Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2007

Contact: Contact: Mike Emery
713.743.8186 (office)
713.415.6551 (pager)
pemery@uh.edu

HOUSTON, October 31, 2007 – It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for student filmmakers, and several University of Houston auteurs are taking full advantage of it.

Thanks to the Apple Computer 2007 Insomnia Film Festival, several UH filmmakers have a chance to show their works to some of Hollywood’s most prolific directors.

With guidance from UH School of Communication faculty and use of the school’s high-tech media production equipment, student teams have created films for this unique festival. The movies, however, weren’t conceptualized and put together on a lengthy schedule. Per the festival’s rules, all teams logged on the Insomnia Web site on Oct. 13 to receive specific instructions regarding props, dialogue and setting. These teams then had 24 hours to make a film and upload it to the Insomnia site.

During the frantic 24-hour production of these films, School of Communication faculty members Keith Houk, Craig Crowe and Randy Polk were available for technical consultation all day and night. Jose Vasquez, media production engineer, was on hand to check out production equipment, and Shawn McCombs, manager of the school’s Communication Technology Center, made sure the state-of-the-art computer lab was open for 24 hours, so students could complete their works.

“It was a great creative environment,” Houk said. “Even though it was a late night for all of us, it was terrific to see so many students collaborating on these projects.”

Films from the UH teams, as well as others from around the country, are online and can be viewed and voted on at http://edcommunity.apple.com/insomnia_fall07/contest.php. The 25 teams with the most votes will have their works vetted by directors Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”), James Mangold (“Walk the Line”) and Nora Ephron (“Sleepless in Seattle).

To locate the UH teams on the site, type “University of Houston” in the Web site’s search field. Viewers can vote for films until 11 p.m., Nov. 8.

The teams and films entered in the festival are:

• “A Cougar Dream” by Houston: A man has a dream to become the ideal person.
• “Disconnected” by Team H.I.N.: This film explores how all of us are connected in some way.
• “Charming the Cobra” by Optimus Prime: A “mockumentary” details one man’s rise, fall and redemption.
• “Back at Ya” by The Veiled: An arrogant man discusses his views on the opposite sex.
• “The Wish” by Funky Spuds: A wish from a genie has a slight twist.
• “Dissonance Theory” by the A Team: A scientist captures radio waves and is faced with a perplexing dilemma.
• “Hurry Up and Wait” by An Apple A Day Productions: The rush of everyday life is met with yet one more wait.
• “today is the end of the world…” by 5films: The world is coming to an end, but some folks are taking it in stride one corndog at a time.
• “The Ultimate Spite Movie” by Production Addicts: Eating another man’s cereal can have grave consequences.

Many of these films were filmed on or near the UH campus. Some of them were part of projects for Houk’s digital cinematography class. Other UH films were made by students simply so they could experience the movie-making project.

“We were very lucky to have so many people wanting to be a part of our production on any level,” said Stephanie Christieans, a student who was part of the An Apple A Day group. “Overall, it was a fantastic experience that I recommend to anyone with a love for filmmaking.”

UH’s School of Communication offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on a wide range of communication studies. Bachelor’s concentrations focus on public relations, advertising, journalism, corporate communication, media studies, media production and interpersonal communication. Master’s concentrations are in public relations studies, speech communication and mass communication studies. Curriculum is taught by the school’s acclaimed faculty, including media veterans and award-winning scholars and researchers. Among the school’s esteemed alumni are CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, former White House press secretary Peter Roussel, Houston Rockets broadcaster Bill Worrell and Houston KPRC TV, Channel 2, anchor Dominique Sachse.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.