Northeast South Dakota News

ABERDEEN, S.D. – A Northern State University team received honorable mentions at the 2022 Four Points Film Project Awards.

Northern’s team earned two honorable mentions for their short film, “The Final Thread,” in the following categories:

• Best Use of Genre• Best Supporting Actor for Kane Anderson, NSU Assistant Professor of Theatre, as Bernie (The Mentor)

The Four-Points Film Project is an international competition. This is the first time Northern has participated, competing against over 80 teams, said Jason Knowles, NSU assistant professor of art/digital media.

Knowles served as the film’s director, executive producer, visual effects supervisor and post-production sound designer. Along with Knowles and Anderson, the nine-member cast and crew included NSU students, alumni and community members:

• NSU student John Schwab, who served as co-director of cinematography and chief editor of the Four Points version of the film.• His brother, Nicholas Schwab, an Aberdeen Central High School student, who was a supporting actor (Random Citizen) and did boom mic and audio mixing on set.• NSU alumnus Matthew Klundt, who also served as a co-director of cinematography and did some on-set boom mic and audio mixing.• NSU student Xavier Scott, who played the lead role of Sam in the film, and also helped develop the story and further enhanced it with good screenplay dialogue. • NSU students Alexis Wald and Julianna Pasara, who served as the other story developers and on-set production assistants.• NSU student Emilia Bauer, who played the lead female role of Kat Bradford, the seamstress—her first time acting in any production.

Knowles said community involvement was a huge part of the project.

“Both the Aberdeen Community Theatre and The Red Rooster Coffee House provided great filming locations,” he said. “We would have struggled to find convincing sets for parts of this film had it not been for their help.”

Local Showing Planned

Currently, Knowles is working on a director’s cut. Once finished, he’ll research local, regional and national film festivals to submit the newer version for evaluation.

The team also plans to hold a public viewing of the film at an open house for Northern’s new film/TV studio, Dacotah Hall 209 Moving Imagery Lab, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 24. The event, free and open to the public, will also include showings of student work along with other fun activities.

They also hope to continue to build on their current success.

“We are hoping to make this a regular event at Northern—hosting a filmmaking team each November which will continue to grow collaborations between NSU students, faculty/staff, alumni, and the Aberdeen community,” Knowles said.

Film Degree in the Works

While a lot of personal equipment was used to make the film, that will change in the future—Northern is currently in the process of developing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film/Broadcasting/Interactive Media, Knowles said.

“When implemented, it will be fun to see what we can accomplish with more professional filmmaking equipment and an academic schedule that would allow us to better strategize for this and other competitions,” he said.

To learn more about studying the arts at Northern, contact the NSU School of Fine Arts at 605-626-2497.

About Northern State University VALUESNorthern State University is committed to building a welcoming culture of belonging and collegiality that respects diversity in knowledge, culture and worldview. Northern seeks people who will engage with individuals of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives to increase awareness, understanding, respect and opportunity for all.

SETTINGNorthern State University is a premier regional comprehensive university characterized by outstanding instruction, extraordinary community relations, and excellent co-curricular opportunities. NSU is consistently ranked as one of the best public undergraduate institutions in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report. NSU is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Fine Arts, the Millicent Atkins School of Education, and the School of Business. NSU is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission as well as multiple disciplinary accrediting bodies. NSU is in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a vibrant community in northeastern S.D. The city has a population of approximately 30,000 and is a cultural, retail, banking, agribusiness, and healthcare hub for the region. The university enjoys a positive and strong relationship with the city and region. With more than $150 million invested over the last decade, Northern State University is experiencing transformative positive momentum. Recent new facilities include significant updates to the Johnson Fine Arts Center and Barnett Athletics Center, three new residence halls, the new Jewett Regional Science Education Center, and a new Regional Sports Complex with athletic and recreational fields.

Original source can be found here.