Help Us Attend Filmapalooza 2020
Donation protected
AVW Studios is a student-run short-film production organization at Ohio University, and from 07/26 to 07/28, six of its filmmakers participated in the 2019 Columbus 48 Hour Film Project.
They were tasked with writing, shooting, editing, and producing a film of a specific genre containing a specific character, prop, and line of dialogue in just under forty-eight hours.
They created Burly Man.
Burly Man follows Detective Tillerman as he investigates a trail of bodies with one thing in common: murder by paper towel.
With forty-plus submissions competing for the prize, the odds weren’t in their favor.
Come September 29th at the Studio 35 Awards Screening, they were shocked to receive not one, not two, but three awards, one of which… was Best Film of 2019.
Now, these six filmmakers have the opportunity to join hundreds of other writers, actors, and film lovers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for Filmapalooza 2020, a five-day festival of films, workshops, parties, networking, and fun.
It includes screenings of the 135 city-winning 48HFP and genre competition films from around the world, plus the announcement of the 2019 48HFP tour global awards as selected by a panel of international judges.
This is a life-altering experience. It’s rare to be granted an opportunity like this, especially at such a young age. The Burly Men are beyond excited to travel to Rotterdam and serve as ambassadors to Ohio University, to AVW Studios, to themselves.
And, they need your help.
They've trained their arms to flap pretty fast, but it won't be enough to get them to Rotterdam. They'll have to purchase some plane tickets. They also know of several comfortable dumpsters in the area, but The Bug King has insisted they're no longer welcome. So that means they'll need to stay in a hotel as well.
Any and all donations to help them cover housing costs while they’re abroad would be greatly appreciated.
- - - - - - - - - -
Who Helped to Make Burly Man?
Collin Black
Hi I’m Collin Black, I’m from Chillicothe, Ohio and I’m attending Ohio University studying Integrated Media.
I’ve only ever wanted to be two things in my life, a scientist like Bill Nye and a Filmmaker. I quickly discovered after my first day of science class that it was too much for me. Looking back it wasn't science that drew me in. It was filmmaking. I remember my dad bringing home a box set of the Indiana Jones trilogy and being completely entranced. The box set had an extra DVD that was just filled with bonus features. I watched that more than the movies themselves. “Making the movie is a job?” something my little brained didn’t know until then. It was magic and I wanted to know how they did their tricks.
When I was nine I started making videos for YouTube, mostly dumb Lego stop motion animations that really don't hold up. I absolutely loved it, I adore it, it was the only thing I could think about. To my Father’s surprise this cute hobby of mine stuck. I kept doing it and it snowballed to today.
I am the Vice President of AVW Studios and the Director of Burly Man.
Burly Man was a surprise. Hearing “Burly Man” being called as the winner made me think I was getting punked. Yet looking back I am extremely proud of this small team and what we accomplished in 48 hours.
Filmapalooza will be a life changing experience for the entire team. Not only the networking opportunities from the other teams who won from cities across the world, but learn from them and help us achieve our respective dreams. This is a pinnacle part of the story of my life and I'm excited to experience it.
Jacob Bush
Hi, I am from Lebanon, Ohio, I'm a Senior at Ohio University getting my Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and analytics.
My first two years at Ohio University flew by and I felt that I had not done enough to put myself out there and meet new people. I saw a comedy improv group on campus with my class freshman year and thought that I would love to have the opportunity to do something like that. I looked them up my sophomore year, but had just missed their auditions. I was determined to get out of my comfort zone and audition next year. While I was home on break I realized that I had never auditioned for anything before and had no idea how to do it. I drove to the Cincinnati Actors Studio to see what acting and improv was all about. I showed up and felt immediately welcomed by the actors there but also way out of place. These people were professional working actors and I’ve never even been in a school play. Long story short, I was painfully awful, but I had a great time and kept going back. I was offered a part in a short film in Cincinnati and got to see how the film process worked. I took what I learned back with me for my junior year. I auditioned, got a call back, and eventually made the team! It was one of the best decisions I have made and I never looked back.
I have always had a fascination with film. Growing up I watched a multitude of different genres and always had an interest in getting on camera with my friends, making little projects for school. This interest led me to say yes to Garrett when he asked me to audition for his film Pronouns. I did the film and it introduced me to AVW Studios and the wonderful students involved with the organization. I’ve since acted in a couple films with these students.
Through this group, Collin and Joey asked me to take part in the 48 hour shootout. We created Burly Man and it took the 1st place prize for best film. Now we have the opportunity to go even further and travel abroad to meet a very diverse and involved group of filmmakers. This trip will be a humbling and exciting experience that I hope will instill a great many skills for our future endeavors after college.
