Jose Reyes, senior film and media arts major, is hosting the third annual Black Box Film Festival, along with Andrew Kamen.
The Black Box Film Festival is taking place on Friday, April 13 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Reeves Theater and is open to the UT student population. It is being co-sponsored with UT’s Student Productions (SP). Reyes, a member of the Black Box committee, said, “It’s pretty much UT’s version of the Oscars, we want to recognize the hard work of our fellow film colleagues and showcase the many talented films that have come out of the communication department this semester.”
Students submit their short films, which have to be 20 minutes or less. The top 13 entries will be showcased at the event. The movies will be judged prior to the event by an expert panel of professors. Thirteen awards are going to be given to students’ movies from best picture to best experimental film as well as best editing.
Reyes said, “We want to get our fellow students to come over to Reeves Friday and just have a fun night watching really well-made short films.” He believes that there are a lot of talented filmmakers. According to Reyes, “it’s supposed to be quite the show so you shouldn’t miss out; it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The Minaret also had the opportunity to interview Reyes on his internship experience this semester. Reyes opportunity to intern for the upcoming film, Spring Breakers. The movie is set to be released in 2013, and stars Selena Gomez and James Franco, directed by Harmony Korine. Reyes served as an intern with the wardrobe department.
Minaret: What have you been doing as an intern for this upcoming movie?
Reyes: I pretty much do whatever needs to be done. What I’ve been doing lately is taking care of the product placement, which includes all the different brands of clothing, shoes and sunglasses that the actors wear in the film. Whatever has not gotten used, I have to catalog it and make sure it’s in good shape, so that way it gets shipped back to the brand.
Minaret: How have you enjoyed the internship?
Reyes: It has been a lot of fun interning. This is the third film that I’ve interned on. I’ve also interned for Sunlight Jr. and The Investigator last fall. I interned for The Investigator from August to mid-October and for Sunlight Jr. from mid-October to Christmas.
Minaret: How have your previous internships helped you with your current internship?
Reyes: They have definitely taught me all the tools that I need in order to go in there and know what I’m doing there because I don’t have textbook knowledge anymore, I actually have work knowledge that people notice when you’re thinking on your feet and thinking ahead, as opposed to being clueless and being told what to do; I already have the initiative to. It’s given me more confidence for other internships, like when I interviewed for Spring Breakers, I knew what to do and they noticed that.
Minaret: What do you want to do for your career?
Reyes: I definitely want to keep doing film. I don’t want to do wardrobe, but I definitely want to one day write and direct my own films. I want to move to New York after I graduate from UT this semester. I want to go to graduate school somewhere in New York to start working in film full-time as opposed to just interning.
Minaret: What is your area of interest in film?
Reyes: I want to do foreign films. My idea would be to do European cinema, like some crazy dramatic and psychotic themes mixed up into my crazy storylines.For more information about the event and his internship, you can contact him at josereyesescobar@spartans.ut.edu.
Yasaman Sherbaf can be reached at ysherbaf@spartans.ut.edu.