Struggling film students who can't afford to pay for film need not fear ... Kodak is here.
The Department of Communication has been given a $2000 product grant from the Eastman Kodak Company.
The grant was received in the 2000 Fall semester. It will allow for $2000 worth of 16mm professional film stock, to be used by students of the Department of Communications and Fine Arts.
According to Steven Ross, professor of communication, this is the third grant awarded to the department during the past six years.
Ross said the grant will enable students to venture into independent assignments.
"(The film) will be used for advanced student projects," Ross said.
Students who are interested in receiving free film must write a proposal, which then must be approved by faculty members in the department.
"Students (can) submit a proposal for independent projects. If we approve them, we give them the film," Ross said. "Several people get two or three rolls a project."
Ross said students like Brett Cantrell have already put the grant to good use.
"We have several students doing film. Brett Cantrell (had a film) shown at the Memphis Film Festival," Ross said. "This grant has benefitted several people over the last 5 years."
The title of Cantrell's film is "Eso-phagas (The Red Nose Cowboy)." The short, which runs six minutes, has also been shown at the New York Film Festival and on Ifilm.com.
Cantrell's film is about a young man who is the spawn of a genuine rodeo clown and a cowgirl.
"Basically, it's about a young boy born a rodeo clown," Cantrell said. "It's about him dealing with his parenting and it touches on (life) in the rodeo."
According to Ross, buying film is prohibitively expensive for most students.
"Just ten minutes of 16mm film could cost over $100," Ross said.
Cantrell said without the grant he would be spending well over $500 to purchase film for his movie.
"I shot a 1000 feet of color negative film. it would probably have run about $800," Cantrell said. "That's just six minutes of film. I couldn't have done it without the Kodak grant."
Ross said he believes the grant gives a much needed boost to The University of Memphis' film community.
"At this time, with the state being negligent in its funding of higher education, grants like this are a God-send to our film program," Ross said.
