Student Recognized At The Accolade Global Film Competition

Published: January 26, 2024 | Author: Abbie Cochrane | Read Time: 1 minutes

Students filming with video cameras

SUTV and student director Dylan Dalton recently won two prestigious recognition awards from the Accolade Global Film Competition for the short film “Homestead.” The SUTV film received “Awards of Recognition” in the “Special Purpose Productions” and “College/University/Government” categories.

The competition recognizes film, television, videography and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement, as well as projects that are standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film and television industry.

“It’s great that students are recognized for a project that serves the community and also one that provides a real-world, hands-on learning experience,” said Professor Jon Smith, who taught the advanced film class that completed this project.

Produced during the 2023 spring semester, “Homestead” was shot at Frontier Homestead State Park in Cedar City, Utah, and was produced to help the park celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The film featured a homesteader ghost living at the park because she felt that was the best life for her–forever. “Homestead” features exceptional “ghost special effects” and a fun storyline. The film was written by Dalton’s instructor, Jon Smith, and shot entirely on location.

“I have lived in Cedar City my whole life and used to visit Homestead State Park on field trips for school,” said Dalton. “It was a very rewarding experience to come full circle from learning about the park myself to educating visitors about the park. This film definitely taught me a lot about directing, working with a crew, and how to tell a story.”

The SUU Communication program provides students with many opportunities to expand their screenwriting and video production skills through projects like long-format news, online, sports, public affairs, narrative, experimental and documentary productions. Students have the opportunity to work individually and in groups to learn pre-production, production, and post-production techniques in videography and film.


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