Alumni, current students and professionals in the film industry dressed in formal attire and gathered in front of the School of Cinematic Arts courtyard on Thursday for one purpose — to witness and celebrate the hard work and the industry support that went into the making of their films in the form of the First Look Awards Ceremony.
USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) held the annual First Look Awards, the school’s own version of the Oscars. Student filmmakers were honored with nominations for films they created in the following categories: animation, comedy, documentary, drama, social change and genre. Hosted by the Office of Industry Relations under SCA, the event started with a red carpet, where students could take pictures with posters for their films, followed by the ceremony and a reception.
MFA production students Bobbie Green and Xiemena Davis, who both graduated last year, were honored for four films each, three of which they worked together on. “Renacer,” a film they worked on together, was a runner-up for the Social Change Award.
“We entered SCA together in the same cohort,” Davis said. “It’s really nice that we’ve started together and now we’re ending together.”
Green was a producer for the four films she was nominated for: “Renacer,” “Eclipse Chasers,” “A Karaoke Space Odyssey” and “Dallas Delilah.” Meanwhile, Davis was the writer and director of “Eclipse Chasers,” the director of photography for “A Karaoke Space” and a producer for “Renacer” and “Overtime.”
“As a team, we work really well together,” Green said. “It’s a team that we’ve carried through each of those projects.”
Lisa Hu, a second-year MFA production student, was the editor for the film “Scratch Sniff,” a runner-up for the Best Genre Award. The film is currently on a “festival run,” where it is submitted for consideration at many different festivals.
“It was in general a really collaborative experience,” Hu said about working on the film. “I learned a lot through collaborating with a director because the films I edited before are mostly films I directed. So this time I collaborated with the director and another co-editor, which felt really different.”
The First Look Awards was the last event of a broader “Industry Week” hosted by SCA’s Office of Industry Relations. From April 5 to April 11, various sessions were held featuring people from the entertainment industry sharing insights into their jobs and advice for students. Alumna Cassandra Brooksbank, who graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in film production, came back as a speaker for an Industry Week session, teaching students how to make a film treatment, a detailed synopsis of their film used to pitch it to studios.
“I loved my time at USC. And it really gave me the building blocks for the career I have now,” Brooksbank said. “It’s so fun to come back and share your experience. Things that you wish you had learned or paid attention to when you were a student that would have helped you get further.”
Represented by Creative Artists Agency, Brooksbank is currently a commercial director. Her first feature film, “My Masterpiece,” is produced by Sylvester Stallone’s company Balboa Films and financed by Amazon.
“It all came from the relationships I made at USC,” Brooksbank said. “I don’t think I would be as far along without the guidance and the relationships I made here.”
In addition to alumni and current students, the event featured first-time SCA visitors, as well. Senior director of brand marketing at Focus Features, Yasmin Elachi, gave out the FOCUS Features Best Film Award during the ceremony. The winner, “The Visit” by Millie Xu, will receive $10,000 and a meeting with the Focus Features acquisition and marketing team.
“It’s the first year we’re doing it because Focus Features believes in fostering future filmmaker talent,” Elachi said. “And so we wanted to connect with the next generation of filmmakers who are passionate about their craft. What better way to do it [than] through the First Look Awards?”
According to Elachi, the selection criteria for the FOCUS Features Best Film Award are “unique narrative storytelling that inspires human connection” and “unique point of view when it comes to film technique.”
She shared her first impression on the red carpet: “It’s pretty cool to see so many young filmmakers excited to share their projects and see where their films take them.”
Those young filmmakers such as Davis, one of the MFA production alums, spoke on the red carpet of the joys of movie making and the magic present in films.
“Every story is kind of different, and so every challenge that you encounter is different,” Davis said. “But also, every movie that’s made is a miracle and it’s so really exciting every time.”