Union Film Society, led by their president Emmeline Arehart, has been reigniting the club’s activity after the COVID-19 pandemic suspended activities and is focused on fostering a community of like-minded students who are passionate about filmmaking. Meetings are decided based on the needs and schedules of its members and any Union student interested in film is welcome to join.
“There’s a great sense of community in that. In having these people who view this art form the same way you do,” Andrew Bos, senior film studies major, said.
Bos is a relatively new member of a club that is in the budding stages of a resurgence on Union’s campus. Those with a passion for filmmaking are few and far between at Union, but the few who do love it have banded together with a shared love for the medium and a desire to create.
The Union Film Society is not a new club on campus, but it has been a few years since they have been an active part of campus. Andrew spoke about the club’s past decline, noting how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted it.
“People were really getting involved and the whole covid situation kind of killed that so right now the society is in its rebuild phase. We’re just trying our best to build it back up,” Bos said.
For the last two years, students have been finding their footing, trying to rebuild the club back to what it used to be, this year they are finally beginning to take off.
Rachael Camp, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts at Union and the supervising faculty member over the club, sees its recent growth as an opportunity for her students.
“I’m excited about them working together as a crew and just getting practical set experience and filmmaking experience,” Camp said. “So they are going to work on that and hopefully have it ready to screen at the festival.”
“We have a lot of people who want to do stuff, they want to sink their teeth into these projects,” Bos said. “They want to work in all different assets and one of the beautiful things about the society is that you have a group of people who all love film but all have different aspects and different traits that you can put into a project.”
Community and shared burdens are key elements of the filmmaking process. At Union, it can be easy for one person with a strong urge to make a film to feel isolated, unable to put their boots on the ground of a real project. The Union Film Society is a way for people to bring their unique influences and skills to the table with other artists and hopefully unify in a shared vision of filmmaking.
This semester, the club is finally putting together its resources and shooting a short film. A horror short influenced by “A24 movies”. The club decided on the idea of hosting a night to pitch stories to each other.
“Pitch night was something that we tried to bring back,” Andrew said, discussing his specific involvement in the club. “I got in contact with alumni about it. His name is Sam Jones and he told me about how they would have a thing called pitch night where they would pitch ideas for short films we had within the society to our professors and then we’d pick a film to do and that would be our UFS film project for the year.”
As the Film Society continues to grow, they hope student-led short films will become more commonplace on campus. Bos is optimistic about the club’s future.
“I think it’s a great thing that we have all these people who can do all this stuff and we can combine it to help fulfill our dreams,” Bos said.
To learn more about the Union Film Society, visit: https://www.uu.edu/organizations/detail.cfm?ID=134
