NEWS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Dec. 6, 2010 — Drury graduate Chris Beckman has been invited to attend the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where his video, oops, will be screened in the short film program. Beckman’s video was one of 81 short films chosen for the festival which will be held in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah January 20-30.
oops from Chris Beckman on Vimeo.
Beckman describes his video as, “A lucid, seamless voyage through the Internet’s infinite repository of ‘throwaway’ social documentation and into the humanity of everyday life – via YouTube’s clumsiest videographers.”
Beckman began the project by selecting 100-150 videos off of YouTube of people doing accidental things, such as, dropping the camera. Eventually, Beckman used portions of 40-45 YouTube videos. “It’s cool that people feel free enough to upload videos of them dropping the camera,” Beckman said. “It’s another thing that kind of attracted me to the videos. Salvaging almost useless things to make something that people want to watch.”
Beckman, who graduated from Drury in May 2010 with a degree in Fine Arts in the Department of Art and Art History, originally created the piece for a class called Video Art co-taught by Drury professors Blaine Whisenhunt and Greg Booker with assistance from Brian Shipman, a Drury video instructor.
On being selected for Sundance, Beckman said, “I was really surprised. Definitely pleased. When I first started this project I thought it was a class assignment that I could expand to play in a gallery. The fact that it got a life of its own and all kinds of people appreciate it kind of floored me. It’s exciting.”
Earlier this year, oops won a Vimeo Award, which honors videos that premiere online.
Beckman plans to attend the Sundance Film Festival next month. Eventually, he hopes to go to graduate school where he will study film or art.
Watch the video oops at Vimeo.
Read the full news release from the Sundance Film Festival.
Media Contact: Chris Beckman, Mobile: (417) 300-0486, E-mail: chriskbeckman@sbcglobal.net
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