EMST student short film wins state award

An original scripted short film written, directed and produced by Department of Entertainment and Media Studies student Paige Marogil was recognized as the Best College Story in the 2018 Middle Georgia Film Festival.

The comedy, titled “Four Five Nine,” takes place in the near future, in which people are unfairly ranked in a social caste system according to their DNA ranking of 1-9. The film features Oliver, whose DNA rank has him at the bottom of the social caste system, but he and his friend, Bo, don’t let that stop him from sharing one last dance with the girl of his dreams.

“Four Five Nine” can be viewed online.

“This film is a culmination of work done in Advanced Production taken this spring, and Screenwriting taken last fall,” said Marogil’s professor and faculty mentor Booker T. Mattison, who is an assistant professor in the EMST department. “She applied the skills that she developed in Screenwriting to write a compelling story that she crafted and then directed the film in Advanced Production.”

“Pulling together an original scripted short film is already a big job,” said James Hamilton, professor and head of the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies. “It’s great to be recognized by this award for doing it with such skill.”

“I learned to trust the process and let the story take on a life of its own,” said Marogil. “I’m proud that we succeeded in creating not only good entertainment, but a film that also comments on social issues that are prevalent in our society today.”

Marogil also served as lead editor, casting director, and dance choreographer. Other EMST students serving on the crew included Caitlin Guffin, director of photography; Shelby Cerniglia, sound mixer, boom operator; Caleb Moss, boom operator; Anna Wing, assistant editor, 2nd assistant camera); Sean Carruthers, 2nd assistant camera; and Tori Hunter, 2nd assistant camera.

“This is only the beginning for Paige,” Mattison continued. “Her best films are yet to come.”