Motion picture arts students at Interlochen shoot their projects on digital video cameras and upload the work to computers for editing. It’s an efficient and cost effective way to learn the craft. For his senior thesis project, however, Aaron Jaffe wanted to go back to the roots of his art and use "real" film.

"It was an artistic choice for my piece - but it was also for the technical experience of shooting on film," said Jaffe. For all the benefits of shooting digitally, he felt that film offered richer colors and greater control over the depth of each shot.

To complete the project, not only would Jaffe need to master a new set of tools - he’d need to find them. He pursued and received a number of grants for the camera and film. The Panavision Company offered the use of one of their Panaflex cameras at no cost. Jaffe and Michael Mittelstaedt, director of the Motion Picture Arts program, flew to Los Angeles to spend two full days training on the sophisticated super 16mm camera, a mainstay on movie and television sets.

Jaffe returned to Interlochen with the sixty-pound camera and started shooting in downtown Traverse City. As with all motion picture arts projects, Jaffe relied on a large team of fellow students, faculty and staff. "Filmmaking is a collaborative process. Everyone stepped up to the challenge because I can’t shoot a film by myself," said Jaffe.

For two days in February, Jaffe and a crew of Academy students converted a local beauty salon into a film set and planned every last detail. Once the camera started rolling, everything needed to be right. "In video you can go back and fix things, but with film the precision has to be there from the start," said Jaffe.

After all the technical details are planned and the camera is ready to shoot, Jaffe knows that it all comes back to the screenplay. "It’s very easy to get seduced by the technical side. Yes, it’s great to have the tools to do the job. But in the end, it all comes down to the story. You have to have a good, compelling story to move people."

And for Jaffe, the story is personal. "It follows a woman with terminal breast cancer as she gets what may be the last haircut of her life with a stylist who is also a close friend." Jaffe’s grandmother, Shirlee Davidson, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away last year. This film is dedicated to her. "People mistakenly assume that the story is going to be depressing but instead of focusing on the disease it is really more about the positive choices she is able to make to take control of her life."

Jaffe hopes to screen his film at the Traverse City Film Festival this summer. He plans to attend the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in the fall.

Inaugural Film Festival Future of Cinema Festival: Cinema for Change

This spring, aspiring young filmmakers gathered on the Interlochen campus for the first Future of Cinema Festival. Notable guests included Ivan Raimi, screenwriter for Spiderman 3, and Holly Wren Spaulding, a writer of the documentary, Flow: For Love of Water. Andrea Fine, co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary War Dance joined the festival through a live video conference.

"There are not many venues where young filmmakers can showcase their films while also learning from leading filmmakers. That is what makes this event so special," explained Michael Mittelstaedt, director of the motion picture arts program at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Submissions were received from around the world and selected shorts were screened at the festival. Click here for a complete list of winning entries.

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