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Behind the scenes with Filmic
by Austen Hufford
outtakes photo by nick williams/daily
At the end of December, Tabassum
Mohibi opened her acceptance
e-mail to the University. She imme-
diately hugged and cried with her best
friend, who also got in. The next day, Mohibi
opened up the acceptance e-mail once- again
and watched the embedded YouTube video.
"It made me want to come here even
more," Mohibi said. "When I saw the video,
it made me feel maybe I belong there."
In 92 short seconds, the video - entitled
"The Letter M" - attempts to emulate what
it means to be a Michigan Wolverine. Dining
Hall Block 'M' Belgium waffles, blue books,
the Fishbewl and the ubiquitous M-card all
make an appearance. The video has been
watched almost 70,000 times and the com-
ment section is filled by admitted students
and alumni alike.
The video, however, wasn't created by a
professional film crew or the University's
marketing department: It was envisioned
and produced by Filmic Productions, a Uni-
versity-student-run film studio.
Founded in January 2011, Filmic has been
responsible for some of the most memorable
marketing materials for University students,
including "The Michigan Transportation
Musical" and Desmond Howard's "Stay in
the Blue" video campaign, which aired in
the Big House on game days throughout the
football season.
"The last two years have been a whirl-
wind, because we haven't really stopped
making videos," said Stephanie Hamel,
Filmic producer and LSA senior.
Composed of 21 University students,
Filmic contracts projects from the Univer-
sity and other companies - as they see fit.
Smaller teams play the primary role on spe-
cific projects, but in most productions all
Filmic members play a part. .
Filmic has become known by University
administrators and staff for their unique
take on marketing. Mary Jo Desprez, the
University's alcohol and other drug policy
and prevention administrator, said their
perspective as students helps them create
a high-quality product that the campus can
relate to.
"Here's this incredible group of creative
students who all work together very well,
but they also work really professionally,"
Desprez said. "What sets them apart is the
ability to navigate those things as well as
keeping their finger on the pulse of what's
interesting and relevant to students."
Three years ago, some of the founding
members of the group were taking their first
ever film class.
In the winter semester of 2010, three of
the eventual Filmic founders become part-
ners for their Introduction to Media Pro-
duction group projects. LSA seniors Roddy
Hyduk, Steve Coffey and Josh Buoy enjoyed
collaborating in 2010, and continued to work
together in their next production class the
following semester.
The team, however, wanted to get more
production experience than just through
the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures
alone, which they felt is not solely produc-
tion-focused and includes theory and cul-
tural components.
"Our goal from the beginning was to do
more work than the production courses
offered through Screen Arts and Cultures
allowed us to," Hyduk said.
And so Filmic was formed early 2011 and
quickly found their first project: an online
contest ran by a Canadian design and man-
ufacturing firm where participants had to
make a 30-second video about how to fry an
egg. The deadline was in three weeks. The
project was just interesting enough to get
Filmic out of their notepads and behind the
camera.
Production began in earnest and soon
they had completed two whole days of film-
ing for their 30-second clip. They ended up
fifth out of about 200 entries.
In a series of coincidences, Filmic quickly
progressed from entering free-for-all online
contests to producing professional videos for
the University.
Business Prof. Thomas Lyon is the father
of one of Filmic's founding members and
owned the house where they filmed their
egg video. After viewing the final product,
Lyon asked the group to produce a promo-
tional video for the Erb Institute - a group
which promotes using business to create an
environmentally sustainable society. Filmic
spent most of winter 2011 semester produc-
ing that video.
"We didn't necessarily have a specific type
of work we wanted to get to. We just wanted
to create content and do it well;" Hyduk said.
"The Erb Institute was the first opportunity
to create content for the University and that
kind of just kept leading to more and more
opportunities."
Upon completion, two Filmic members
showed the video to Dean of Students Laura
Blake Jones. A few weeks later - now the
summer of 2011 - Jones offered Filmic the
chance to produce four short public service
announcements for the Sexual Assault Pre-
vention and Awareness Center, the Spectrum
Center, Expect Respect and Stay in the Blue.
Filmic accepted the project and began
working. They had one month to come up
with the ideas and another month to produce
the films.
"It was when we learned to best work
with one another as a team because we had
.to finish four PSAs in two months," said LSA
senior Chris Duncin, one of Filmic's original
members.
Group members-said they learned to work
on tight deadlines through trial, error and
many sleep deprived nights - skills which
continue to affect how Filmic works. They
spent long hours during summer 2011 work-
ing together as a team. According to Filmic,
each 30-second PSA required about 300
hours of work.
The PSAs were shown at home foot-
ball games throughout the 2011 season,
and Filmic hasn't looked back since. Cur-
rently, the group is working on five projects
including videos explaining the University's
budget and a film encouraging students to
explore Ann Arbor.
Buoy noted with pride how Filmic videos
are now shown to students throughout their
collegiate career: when they are admitted,
on Campus Day, at orientation and during
football games.
"It has been the coolest experience to
kind of have a little bit of influence on every
step of those first important moments of the
college career," Buoy said. "For me, it's the
coolest legacy I think we ever could have
left, and we're so thankful to have been able
to do that."
on the record
"Last meeting they asked us what we wanted to learn
about. Topics varied from BDSM to asexuality to sexual
fetishes, and it all sounds so interesting to me,"
- KATHERINE IRANI, LSA freshman, about the discussions in the
Residential College SexForum.
"I can't speak for the team, but I feel (they) vaguely feel
the same way I do. Being No. 1 in the nation means noth-
ing - it's all about who's number one in the end."
- JON HORFORD, sophomore Michigan basketball forward, on the
team's new No.1spot.
"That's precisely what '43' is: something that has all the
makings to satisfy a blue whale. Unfortunately for the
creators, humans aren't blue whales, and most prefer a
more modest codpiece."
- ANDREW MCCLURE, Daily Arts Writer, in his review ofthe
comedy "Movie 43."
"United Students for Sustainable Toilet Paper Pratices (USSTPPY'
-Max Salvatore, LSA junior
Submit your own photo caption on The Michigan Daily's Facebook page for next week's outtake.
On SNL, Andy Samberg
and his Lonely Island
crew released the
music video for their
new single "YOLO,"
featuring a toothless
Adam Levine and
investment banker
Kendrick Lamar.
Shrieks of YOLO in
Charley's will now
forever stand for "You
Oughta Look Out."
continues to sweep awards season with a
win for best female lead actress for "Silver
Linings Playbook." We're just happy she
thanked MTV's "My Super Sweeti16."
1
1
Rappers Chris Brown and Frank Ocean rum-.
bled over a parking spot outside of a recording
studio. Ocean tweeted he cut his finger and
now "can't play w two hands at the grammys."
In other news, Rick Ross was shot and lives.
--o -
F
"A Pep Talk from
Kid President
to You" has gone
viral, with a little
boy encouraging
us all to make the
world awesome
and dance. Don't
be boring, don't
stop believing
and remember:
what will be your
Space Jam?