Don’t sell them short

UWM student film fest features 12 premieres in one night

By STEVEN SNYDER - TimeOut Movie Critic

May 13, 2004

The UWM Student Film and Video Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday at the Union Theater.

This weekend, for only $5, you can see the 12 most intriguing short films by up-and-coming Wisconsin filmmakers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Film and Video Festival.

The 80-minute event, which represents the very best work put forth by the student body this spring, began as a massive 45-film mountain of material. Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to be one of seven judges who narrowed this impressive collection down from eight hours to 80 minutes. Let me assure you, it was no easy task.

Many are not familiar with the UWM film program, but it is the center of cinematic creativity in this state. While UW-Madison is well-known for its undergraduate and graduate programs in film studies, Milwaukee is where those interested in production invariably attend. The opportunity provided to the public this weekend is to see the most engaging work of the very best students: to see the most original cinematic work originating from the state.

If you have never made the pilgrimage to the UWM Student Union, or have never taken time during the Milwaukee Film Festival or the Wisconsin Film Festival to take in a presentation of short films, let this weekend’s festival be your excuse to finally take the plunge.

This is my second time as a judge, and it has reaffirmed in me an exuberance for Milwaukee’s filmmaking community. They bring a freshness, originality and excitement to the medium that is lacking from tired works such as "Mean Girls," "Envy" and "Van Helsing," and left me, even after eight hours, craving more.

Note: These films are intended for mature audiences. Leave young kids, particularly those younger than 15, at home.

Snyder’s pick

#1 - "Mind Plasma," directed by Drew Rosas, is the clear front-runner of the festival as far as I am concerned. In a time when so many documentaries are becoming the most innovative works showing at area theaters, it should not be surprising that "Plasma," a documentary, is securing my highest recommendation. Then again, I never expected a student documentary to captivate me to such a degree.

"Mind Plasma" is about a most bizarre performer, T.J. Richter, who dresses in strange costumes, tells bizarre stories and incorporates a fascinating array of visual and sound effects to create a show unlike anything you have ever scene. Richter tells personal stories, makes comments on current events and tweaks reality to suit his own needs. The magic of "Plasma" is its natural flow from one step to the next, helping us to learn about this man while also walking in his shoes.

The film opens with a monologue, as Richter tells us what "mind plasma" really stands for. We start laughing at him, as he delivers a preposterous definition with unmitigated conviction. But then, just as the documentary appears to be a comedy, we learn more about his craft, his careful preparation and his work ethic, only then to witness one of his performances and realize the outright addictiveness of his absurd sense of humor.

Beautifully made by Rosas, shifting between interview footage, stock footage, comedy, drama and philosophy, "Mind Plasma" saves its biggest surprise for its closing credits. While many other filmmakers would have told the story from point A to B to C, Rosas creates a path all his own, incorporating everything that helps us to understand this man but doing it with the style, assuredness and creativity of an extremely gifted storyteller.

Drew Rosas is a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student and director of "Mind-Plasma," one of the very best films screening this weekend at the UWM Student Film and Video Festival. Rosas was generous enough to answer a few of TimeOut’s questions, helping us to learn a little more about the life and work of a student filmmaker.

TimeOut: What attracted you to a documentary project, while so many other students seem preoccupied with narrative stories?

Drew Rosas: I made this film last semester as part of a documentary course offered for the first time by the UWM film department and taught by a visiting PBS documentary filmmaker named Brad Lichtenstein. "Mind-Plasma," however, was my second documentary.

TO: How did you find T.J. Richter? Did you seek out a subject?

DR: I met T.J. at a show he did at the UWM Student Union last fall (I used a clip from this performance in the video, the first time you see him perform). I am a security guard at the Union and I was walking though seeing if he needed any help with his set up, and we started a conversation. When I met T.J., I was instantly fascinated by his personality, and I asked him if I could film his show. He agreed, and after the show, I did some interviews with him and made plans to film him at his house the following week.

TO: In your opinion, what are the challenges inherent to a documentary that do not exist with narrative works? What's more difficult about making a documentary?

DR: I would consider my film a "narrative work." Although it is not scripted, it tells a definite story, and a narrative structure is produced by the editing. Documentary filmmaking is more difficult than fictional filmmaking in that it is spontaneous. One of the first things I learned when shooting is that the second you turn off your camera, you are going to miss a really great moment. I think I shot over 30 hours for "Mind-Plasma" to make a 15-minute project. Probably the most difficult process involved with a documentary is designing a cohesive narrative structure through editing. I spent over 100 hours editing "Mind-Plasma."

TO: Did you find it difficult to remain objective about your subject? Within the film, it appears that you keep a pretty objective view of Richter's strengths and failings. Do you agree, or did you find a bias slipping through?

DR: Throughout making this film I became really great friends with T.J. We are still in communication and occasionally I will still catch up with him and do some more taping. I did my best to present a non-biased portrait of T.J. His insanity is hopefully balanced out by his dedication. I think I did OK, but it was hard to represent every aspect of his life in only 15 minutes, so I ended up focusing on the really shocking and unique elements of his personality. I would like to continue this documentary someday and make a more in-depth portrait, but for now this version will have to do.

- Steven Snyder