Joey Caldwell
Hey-yo! I’m from Madison, Alabama, and I’m attending Ohio University to attain a Bachelors of Science and Communication.
During the production of Schindler’s List, Robin Williams would call Steven Spielberg once a week and do approximately fifteen minutes of stand-up over the phone. Why? Because, Spielberg was doing important work. He was telling an important story. He was miserable.
This piece of trivia has been bouncing around inside my head for a few years now. It’s led me to discover a yin and yang, which has begun manifesting as one of my personal philosophies.
There’s nothing wrong with being Robin Williams.
What I mean by that is this: there will always be people in this world doing more important work than you. And yet, those people will eventually seek out relief in the form of entertainment. And that, that’s what I want to do. I want to be the one people turn to when they feel like they’re drowning, when they just need to smile.
So, how close am I to achieving that ambition?
Well, I joined AVW Studios in the Fall of 2017, and since then I’ve become a short-film junkie. I’ve had the privilege of producing, directing, co writing, gripping, and acting for approximately twenty-five short films
Now, when it comes to 48-Hour Shootouts, I’m a sucker with a capital lollipop. They’re unpredictable; they lead to sleep deprivation. You’re either gonna end up with a great film or a tale of tragedy you can share with friends and family.
And Burly Man? Wow. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re humbled to be selected as the representatives for Columbus during Filmapalooza 2020.
Through Filmapalooza, I will have the opportunity to attend workshops, to meet new people, to sow the seeds for success. Through Filmapalooza, I will discover opportunities to give back to the people, institutions, and communities that enabled me to become the filmmaker I am today.
Kevin Hohenberger
Hello! My name is Kevin Hohenberger, I am a senior at Ohio University majoring in Integrated Media with a minor in Film.
I have loved movies ever since I was a little kid. I would watch any movie I could get my hands, I loved them, I loved all the stories, I loved how they looked, and I loved how they could impact people. When I was younger I would watch the Star Wars Original Trilogy on VHS all the time and before the movie would play there was a feature of behind the scenes footage of all the props and actors talking about the movie. Ever since then I knew I wanted to do something with movies, it looked like so much fun and I was fascinated by how people were able to take you through a world completely made out of imagination.
Throughout my life I’ve written stories and made short films with my friends. When I came to Ohio University, I was a little hesitant to get out there and didn’t know where to go to further practice my skills. Well junior year I finally decided to put myself out there and join AVW. Since joining AVW I was able to work on several short films, write two short films, and direct another as well as meet some awesome people along the way. I’m so glad that I joined the club and was able to learn so much from the people and the process.
When Joey asked anyone if they wanted to work on a short film over the summer I couldn’t resist and waited eagerly for that weekend to come. When it finally did the six of us put our heads together and made Burly Man. We all had so much fun on set and had no idea what was in store for. When Collin, Joey, and I went to the award ceremony in Columbus we are all thrown back to see that our film had won! I’m so proud of our team and what we accomplished and can’t wait for the incredible opportunity to visit Filmapalooza in the Netherlands!
Garrett Hopkins
Hello! My name is Garrett Hopkins, I am a senior at Ohio University majoring in Games & Animation with a minor in Film.
I started my college career at Ohio University Zanesville where I was an undecided major. I then relocated to OU main campus where I started my classes in Education to become a teacher, not thrilled for it but able to stand it. Through joining clubs I met many media students whose majors ranged from animation-film-music and discovered many career options OUZ didn't offer. One of which was animation, had I known this was an option I would have started my college journey here in that major. Within my first year in this new field I had created artwork for a video game and animated in a short film. Content creation is what I soon realized I thoroughly enjoyed. I finally had a major I knew I would succeed in but still lacked a minor. That changed when my friend CJ from a comedy club I joined asked me to act in his 48 hour film. Being on set and seeing the crew set up the lights, run audio equipment, run the camera, and just being in the moment of film creation was amazing. That's when I knew this was something I could run with.
I went to my advisor, told him I wanted a minor in film, got my next semester classes set up, and I was off. After that first film I acted in, I then went on to act in several others, produce, edit, write and direct my own films. All of this coming from the film club AVW. This large extension of film knowledge and practice was brought to me via other passionate content creators, it wasn’t a professor or a class, it was a student organized club. Joey reached out to us all to see who would be available in the summer to work on a Columbus 48 and I excitedly marked my calendar. Thus Burly Man was created and has become one of my largest college accomplishments with three awards from the Columbus 48 hour shootout. Being able to travel to the Netherlands to watch our film compete against all the other city winners will be a humbling experience. Let alone all the people we will meet, network with, and work alongside in filmmaking workshops.
Thank You!
Justin Bradley
Justin did not send me a bio or a picture. This is his punishment.
