The University of Arizona’s 21st edition of I Dream in Widescreen will host world premieres of 11 senior thesis films on Saturday, May 9 at Fox Tucson Theatre.

The films include mystery, comedy, drama and horror.

“A lot of students have said to me over the years that seeing their film on the big screen kind of represents the culmination of their four years of study,” said Kerryn Negus, director of outreach and industry for the UA School of Theatre, Film & Television.

The highly anticipated night of cinema is a signature event for the school, often attracting a full house with more than 1,000 attendees, some of whom fly into Tucson to watch the student-made films for the first time.

“It’s like the Oscars of Tucson,” Negus said.

Behind the films

Featured directors Donovan Heaney and Elias Rice Bensch are among the lineup of senior film creators to witness their work in widescreen at this year’s showcase.

Heaney, 22, is a film major and director of “Where The Birds Still Sing,” a horror film that depicts grieving the loss of a loved one.

As an avid horror fan, Heaney found his passion for filmmaking when he took an intro level film production class his first year at the UA and experimented with monsters and lighting effects while producing his first film.

“I kind of really wanted to come back to that and take some of the stuff I did four years ago and bring it to a larger scale,” he said.

He was inspired by films like “Silent Hill” and “Twin Peaks,” he said, and created the foundation of his current film from ideas he discovered consuming horror media.

“I wanted to focus on something that was personal to me and I could showcase in a setting that I think horror would accent,” he said.

Bensch, 22, a film and economics major, is the director of “A Tale Most Fowl,” a western comedy geared toward redefining one’s perception.

He enjoys comedy and absurdist humor, he said, and knew that he wanted to shoot a comedy film.

“My favorite film is The Big Lebowski, and I love it because it makes me laugh,” he said.

His goal was to make people smile and laugh when they watch his film.

“I wanted to create something that was ridiculous and hopefully funny to people,” he said.

He added that his film is a reminder to himself to appreciate all the things he has in his life.

Production process

Beginning over the summer and continuing throughout the academic year, the student filmmaking process lasted for about 10 months. Script writing the first drafts started around July, and assembling a casting crew and pre-production preparation all took place over a few months, Heaney said.

“We shot my film in Gammon’s Gulch [Benson], and being there, managing the camera, the actors and the Airbnbs all at once was very draining, it took a lot out of me,” Bensch said.

His biggest struggle in post production was music, he added.

“I went through a lot of trouble figuring out the music, because I worked with a composer and I also licensed a song,” he said.

He and his composer created a soundtrack that fit the theme of his film.

“I thought it would be interesting to create a sense of realism, because I think grounding something and then adding absurdity to it makes it funnier. The music is used in that way throughout to create this western vibe, but it’s also used in dance sequences for humor and for energy,” he said.

Heaney also experienced post-production challenges.

“Having to look through everything and realize I still had too much footage, too much plot for a 10-minute short film, I essentially had to look through what I did need and what was core to the story I wanted to tell,” he said.

Heaney also co-composed the sounds and score in his film along with his sound designer, Michael Staggers.

“It’s meant to embellish the feelings of love and reminiscence that comes with having someone in your life that you care a lot about, and the stuff I worked on kind of does the opposite effect,” he said.

The music in his film is designed to match the mood of the scenes throughout the story as distorted sounds emphasize intense moments while softer piano represents reminiscent and reflective moments.

Post-graduation plans

Both Heaney and Bensch plan to move to Los Angeles for work after graduating.

“I love cinematography. I shot both of our films, and I love doing it, and I’ve shot many films since and I will continue to shoot films as long as I live hopefully,” Bensch said.

His dream is to shoot a feature film.

Heaney hopes to write and direct films, eventually creating a feature film with Bensch as the cinematographer.

I Dream in Widescreen is Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at the  Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online or at the door.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism