SAIT film and video production graduates post final projects online

A scene from a student film being shown as part of the film and video production program final projects at SAIT.

Calgary — After completing a two-year course learning various aspects of the film industry and producing their own shorts, students in SAIT's film and video production program will show their final projects to a much wider audience than just their classmates.

Traditionally the Globe Cinema hosts a year-end event with upward of 300 people in attendance to view on the big screen what the students have been creating since September. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the in-person event this year.

Jelayna Hyggen graduated with a 4.0 average and worked with a few other students to create a website for the virtual screening.

“Being in the Globe you get to meet people face-to-face,” said Hyggen. “But online, it’s there forever basically, so people can watch that and it is mostly like a resume.”

Matthew Guerrero is one of about 50 students graduating. He had a hand in a number of the final productions and says he and his classmates were devastated when they got the news the Globe Theatre screening would be cancelled.

He’ll miss getting dressed up for the event but is glad it’s moved online.

“We still get to showcase our work which is really nice,” said Guerrero. “A lot of it is just still having that experience and now we get to share it with more people who we may not have been able to share it with if it was in one confined area locally, which is really nice.”

Phillip Letourneau has been to many screenings at the Globe in his 25 years instructing the SAIT program.

“We’ll still do the public screenings when we can after their COVID crisis has completed but I think following up with this online component is tremendous because it gives them a voice and it allows the world to see what they’re doing,” said Letourneau.

Braden Arbour worked on a number of the short films featured and says he can point future employers to the website so they can see his talents in post-production sound.

“As soon as this (pandemic) ends it would be a great time (to get work) because I imagine productions are just raring to get going,” said Arbour.

“People still need things shot and like Netflix especially … they’re going to need tons of stuff shot because now they’ve got all this money people have been spending while in quarantine.”

SAIT will be hosting a virtual screening on May 29 at 6:30 pm. All content, including the website is student produced. Learn more about the Friday screening here.