On Location

Nicholas Loud used to receive a lot of strange stares while shooting his movies on campus. Not anymore. "It is much more common now than it was when I came here two years ago," Loud '11 said.

That's because Loud is among an increasing number of auteurs expressing their creativity through a camera lens. Most are members of Kenyon Filmmakers (KFM), a club supporting student productions with personnel, equipment, screenings, and mentorship opportunities.

Founded in 2007, KFM has grown to forty active members who undertake ambitious programming, including a first annual Short Film Festival last December that drew four hundred viewers to Peirce Hall.

KFM climaxed its third year in April with a music-video festival and the KFM Red Carpet Premiere showcasing two thiry- to forty-five-minute features selected from a screenwriting competition.

Begun with a few interested film buffs, "the club really has taken off in the last year," said Loud, who, with Kelly Anderson '12, recently took over the reins from graduating founders Carl Kriss '10 and Jean-Etienne Mougin '10.

The principals are especially excited about the new KFM Alumni Mentorship Program, which links students with alumni working in the film industry. Kriss hatched the program after working last summer as a production assistant for television actor Josh Radnor '96 (How I Met Your Mother) on Radnor's film, HappyThankYouMorePlease.

Kriss sent an e-mail asking Radnor a few questions about the entertainment industry and Radnor responded with the job offer. "I got the idea that something like this might work for others," Kriss said.

Several alumni returned to Kenyon for the Short Film Festival in December, including Adam Davidson '86, Spencer Parsons '95, Dan Shefelman '84, and Nicholas Loud's brother Chris Loud '06, and three have agreed to advise students on their projects. "I am hopeful our alumni program will give other students the same opportunity I had," Kriss said.

Meantime, students should not be surprised to encounter lights, camera, action anywhere, any time on campus.

Contact Nicholas Loud at loudn@kenyon.edu for more information about Kenyon Filmmakers.