SBVC Students Wins 20k in Film Competition

A San Bernardino Valley College student (SBVC) in the Film Television & Media (FTVM) has won $20,000 in the college’s Short Film Production course competition and will shoot an entire short film with a state-of-the-art Arriflex 435 35mm motion picture camera. The prize winnings will fund 22-year-old Odin Contreras’ entire project, including production equipment, digital transfers, processing, film stop, and a final cut on actual film. The equipment and processes used will be of the same level of picture typically produced in current Hollywood cinema. In November, the classroom competition consisted of 11 participants who were judged on their short-film script and pre-production execution. Contreras, a current resident of Highland, was chosen as the winner by the FTVM department at SBVC. “I moved all the way to California from East Texas in 2017 to pursue my dream in film as a director," Contreras said. "As a first-generation college student, I was accepted to California State University, Los Angeles, but due to financial reasons, I was forced to find a college where the tuition was more practical. Ultimately, I chose SBVC’s FTVM program due to its value, partnerships (with public television station KVCR-TV), state-of-the-art equipment and critical hands-on experience in a real studio.” Some of the state-of-the-art equipment in the FTVM department includes cameras Arri Amira, Black MagicPocket 6K Pro, Sony FS7, Sony A7iii cameras and a 4K television studio via KVCR. Other opportunities include motion capture cameras and Davinci Color CorrectionSuites. “Providing access to this type of equipment and experience gives our students a leg up in the industry. When Motion Picture Film Stock came (the company the department purchased the film stock from) to hand-deliver the film to us, they mentioned that if our students can load a 35mm camera, they’ll get work,” said FTVM department co-chair Lucas Cuny. The forthcoming film began shooting on November 29 in the San Bernardino Mountains. Contreras has networked and cast two notable actors. They include Jesse Posey of the Netflix series “Selena” and Arianna Rivas of Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger.” Both actors said they have dreams of shooting a movie on real film. “I want to thank SBVC and the FTVM Department for providing resources for Inland Empire students to create real films on Hollywood-level camera equipment. This program really cares about its student’s success, and I’m grateful this is where I wound up,” said Contreras. For more local news and information click here.