Creating videos no longer than five minutes, zero seconds, and zero frames students have the opportunity to submit their film for a chance at a Hollywood screening presented by CMF. Below, students have provided a summary and opinion of the participating films here at FSU.
The Stressed Out Salesman – VJay Seminiano
This film was a comedy, but I was not laughing through the entire film. The movie features a miserable salesman that is an aspiring filmmaker but is stuck going door-to-door selling brochures. One day his life changes with a couple of interesting encounters. The movie did in fact have its funny moments that caught my attention, but there were scenes where I became lost in what was going on. The soundtrack tended to be distracting, but in terms of overall quality the look was very well shot and put together. The director and editors did an excellent job. (Sengin Holland)
Deathbed – Zachary Frost
The short film Deathbed depicts a morbid topic, death, and takes an alternative approach to the subject via comedic relief.  Zachary, the main character, is a typical college student casually lying in bed surrounded by family members and a friend all there to supposedly comfort him in his remaining moments on Earth.  What is meant to be a time of mourning turns into a hilarious conversation of uncomfortable scenarios.  I would highly recommend this film to anyone with a sarcastic sense of humor and a positive outlook on life.  (Kiera Coskran)
Area 52 – James Schneider
Area 52 features two mysterious men entering a very odd building in which they find and capture a person and bring him to a separate location to be operated on by a doctor. The film has a psychedelic feeling that stands out amongst the others. It aims to open, confuse, and work the mind to follow along and enter the peculiar world that the characters were involved in. The amount of otherworldly images, behaviors, and objects really forces a bizarre feel to the film giving it its most striking element. The film currently stands as the 4^th most viewed video out of all submissions at this year’s movie fest. (Kenneth Kelly)
Sleep Prank!! – Jack Glazier
Sleep Prank!! is a film that features Jack Glazier and Michael Vanderpool, both of whom have been involved in some of Fitchburg State University’s CMF finalist films. Unfortunately, this particular “prank” film is one of the most uneventful submissions I’ve ever seen. Glazier futilely attempts to capture a “thing” that Michael does in his sleep that is described as “weird” and “beyond bizarre.” After over three minutes of staring in the dark at a sleeping silhouette – nothing happens. Even Glazier calls it quits because Vanderpool hasn’t done “it” yet. This leaves the audience wondering why the prank was even submitted. Are the viewers the real prank victims? Is this film somehow related to some larger concept? The least Glazier could’ve done would be to describe the hyped-up “thing” in question. For those of you who wouldn’t feel cheated enough to watch a sequel, luck may be on your side. (Victoria Mandella)
Call of the Yeti – Jaclyn Humphrey
Call of the Yeti leaves the viewer wanting more, and pining for a rare glimpse of a Yeti.  Though this film piques interest with clever acting, good cinematography, and solid writing and direction, it is unfortunate that this project experienced technical difficulties while shooting and was unable to be completed. Despite this setback Captain Jaclyn Humphrey and participants Kathleen Fitzgerald, Meaghan Barry, Anthony Earabino, Chris Stavre, and John Crosby put on an entertaining spin on what could have possibly been a great story. It is hoped that this team will be able to complete future projects without such technical difficulties so that the audience will be able to see the fruits of their talents. (Kiirsti Nano)
SQUASH Ω – Tyler Joseph Chauncey
What happens when an athlete goes through the struggles of his passion for a sport? You get the 5-minute short film SQUASH Ω. This short film by team DUCK tells the tale of an athlete in the sport squash, telling his life story about how he originally got into this sport as a child and how it helps him blow off steam from being constantly criticized by adults for playing roughly on the playground. The acting was well done, even while most of it just consisted of mostly voice-over narration and the squeals of annoying fans. This short film ended up being a finalist and winning for best comedy. However, as a man who takes his comedy seriously, I didn’t really find anything funny about this short. I still thought it was good, I just wouldn’t have put it in the category of best comedy; so for this short film, while I’m glad Fitchburg students won an award, I would rate it 3 stars, and half a thumb up. (Joey Turner)
127 Minutes – Thomas Karner
The premise is simple, grim but also quite humorous. The short begins with two young men falling down a snowy hill, the framing of the camera following them on their descent as the camera captures their expressions of horror. The characters are trapped under what has been an avalanche, and as they battle the trials of being not only imprisoned under several feet of snow but also being stuck alone with one person. The friends go through a number of different emotions, from where they are supposed to use the bathroom to a quarrel about not masturbating, to a well clipped sex scene, and finally a comedic rescue. With so few visuals for the audience to cling onto, the characters stay the main focus throughout as they move around the cramped space, contending with difficulties of the environment as well as conflicts with one another. The creators of the film have deemed it a romance, and although it is very clearly a comedy, this mislabel adds to the humor of what, in reality would be a dangerous and deadly situation. Of the chosen films, 127 minutes is in no way the most thought provoking, or even well shot, but despite this it provides the viewer with an amusing take on an original concept and has earned its place as a finalist in Campus Movie Fest 2013. (Devon Pierce)
Open House – Matt Rindini
The film Open House is a short comedy revolving around a burglar involved in an unexpected situation when the house he is attempting to rob becomes an “open house” being advertised by a realtor. The film does an okay job of taking an idea we’ve seen before and putting its own spin on it. A bumbling burglar meets his match when a young realtor becomes suspicious of his activity. The burglar’s escape from the awkward situation is what is significant about this film’s goal to poke fun at the life of a burglar. The viewer is set up to root for the burglar’s success at escape against the unexpected situation that he finds himself in. The actors at times tend to overact, especially the eccentric home realtor who comes off as more annoying than anything. The clueless burglar also suffered from overacting and doing far too many facial expressions. At times, had the burglar spoken actual lines, his character could have had more depth. Luckily the film’s score is spot on and really makes each scene better. The score done by Zachary Lapierre creates a frantic mood that fits the film perfectly. (Alex Domenici)