Local filmmakers experience some VIP treatment

And…action! Four movies made by local teens hit the big screen Nov. 10 as part of Spy Hop Productions' annual PitchNic premiere. Taking on such topics, as dumpster diving for food and the dissolution of the family dinner, the young filmmakers unveiled their short films to a packed house at Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

Cottonwood High School senior Laela Omar was the director of the documentary short “Dinner,” a film that drew attention to the importance of the simple ritual of families sitting down together for dinner and the broader impact of those who don’t. Laela, along with Producer James Hadden and Director of Photography Erin Cole, spent 12 months putting their 12-minute film together.

“The original pitch for my documentary was a film about multiculturalism,” Laela said. “My intentions were to find four families from different ethnic backgrounds and explore the way they celebrated dinner. We spent a long time trying to find families that were willing to let us film them eat dinner. Unfortunately, we came across many complications, the main one being we couldn't find families that actually still sat down to eat dinner together. As we got down to the wire we realized that was a story in its self. We all thought it was a good idea because none of us actually ate dinner with our families.”

They soon discovered they were in the majority. The crew interviewed the Food Nanny, Liz Edmunds of BYUtv and author of the cookbook “The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner” and were astonished at the connections between fast food, obesity and the demise of the family dinner.

“We hope the film encourages viewers to savor the little moments in life like spending a little time eating dinner as a family,” Laela said. “We also want viewers to learn as much as we did while making the film.”

Documentary arts instructor and film mentor Frank Feldman worked with Laela and her crew on the making of “Dinner.” His role as mentor assists the filmmakers with the unique opportunity of experiencing firsthand what creating a “real” movie is like, from pitching their ideas to working with a budget and paid actors.

“Pitchnic is the whole process, not just a film class,” Feldman said. “We model it after the ‘real world model.’ As a director, Laela impressed me by her ability to see depth and importance in the day to day—that is such a gift for a filmmaker.”

Spy Hop Productions is a nonprofit media arts and education center that offers after-school programs to students ages 14-19 who are interested in the film industry. The PitchNic program began in 2002 and is the most advanced filmmaking class offered. It is a yearlong workshop that allows students to receive hands-on experience with filmmaking.