AUGUSTA, GA - A documentary. Stop-motion animation. Music videos. A look at our dreary economic conditions. A visit from the Study Fairy. A superhero. And a vomiting serial killer. This is just a taste of what you can expect from Film Attack.

"Jack the Vomiter"

Augusta State University film professor Rick Pukis has compiled a group of filmmakers, including students both current and former, who showcase a plethora of new talent that, for many involved, will have their films screened publicly for the first time.

“It’s great for the student filmmakers to have an audience,” Pukis said. “They get good feedback in front of a crowd.”

The film festival, which in the past has been held at the Soul Bar, The Bee’s Knee’s and the Morris Museum of Art, gives the filmmakers an opportunity to interact with the audience.

“[There is] a lot of nice energy,” Pukis said.

Most of the films involved have a unique aspect that sets them apart in this digital age. “At least half of the films are shot on celluloid,” he said. Some of the films were shot using Super 8 and some use 16mm film.

The look of film is certainly superior, providing vivid colors and true blacks, but the high cost of processing, digital transfer and the actual film itself, can be drawbacks.

But, as a learning tool, it proves valuable. “It makes you think about what you’re going to shoot,” Pukis said. “It’s a lot more challenging.”

ASU student and filmmaker Morgan McNeal, who has two films being shown, agrees.

“Film is a lot different than digital. You have to take a lot more into account, but it looks so much better,” he said.

One of McNeal’s films, “Cheat Sheet,” was shot with 16mm film. The five-minute film, inspired by “the temptations you face as being a student” shows what happens when cheating goes terribly wrong.

Paying homage to two of his favorite genres, horror and B movies, in “Midnight Madness featuring ‘Jack Newsome Monster Killer’ & ‘The Return of Jack Newsome,’” rather than a narrative film, McNeal opted to make a trailer for a double feature that promises to be “your nightmare’s nightmare,” complete with dramatic voiceovers.

Another film that will be screened is from a group of four filmmakers from Spokane, Wash., who have given a nod to the silent era with “Jack the Vomiter,” which was shot using Super 8 film. The four filmmakers, Gary McCleod, Derrick King, Travis Hiibner and Mike Corrigan, all comprise Head Juice Productions, whose previous effort, “What’s in the Barn?” won Best Short at the Altoids Independent Cinema Project in Seattle.

“The variety of the schedule is good,” Pukis said of the 12 films to be shown. “A few you’re going to either love or hate, but they will make an impression.”

Films to be screened at Film Attack:

1. "Red" by Tristan Nall

2. "The Sorrow" by William Pope

3. "Sightspell" directed by Maurice Williams, edited by Lindsey Hart

4. "Next Door" directed by Marcey Frutchey

5. "Wits End" by Rick Pukis

6. "Le Petit Dejeuner" by Tristan Nall, edited by George Doss

7. "Cheat Sheet" by Morgan McNeal

8. "Pyroteque" by Tiffany Wise

9. "Rodan" by George Doss

10. "Jack the Vomiter" by Gary McCleod, Derrick King, Travis Hiibner and Mike Corrigan

11. "If Hitler Was a Kitten" by Paul Moore

12. "‘Jack Newsome Monster Killer’ & ‘The Return of Jack Newsome'" by Morgan McNeal

Film Attack
Sky City
Friday, Jan. 23
7:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Free
skycityaugusta.com