In third year, RTF Media Fest draws more than 120 attendees

Someday, awards granted during the annual Rowan University RTF Media Fest might be called the Rowies. Or maybe the Bozzies.

But this year, the third since the awards program began, it’s all about recognition of work and a nickname for awards conferred will come later.

Held in King Auditorium in Bozorth Hall March 4, the third annual media arts festival celebrated creative excellence in narrative filmmaking, documentary film, audio production, new media and screenwriting.

Hosted (and created) by Assistant Prof. Jonathan Mason in the Department of Radio, TV & Film (RTF) within the College of Communication & Creative Arts, the three-hour show featured the work of some 20 finalists culled from more than 100 juried entries.

Initially held to recognize student work made in Rowan classes, the awards show was expanded to include projects produced by student clubs, alumni and, for 2016, promising New Jersey high schools students.

“The idea was to create a forum in which we could recognize really good work, work that may start in a classroom but that can have a life after the class ends,” Mason said.

The event drew more than 120 attendees, some of them high school students and parents from across the state.

Projects included a genre-bending narrative film, I Love My G*d D*mn Vampire Girlfriend that was shot off campus (spoiler alert: the lead character really does love his girlfriend but she’s a vampire), an animated high school short called Small Fry, and the documentary Double Drop: the Story of Joe Nice, about a pioneering DJ who is trying to balance work on the road with his role as a single father.

“This festival was created to validate all of the hard work that goes into these projects,” Mason said. “It’s important for students to think about projects not just as something to get a grade but something to be consumed by an audience, to be viewed and heard, and the festival is a forum for that to happen. Afterward, the projects will add to their reels, their portfolios. The idea is to make projects they’re passionate about and see them as the start of their professional career.”

Though Rowan’s Media Fest is still in its infancy, Mason envisions a multi-day annual event, one that could be centered in the developing downtown Arts & Entertainment district and featuring full days dedicated to film, new media, performance art and more.

Students from the Rowan Television Network (RTN Channel 5) produced the event including its catchy, multi-media introductory graphics and ran audio and video throughout from their mobile studio set up in the projection booth.

Film, audio and more

Among projects featured in the New Media segment were video games by seniors Eric Boldizar, Autumn Brown and Brianna Cutter created for their New Media Production course.

Cutter, whose game “Survive” portrayed the story of a young woman who was kidnapped and must be saved by the game player, said video game production could be in her future.

“It was a lot of work but I could see this as a career,” she said.

For RTF Chair Keith Brand, that type of reaction is the goal.

“If students are excited about the work they’re creating, then we’ve done our job,” Brand said.

Like Mason, he sees Media Fest as having the potential to grow every year with submissions from Rowan students, alumni and high school students who may become interested in Rowan’s communication programs.

“To me one of the really interesting things this year was including the high school category,” he said. “We had more than 35 submissions from high schools around the state… We know New Jersey high schools are doing a good job teaching students and we don’t want them leaving the state for their college education.”

Media Fest winners took home certificates recognizing their work as well as production packages from Videosmith, a professional rental company in Philadelphia. Other awards included movie tickets, iTunes gift cards and a tour of the NBC10 studios in Philadelphia.

For a full list of nominees and winners, and to view their work, please visit www.RTFMediaFest.Com.