Digital Cinema Resources: Student Theses

Synopsis: Jordan McKendrick, 22, faces years of deep seeded insecurity when her terminally ill mother, Elizabeth dies. Left with a of unpaid medical bills and the prospect of being homeless, Jordan must piece together a broken relationship with her estranged father who is the only benefactor of a forgotten life insurance policy that would seemingly solve Jordan’s problems.

Synopsis: Ella, the main character in the film, has been treating her anxiety with prescription medication for several months now. After a terrible day at work send her home crying, Ella returns to her apartment to discover her long time boyfriend wants to put an end to their relationship. As she runs out of medication and her doctor refuses to prescribe her additional medication, Ella is forced to confront her own fears and discover a way to overcome her frustrations with life.

Synopsis: Fritz Carlisle has a lot on his mind. After his parents separated, Fritz lived with his mother, Julia, who over the next four years fought a rare type of blood cancer and eventually succumbed to the disease. Fritz is forced to move back in with his father, Douglas, a professional magician. Now 12-year-old Fritz tries to integrate into his new school by performing a magic trick for his class. When it doesn’t go quite right, Fritz is ridiculed by his class, placated by his teacher and tripped by Olsen, the leader of a gang of bullies. Fritz’s frustrated reaction lands him in the principal’s office for a reprimand and an escort home by his father.

Fritz decides to take matters into his own hands. He steals his father’s book of secrets and takes it to school. Unfortunately as Fritz examines his treasure in a bathroom stall, he discovers that he isn’t alone. Olsen and his band of bullies bust in, rough Fritz up and steal the magic book. To make matters worse, Fritz learns that his father really relies on that book for his magic performances and subsequently goes before a full auditorium and bombs his performance. The guilt is too much for Fritz to bear. It is a long, silent ride home.

Haunted by his darkened circumstances, Fritz dreams that Olsen and the bullies torment him and destroy the book. Awakened with a start from his nightmare, Fritz stumbles upon his father’s knowledge of an enhanced reality where magic really happens. In the long overdue conversation that ensues, Fritz and his father finally reconnect and his father begins to divulge the secrets of this deeper magic.

In a final confrontation, possessing the knowledge of Carlisle’s Secret, Fritz must return to the real world to face the bullies, take a stand, and reclaim his father’s magic book.

Synopsis: We've all heard the phrase, "do what you love and the money will follow." But how many of us believe it enough to bet our career on it? 65-year old Doug took that to heart when he started building his own custom road bicycles in 1970. 25-year old Ryan is just starting his own "do what you love" business with a unique ice cream shop. As more opportunities and challenges open up for Ryan, he seeks to learn from Doug's journey towards living his passion, a journey that only succeeded because of his unique vision and willingness to adapt.

Synopsis: Daniels, a U.S. Army infantryman with a hatred for all Arabs, is injured in a convoy ambush and rescued by Iraqi civilian Hassan and his son Jabir. As the three of them hide from the insurgents, Daniels learns that his prejudices and his hatred have been misplaced and he comes to respect Hassan and Jabir as human beings. Making a sacrifice himself in order to save his new friends from the insurgents, Daniels emerges from the experience with his perspective shifted and his heart utterly changed.

Synopsis: In 1975, Hawaiian surfers saw the hordes of foreign surfers and tourists descending on the tranquil North Shore of Oahu Hawaii as a new wave of colonialism towards their culture. The same year the International Professional Surfing (IPS) headquartered on the North Shore of Oahu Hawaii, inaugurated the first surfing world tour circuit, which brought surfing to a new level of popularity. The IPS surfing contests were televised on three national television networks (ABC, CBS and NBC). Many people saw Hawaii for the first time and soon began to flock to the North Shore to experience this paradise.

Soon local Hawaiian surfers found their beaches and waves overcrowded, felt disrespected and were being excluded from surfing where surf contests were being held for the first time. The Hawaiian surfers formed the club, the Hui O He’e Nalu in order to preserve their culture, land and ocean. They felt if they did not stand up to incoming commercialism, the North Shore would become another overcrowded city like Waikiki.

The Hui O He’e Nalu protested the IPS and disrupted their surf contests to the point where surf contests would not be able to continue on the North Shore. Since that time the Hui O He’e Nalu has been branded as thugs and as a gang by the media, the IPS and as a surf club not to cross. Today the North Shore remains a surf paradise and has not become over commercialized due in part to the Hui O He’e Nalu’s continuing efforts as a surf club and their continued presence on the North Shore of Oahu and throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

Synopsis: Suffering from deep depression after the death of her husband, Marilyn, a middle-aged woman, starts a new life for herself in a quiet, rural town. Feeling guilty and desperate to reconnect with her long-estranged daughter, she turns to supernatural means, but quickly discovers that the consequences of her actions carry unexpected results and threaten familial reconciliation.

Synopsis: After the death of their young son, Jesse remains distant from his wife Karen, even as the world faces an imminent disaster. Will he choose to die alone or can he find his way past his guilt and resentment in order to be with the woman that he loves on their last day on earth?