In all seriousness, Justin is a phenomenal human being. We're incredibly fortunate to have him as a part of our team.
They were tasked with writing, shooting, editing, and producing a film of a specific genre containing a specific character, prop, and line of dialogue in just under forty-eight hours.
They created Burly Man.
Burly Man follows Detective Tillerman as he investigates a trail of bodies with one thing in common: murder by paper towel.
With forty-plus submissions competing for the prize, the odds weren’t in their favor.
Come September 29th at the Studio 35 Awards Screening, they were shocked to receive not one, not two, but three awards, one of which… was Best Film of 2019.
Now, these six filmmakers have the opportunity to join hundreds of other writers, actors, and film lovers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for Filmapalooza 2020, a five-day festival of films, workshops, parties, networking, and fun.
It includes screenings of the 135 city-winning 48HFP and genre competition films from around the world, plus the announcement of the 2019 48HFP tour global awards as selected by a panel of international judges.
This is a life-altering experience. It’s rare to be granted an opportunity like this, especially at such a young age. The Burly Men are beyond excited to travel to Rotterdam and serve as ambassadors to Ohio University, to AVW Studios, to themselves.
And, they need your help.
They've trained their arms to flap pretty fast, but it won't be enough to get them to Rotterdam. They'll have to purchase some plane tickets. They also know of several comfortable dumpsters in the area, but The Bug King has insisted they're no longer welcome. So that means they'll need to stay in a hotel as well.
Any and all donations to help them cover housing costs while they’re abroad would be greatly appreciated.
- - - - - - - - - -
Who Helped to Make Burly Man?
Collin Black
Hi I’m Collin Black, I’m from Chillicothe, Ohio and I’m attending Ohio University studying Integrated Media.
I’ve only ever wanted to be two things in my life, a scientist like Bill Nye and a Filmmaker. I quickly discovered after my first day of science class that it was too much for me. Looking back it wasn't science that drew me in. It was filmmaking. I remember my dad bringing home a box set of the Indiana Jones trilogy and being completely entranced. The box set had an extra DVD that was just filled with bonus features. I watched that more than the movies themselves. “Making the movie is a job?” something my little brained didn’t know until then. It was magic and I wanted to know how they did their tricks.
When I was nine I started making videos for YouTube, mostly dumb Lego stop motion animations that really don't hold up. I absolutely loved it, I adore it, it was the only thing I could think about. To my Father’s surprise this cute hobby of mine stuck. I kept doing it and it snowballed to today.
I am the Vice President of AVW Studios and the Director of Burly Man.
Burly Man was a surprise. Hearing “Burly Man” being called as the winner made me think I was getting punked. Yet looking back I am extremely proud of this small team and what we accomplished in 48 hours.
Filmapalooza will be a life changing experience for the entire team. Not only the networking opportunities from the other teams who won from cities across the world, but learn from them and help us achieve our respective dreams. This is a pinnacle part of the story of my life and I'm excited to experience it.
Jacob Bush
Hi, I am from Lebanon, Ohio, I'm a Senior at Ohio University getting my Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and analytics.
My first two years at Ohio University flew by and I felt that I had not done enough to put myself out there and meet new people. I saw a comedy improv group on campus with my class freshman year and thought that I would love to have the opportunity to do something like that. I looked them up my sophomore year, but had just missed their auditions. I was determined to get out of my comfort zone and audition next year. While I was home on break I realized that I had never auditioned for anything before and had no idea how to do it. I drove to the Cincinnati Actors Studio to see what acting and improv was all about. I showed up and felt immediately welcomed by the actors there but also way out of place. These people were professional working actors and I’ve never even been in a school play. Long story short, I was painfully awful, but I had a great time and kept going back. I was offered a part in a short film in Cincinnati and got to see how the film process worked. I took what I learned back with me for my junior year. I auditioned, got a call back, and eventually made the team! It was one of the best decisions I have made and I never looked back.
I have always had a fascination with film. Growing up I watched a multitude of different genres and always had an interest in getting on camera with my friends, making little projects for school. This interest led me to say yes to Garrett when he asked me to audition for his film Pronouns. I did the film and it introduced me to AVW Studios and the wonderful students involved with the organization. I’ve since acted in a couple films with these students.
Through this group, Collin and Joey asked me to take part in the 48 hour shootout. We created Burly Man and it took the 1st place prize for best film. Now we have the opportunity to go even further and travel abroad to meet a very diverse and involved group of filmmakers. This trip will be a humbling and exciting experience that I hope will instill a great many skills for our future endeavors after college.
Joey Caldwell
Hey-yo! I’m from Madison, Alabama, and I’m attending Ohio University to attain a Bachelors of Science and Communication.
