Asbury University hosted the Highbridge Film Festival exclusively online for the first time on April 25. The annual event is typically hosted in Hughes Auditorium, but since the campus is closed for the spring semester, the festival was livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube and the official Highbridge website.
The livestream ran very smoothly. The graphics were well designed and integrated nicely into the program, and the transitions between segments were nearly flawless. The mix of prerecorded videos and livestreams from guests and presenters flowed with no delay, as did the musical intermission by Asbury alumni Abe Parker, class of 2011.
Senior Renner Clements was the evening’s master of ceremonies. His comedy bits and introductions kept the livestream lively and personable.
“I greatly enjoyed sharing my voice, as well as Don Mink’s rocking moves,” Clements said, referencing a video of Operations Manager, Theatre and Media Lab Assistant Don Mink dancing in the Miller building. “Redemption is an essential element to the human experience. Hopefully the redemptive quality of my contribution permeated through this year’s circumstances.”
A new aspect of the online transition was social media competitions for audiences to participate in. The “Watch Party Contests” were announced on the official Highbridge Film Festival social media and were sponsored by Studio46 Media, a Lexington based video and live event production company.
Many students dressed in the outfits they planned to wear to the in-person event, decorated their space and made special snacks for the evening. Students were encouraged to share the pictures on social media using hashtags to be featured during the livestream. The contests and hashtags were a creative way to connect audiences and engage them in the event, despite not being in a room together.
The “Best Watch Space” award was given to sophomore Joel Pletcher, the “Best Quarantine Outfit” award was given to senior Katy Patterson, and the “Best Watch Party Food” award was given to grad student Laura Martin.
As for the organizers, the Highbridge event team is composed of students in a class taught by Todd Wold, assistant professor of Communication and Public Relations. Each team member had to adapt to handle an online event after they already had put a lot of work into preparing for the traditional on-campus event.
“Serving on the video team, the most difficult part of the transition was the fact that promotional videos couldn’t be produced on location with a crew anymore,” said Nathanael Chong, a senior on the event team. “I had to pick up and teach myself After Effects in order to put out those promotional videos. I probably wouldn’t have those new skills if I wasn’t in that tight spot.”
Twelve nominated short films were screened, as well as the winner from the Smart Phone Video Contest. Professor Sarah Hogencamp said she thought “this selection of films was the strongest yet.” The films showcased many talented students’ work, and, notably, many underclassmen’s films were featured.
However, the recipients of the Production Design, Lighting, Special Visual Effects and Sound Mix awards did not have their films screened at the festival. Last year, two unscreened films had special mentions, but having four award-winning unscreened films frustrated audience members and the filmmakers.
“I wish that the cast and crew would have had the privilege of having their work showcased at Highbridge,” said senior Hannah Barlow, director of “Evelyn,” an unscreened award winning film. “It would have been a good note to end on.”
On social media, some students asked filmmakers to post these unscreened films on an online platform so that their work could be viewed and appreciated.
Overall, the Highbridge Film Festival was very satisfying as an online event. The films were entertaining and thought-provoking. The faithfulness of the organizers shone through, and the elements of Highbridge that set it apart from other student festivals were present.
