Industry Tech-Fair Highlights Film Festivals

By Jacek Adamski
Director Gary Cendrowski Showcases Education Panel at WSU

DETROIT - The Wayne State University Film Industry Tech-Fair part of the Moving-Media and Detroit Windsor International Film Festival was a day of energetic motion. Participants moved quickly from State Hall to adjacent locations to garner information from specific demonstrations and a variety of specialized speakers.

Novice producers had plenty of questions during the presentation of “Broadcasting Your Live Stream” at the WSU 5057-Studios off of the back alley on Putman Avenue. The liveliness of featured speaker Gary Cendrowski and his assist crew had the audience fascinated with all the explanations and demos of the ultra-modern broadcasting equipment. The spirited overviews kept the visitors interested at the WSU Maccabee’s Building location.

The DPTV Channel- 56 High Definition mobile production truck garnered plenty of interest and Cendrowski highlighted explanations about using the modern video tri-caster which was a significant part of the presentation.

This was followed by the panel presentation “The Art Department: Playing the Part” with industry veterans Norman Wagner, Dan Philips and Raymond Rolak. The event was podcast nationally and the audience got to see up close the entire buzz on a modern set.

Stage manager Megg Jacobs was patient and professional with student questions from the audience as she went about her hectic job of technical coordination. The broadcast team was both producing the showcase and educating the attendees at the same time. Film schools and other universities subscribed to the live platform. Cendrowski, a veteran producer, directed from the control booth and was interactive with Tech-Fair participants at the same time.



Wagner, a seasoned hair-show promoter talked about getting film-set experience by working for free. “Even in the internet age, remember about the importance of books as a resource regarding historical hair styling,” he said with passion. Philips wowed with his short tutorial about special effects and his model drew applause as ‘Jackie-the Zombie Lady.’ Rolak was well received with his explanations about the preservation and conservation of historical garments. He highlighted his long time sports background and demonstrated the resources of an Integrated Pest Management System (IPMS) for the protection of wardrobe and costumes. His overview also included the example of a historical sports garment, a bowling shirt from “The Eddie Lubanski Story - A Tale of Redemption.” This particular specimen showed degradation and Rolak explained the importance of conservation. Rolak, who is producing the Lubanski docu-drama, also touched on an added value concept for producers and directors that can be generated from wardrobe. His baseball stories and visual aids generated plenty of questions.

The panel discussions were ably moved along by moderator and emcee Kelly Donnellan. She highlighted her editing experiences and pointed out different areas of interest for budding filmmakers and new media artists. Collaboration, passion and experience became three repeated watchwords throughout the presentation.

Other popular classes included information about film festival basics and the scriptwriting tutorial by Wayne McLean. Charles Cirgenski had a full house at his explanations of the complexities regarding the role of the producer and all the filmmaking disciplines.

The Movie-Media Festival had 135 submissions and screenings of the shorts took place on campus throughout the weekend and an outdoor movie was shown in the Gullen Mall area on Saturday. Activities concluded with a Sunday awards ceremony at the General Lectures Building. Best of Show went to “Junggesellin” by Anna Linke of Weimar, Germany. “SCATTER” by Paul Kmiec of the College of Film Conservatory at SUNY-Purchase, got acknowledged for a special award.

Kelly Gottesman an instructor for the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at WSU and Angela Moreira coordinated the events.