A year’s worth of writing, editing and filming is finally over. To celebrate, Rough Cut Collective, an Ohio University student film organization, will host a premiere to showcase the hard work put into products the group has made.
The premiere will showcase eight large projects Rough Cut has put together, as well as some behind-the-scenes goodies and smaller projects the group creates bi-weekly. The large projects are films anywhere between three and 10 minutes. They consist of bigger budgets, bigger crews and typically more ambitious scripts. The large projects are the ones that will properly show the faces of Rough Cut.
Brandon Tasker, a sophomore studying integrated media, will be showcasing his large project film A House Divided, which is a film about the American Civil War. The process of writing the script and deciding the logistics of production was a collaborative process Tasker believes to be one of the benefits of being part of Rough Cut.
“It’s a fantastic learning experience in all aspects,” Tasker said. “A lot of people who really like a certain script ask if they can be a part of the crew, so some people approached me, and sometimes I sought out other people to help. The term ‘collective’ is right on with everybody and their mentality about making stuff.”
Tasker’s film was one of the more ambitious projects Rough Cut took on in the past year, with a budget of $4,000. Half of the money was fundraised by the organization itself, and the other from Senate Appropriations Commission.
Much of the money went to buying Civil War costumes and finding hospitality for a crew of 35 people, because the location of the film was two and a half hours away from campus.
Nevertheless, the film was a great learning experience for Tasker and his cast, so he’s excited to show an audience a production he can be proud of.
“It’s interesting, because we all just love creating, but at the same time, we’re getting stuff we can show to people to get hired,” Tasker said. “We’re filling our resumes, and it doesn’t feel like it. To me, that’s the best part. It doesn’t feel like work.”
Sammy Miller, a junior studying integrated media, is showcasing her film Ruby that she hasn’t even fully seen herself.
“It’s about a little girl who struggles to cope with the loss of family and develops a friendship along the way,” Miller said.
Despite not having seen Ruby yet, Miller is looking forward to watching it at the premiere, along with the other projects she has worked on throughout the year. Rough Cut has been a vital part of Miller’s college experience, and she can’t wait until the fall for it to start up again.
“I’ve learned more in Rough Cut than I have in any of my classes,” Miller said. “It’s honestly more beneficial than school, I come here for Rough Cut at this point. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Jason Grafe, a junior studying screenwriting and producing and the president of Rough Cut, believes Rough Cut has helped him become a better filmmaker and a better person.
“I think the whole point of college for filmmakers is to explore, to take positions that you may have not thought about taking to see if that’s something you might enjoy,” Grafe said. “We can all work together and collaborate and make something amazing.”
The past year has been Grafe’s last in Rough Cut, so the premiere is going to be a nostalgic walk down memory lane for him.
“I think I’m excited to see the change from even last year to this year, and see how much people have developed,” Grafe said. “It’ll be cool being in one place and seeing it all at once, and reflect, like wow. We did that. That’s gonna be really nostalgic.”
