution is ruining the extraordinary -- and often ignored -- experience of seeing directly into space.

The video was produced during the Fall 2011 Semester by the DVA241 (DV Production) class and edited by the DVA274 (DV Editing) class, under the supervision of Professor Paul DeNigris and Associate Professor Todd Schoenberger. Students involved were: Ty Bitterolf, Kennedy Gray, Ariel Navarrete, Neil Sparks, Nic Vereen, Dylan White, and Annie Winn.

Watch "Lucianne Walkowicz: Look up for a change" here!

'Flight of the Melvin' - Official Selection, 2012 International Family Film Festival

Our sci-fi comedy "Flight of the Melvin" has been selected by yet another film festival! The 17th Annual International Family Film Festival runs March 21st thru 25th, 2012, at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California. We're excited to have "Melvin" fly again at a family-friendly event in the capital of the movie industry!

'Flight of the Melvin' Wins 2 L.A. Movie Awards

The 2012 Los Angeles Movie Awards has honored UAT Digital Video's short sci-fi comedy "Flight of the Melvin" with two awards in the Student Film category - "Award of Excellence" and "Best Editing." Congrats again to Team Melvin!

Production on RED SAND begins today!

After spending all last semester on pre-production, the DV Production Studio classes begin filming their latest sci-fi epic, "Red Sand," a fan film based on Bioware's MASS EFFECT series of games. Serving as a prequel to the game series,"Red Sand" tells the story of the discovery of ancient alien ruins on Mars, and the battle to control the technology contained inside. It's this technology which leads to the discovery of a "mass relay" orbiting Pluto - a gateway to the rest of our galaxy and beyond, opening the door for the rest of the MASS EFFECT storyline.

The cast of "Red Sand" includes Los Angeles-based actor Ayman Samman, who last worked with the DV crew on Professor Paul DeNigris' thesis film "Parallax," and Mark Meer, the actor who provides the voice of Commander Shepard in the MASS EFFECT game series. In "Red Sand," Meer plays an all-new character called Jon Grissom, a tough soldier charged with defending the alien ruins at all costs.

Once completed, "Red Sand" will be released to the web. Stay tuned for more info, photos, and a teaser trailer to come very soon!

'Melvin' to Screen at High Desert Shorts Film Festival

Welcome to 2012! Happy New Year to all our friends, fans, students, and alumni!

Good news came again over the holiday break for our short film "Flight of the Melvin" - this time from the 2012 High Desert Shorts International Film Festival.

The seventh annual event will be held over Memorial Day Weekend in Pahrump, Nevada (just an hour outside Las Vegas), and will feature a Youth Filmmaker Camp for grades 6 through 12 - perhaps including some future UAT DV students?