Nicki McGrath prowled an alley behind the Department of Motor Vehicles in downtown Endicott looking for scenes with an ominous atmosphere and unique camera angles.
David Duke never left his garage as he photographed a homemade robot that he named Hywatt, a play on the words "high" and "wattage."
While the two videos are different in mood and technique, they are linked by the fact of being two main prize winners in this year'' Rod Serling Video Festival.
Started in 1995 as strictly a Broome County event, the festival has grown to a statewide competition that attracts the interest of budding Spielbergs, from Buffalo to Long Island. This year 50 entries came in from high school middle school and elementary school students.
The festival fills a void because few film competitions are open to students under high school age, said Lawrence Kassan, festival coordinator and director of special projects for the Binghamton City School District. "I first started it because I wanted to promote the creative use of video technology in the classroom," he said.
The festival has been Kassan's baby since its beginning and he's very persistent. He worked with the Serling estate to receive permission to the use the name and picture of The Twilight Zone creator and award winning dramatist to promote the festival. And he's recruited sponsors - Time Warner Cable, Hollywood Video, Old Country Buffet, and JL Video and Multimedia - to provide advertising.
"He's a very difficult guy to say 'no' to," said David Whalen-, vice president for public affairs with Time Warner. Whalen said the Serling festival is exciting because it involves young people.
"Larry puts in so much energy, heart and time. He has such a passion, that it affects us all," Whalen said.
To enter, a student makes a video that runs a maximum of five minutes. A panel of judges picks winners in the categories of best of show (the top prize), best directing, best use of humor, best use of music, best editing, creative use of special effects and honorable mention.
Judges are looking for creativity and originality, Kassan said. A good script and story count more than technical expertise.
Duke's video won best of show this year. In it, the 16 year old Roscoe teenager, who is home schooled, used stop motion animation to recount the misadventures of his robot as Hywatt tried to fit new batteries into his "body."
Duke said he hatched the idea sitting at his kitchen table. He shot the video in 23 days using a digital camera, then took three days to add sound and music. Editing was done on Dolby Premier editing software. "I like bringing animated characters to life," Duke said, adding that's what he hopes to do as a career.
McGrath, 18, a senior at Union Endicott High School, won best directing honors for two videos. Ice Cream and Umbrellas, shot in the hallways of the high school, and Poisoned on a Sunday, a murder mystery shot in a semi-abandoned house and the alleyway in downtown Endicott.
McGrath has wanted to be a movie director since getting her first camera at age 12 and said she has made more than 100 short films. She recruited her friends to act in both videos that won at the Serling festival and edited them on equipment at U-E High School.
"I like to write stories, but it's better when you can see stories," said McGrath about her passion for filmmaking. She plans to attend Broome Community College and then transfer to film school at New York University.
Winning at the Serling festival has given her hope that "I'm not just wasting my time," McGrath said.
"It's a great opportunity for students to show their work," said Justin H. Rockwell, 17, a junior at Ithaca High School, who won this year for best use of animation.
Aurelio Guzman, 20, who won an honorable mention at the festival two years ago, agreed. He's now a film student at Syracuse University.
"If nothing else, it encourages you to do it," he said.
The festival is supported by entry fees and donations, not local tax money, Kassan said.
Kassan hopes the festival will keep growing. The next logical step would be to solicit entries nationwide, he said.