During the production of Schindler’s List, Robin Williams would call Steven Spielberg once a week and do approximately fifteen minutes of stand-up over the phone. Why? Because, Spielberg was doing important work. He was telling an important story. He was miserable.
This piece of trivia has been bouncing around inside my head for a few years now. It’s led me to discover a yin and yang, which has begun manifesting as one of my personal philosophies.
There’s nothing wrong with being Robin Williams.
What I mean by that is this: there will always be people in this world doing more important work than you. And yet, those people will eventually seek out relief in the form of entertainment. And that, that’s what I want to do. I want to be the one people turn to when they feel like they’re drowning, when they just need to smile.
So, how close am I to achieving that ambition?
Well, I joined AVW Studios in the Fall of 2017, and since then I’ve become a short-film junkie. I’ve had the privilege of producing, directing, co writing, gripping, and acting for approximately twenty-five short films
Now, when it comes to 48-Hour Shootouts, I’m a sucker with a capital lollipop. They’re unpredictable; they lead to sleep deprivation. You’re either gonna end up with a great film or a tale of tragedy you can share with friends and family.
And Burly Man? Wow. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re humbled to be selected as the representatives for Columbus during Filmapalooza 2020.
Through Filmapalooza, I will have the opportunity to attend workshops, to meet new people, to sow the seeds for success. Through Filmapalooza, I will discover opportunities to give back to the people, institutions, and communities that enabled me to become the filmmaker I am today.
Kevin Hohenberger
Hello! My name is Kevin Hohenberger, I am a senior at Ohio University majoring in Integrated Media with a minor in Film.
I have loved movies ever since I was a little kid. I would watch any movie I could get my hands, I loved them, I loved all the stories, I loved how they looked, and I loved how they could impact people. When I was younger I would watch the Star Wars Original Trilogy on VHS all the time and before the movie would play there was a feature of behind the scenes footage of all the props and actors talking about the movie. Ever since then I knew I wanted to do something with movies, it looked like so much fun and I was fascinated by how people were able to take you through a world completely made out of imagination.
Throughout my life I’ve written stories and made short films with my friends. When I came to Ohio University, I was a little hesitant to get out there and didn’t know where to go to further practice my skills. Well junior year I finally decided to put myself out there and join AVW. Since joining AVW I was able to work on several short films, write two short films, and direct another as well as meet some awesome people along the way. I’m so glad that I joined the club and was able to learn so much from the people and the process.
When Joey asked anyone if they wanted to work on a short film over the summer I couldn’t resist and waited eagerly for that weekend to come. When it finally did the six of us put our heads together and made Burly Man. We all had so much fun on set and had no idea what was in store for. When Collin, Joey, and I went to the award ceremony in Columbus we are all thrown back to see that our film had won! I’m so proud of our team and what we accomplished and can’t wait for the incredible opportunity to visit Filmapalooza in the Netherlands!
Garrett Hopkins
Hello! My name is Garrett Hopkins, I am a senior at Ohio University majoring in Games & Animation with a minor in Film.
I started my college career at Ohio University Zanesville where I was an undecided major. I then relocated to OU main campus where I started my classes in Education to become a teacher, not thrilled for it but able to stand it. Through joining clubs I met many media students whose majors ranged from animation-film-music and discovered many career options OUZ didn't offer. One of which was animation, had I known this was an option I would have started my college journey here in that major. Within my first year in this new field I had created artwork for a video game and animated in a short film. Content creation is what I soon realized I thoroughly enjoyed. I finally had a major I knew I would succeed in but still lacked a minor. That changed when my friend CJ from a comedy club I joined asked me to act in his 48 hour film. Being on set and seeing the crew set up the lights, run audio equipment, run the camera, and just being in the moment of film creation was amazing. That's when I knew this was something I could run with.
I went to my advisor, told him I wanted a minor in film, got my next semester classes set up, and I was off. After that first film I acted in, I then went on to act in several others, produce, edit, write and direct my own films. All of this coming from the film club AVW. This large extension of film knowledge and practice was brought to me via other passionate content creators, it wasn’t a professor or a class, it was a student organized club. Joey reached out to us all to see who would be available in the summer to work on a Columbus 48 and I excitedly marked my calendar. Thus Burly Man was created and has become one of my largest college accomplishments with three awards from the Columbus 48 hour shootout. Being able to travel to the Netherlands to watch our film compete against all the other city winners will be a humbling experience. Let alone all the people we will meet, network with, and work alongside in filmmaking workshops.
Thank You!
Justin Bradley
Justin did not send me a bio or a picture. This is his punishment.
In all seriousness, Justin is a phenomenal human being. We're incredibly fortunate to have him as a part of our team.
Organizer
Joey Caldwell
Organizer
Athens, OH
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