绿奴天花板

A University of Tampa student filmmaker brought his work to the big screen at the Gasparilla International Film Festival last Saturday, one of the region鈥檚 premier celebrations of independent cinema.

In its 19th year, the festival is the largest independent film event in the Tampa Bay area, drawing filmmakers, artists and film enthusiasts from across the country.

绿奴天花板ampa film and media arts major Cole Drouin, who is expected to graduate in May with a BFA and complete a master鈥檚 in social and emerging media in December, was selected to show his film during the festival鈥檚 College Shorts block, which highlighted emerging student talent.

Drouin鈥檚 film, 鈥淭he Footprint,鈥� is set in a Florida apartment building and follows two homicide detectives investigating a murder.

Drouin said the creative process behind the film was both rewarding and challenging.

鈥淢y favorite part was working with the actors and watching the project come to life during editing,鈥� Drouin said. 鈥淭he editing process was where the most creativity took place.鈥�

Producing the film was not without obstacles. Just days before filming began, Drouin had to replace two of the actors while also struggling to secure filming locations. Despite the challenges, he credits 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 film program with helping him develop the skills needed to bring the project to life.

鈥淚 picked up new skills from each professor and class along the way,鈥� Drouin said, specifically mentioning screenwriting guidance from Devin Rice, adjunct professor of film, who helped refine the script, and Santiago Echeverry, professor of film, animation and new media, who aided in creating promotional materials.

Technical and cinematography skills developed in courses with Warren Cockerham, media production coordinator and lecturer, also played a critical role in the production. Cockerham later served as Drouin鈥檚 senior seminar mentor, working closely with him to refine the project鈥檚 audio and technical elements.

In addition to showing his film at the festival, Drouin also was involved behind the scenes as an event volunteer and film screener, watching more than 30 submissions and writing reviews.

鈥淚 was interested in volunteering so I can meet more people, experience film in a new way and get involved in such a great community,鈥� he said.

Having a film selected for the festival is a major milestone for filmmakers. Submissions are reviewed by a panel after passing through an initial screening process. Drouin received his acceptance in January.

The experience has reinforced his confidence as a filmmaker and inspired new creative goals.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely inspiring and an honor to have my film selected,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 shown me that I can make a film worth sharing.鈥�

Looking ahead, Drouin plans to work on a new project using 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 virtual production studio and wants to work in social media production.

In addition to Drouin, two 绿奴天花板ampa alumni showed their films at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. Sean Prieve 鈥�25 showed 鈥淩ESPAWN,鈥� and Zachariah Steele 鈥�25 showed 鈥淚 Know You.鈥