As the new Film Studies building nears completion, another addition to the film community will also be added.
Film House, to be located at 344 Washington, is now accepting applications as one of the newly approved program houses for the 2004-2005 year. Brittany Mitchell ’07, one of the house’s founders, said she is looking for film majors and non-film majors alike to apply.
“We want a good diversity of people who are interesting in working on films,” Mitchell said.
According to Mitchell, she and several other friends, all frosh interested in film, had discussed the idea of a film house all of first semester, but only the night before applications were due did they realize the deadline had arrived.
“We did ours in a very rushed process,” Mitchell said.
With help from Area Coordinator for Program Housing Rosario Navarro, the group submitted their application to the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee and the house was approved.
Mitchell said the house is intended to be a forum for film production as well as discussion.
“We thought it would be a great place to have a community where people who [were interested] in film [could] discuss film, watch film, and also work on student films,” Mitchell said. “If you have an idea you can walk next door to your neighbor and talk to someone about your idea.”
Mitchell said the house, which can accommodate between 14 and 15 people, plans to produce at least one independent student film, as well as cooperate with the already-existing Independent Student Film Production Co-Op [ISFPC].
“A few of us work with them right now,” Mitchell said. “We’re hoping that more of the people who live in the house will be involved with that. We’d like to be a hub for them to work out of.”
The house planners also intend to hold discussions after film series viewings, an alternative, Mitchell said, to standing outside the cinema in the cold after the films. ?Film House intends to fill a void left by former program house Art House in appealing to art interests on campus.
“We can fill in the art community as well as the film community,” Mitchell said.
Plans are also in the works to work with campus photography groups.
“[We’re interested in] all sorts of film, not just moving film, you could say,” Mitchell said.
The fact that the group behind Film House consists entirely of freshmen, Mitchell said, was not an obstacle in bringing the house to fruition.
“That’s one of the cool things about Wesleyan,” Mitchell said. “As freshmen you can make things like this happen and you can work with the system to get what you want out of it.”
In a previous Argus article, Navarro expressed admiration for the goal of Film House, as well as the newly approved Science House.
“We felt that Film House and Science House were excellent opportunities for the extensions of academic life on campus into the living facilities, which is exactly what program houses are for,” Navarro said.
So far Film House has received between 25 and 30 applications, according to Mitchell. Applications for program housing are due tonight by midnight. Contact bmitchell@wesleyan.edu for more information.
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