February 23, 2012
Three St. John’s students earned early cinematic success last
December by placing in the Top Ten at the 2011 New York Federal
Reserve Film Festival with their 30-second public service
announcement, entitled, “The Cost of Bad Credit.”
The film was created by Simon Wolf ‘12CPS (director) Jaime
Medrano ‘12CPS (director of photography) and Abe Sater ‘12CPS
(lighting, audio), all
Television and Film majors. They produced it for the Senior
Project course taught by Susan Weber, Associate Professor,
Communications, Journalism and Media Studies in the
College of Professional Studies.
“It
is a credit to these students that through harmonious collaboration
they achieved success with their film,” Professor Weber noted.
“They have every reason to be proud of their work, and St. John’s
has every reason to be proud of them.”
Their piece details the consequences of bad credit by showcasing
a young couple who, unable to pay for dinner at a restaurant, are
forced to wash dishes as a result. The video can be viewed
here.
“The idea was that the man was irresponsible with his
credit card,” and is humiliated as a result, Simon explained.
The trio was pleased to see their film crack the Festival’s Top
Ten, and credited Professor Weber for encouraging them to
participate. After meeting with a representative from the Federal
Reserve they enjoyed the freedom to develop and execute their
vision for the piece.
The students had high praise for the University’s renowned
Television and Film program, from which many industry professionals
have graduated. “All the production and communications classes have
been very helpful,” Simon observed. “All the professors are
accessible and personable. Professor Weber was very encouraging
about this project and did everything she could to help us.”
“It’s definitely a great program,” Jaime noted. “You learn
by doing. My first day here I touched a camera and worked on a
crew. We’re allowed to make mistakes… but in the end we know how to
handle those situations and we’re better for it.”
Jaime added that professors have helped him greatly as he
narrowed down his options for a specialization. “They take you
under their wing and point you in the right direction.”
The University’s
Television Center is equipped with some of the most modern
equipment found on a college campus, and has been keeping pace with
technology for over 40 years. “All the resources are there,” Abe
said. “Like everything else, you get out of it what you put into
it. You can’t slack off.”