UCO students embark on a new journey- film production

A group of UCO theater students are embarking on a new journey–film production.

Since the summer of 2023, a group of UCO theater performance majors have worked on a feature film, a short film and participated in a 48 hour film project with plans to continue working together in the future.

The group came to fruition in the summer of 2023 during the production of feature film “Getaway.” Since then, the group has competed in a 48-hour film contest where they had to produce a short film in a short 48 hours. For this project, they were nominated for best SFX makeup, best supporting actress, and best lead. Most recently, the group has completed production for a short film titled “Memento Mori,” directed by theater performance major, Maddey Grant. 

Grant is the catalyst for this collaboration. After being cast as the lead in “Getaway,” she recruited fellow UCO students Cutter Acker, James Coplen, Rainey Denison, Emery Font, Cole Shoemaker and Nathan Rogers for the other roles. It just happened that director Cody Petersen chose them. During the six-day shoot, the group quickly bonded, outrunning numerous tornadoes, hiding out in casinos and working long days. Through the wild experiences of production, it was evident that a collaborative community was being born. 

“It’s so important to collaborate on every level because if one link doesn’t communicate the whole chain falls apart,” said Shoemaker. 

This collaborative community is what sets them apart.
“There’s a lot of close-minded people in the film industry, and these people love to learn and are really easy to work with,” said Grant.

It was evident that all members of this group are open to learning and willing to jump in where needed. They are quick to make a coffee run as a production assistant, work on lighting as a grip, or help with any department that needs assistance.

What started as a friendship built on a shared love of theater has transformed into a beautiful working relationship in film.

“This group complements each other and there is no rivalry. It’s trial and error to figure out how we can better ourselves in our careers. Just friends doing cool stuff,” said Font. 

While the group doesn’t have any major projects in the works, Font is in development for a short film of her own and plans to get this newly formed production team together for production.