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BCC Film Program is the Reel Deal

By HEATHER HADDON

Navigating the basement of Bronx Community College’s Meister Hall, with its warren of subterranean corridors, could easily give one the jitters. After all, criminal activity, of a sort, does take place there. But have no fear: all the shooting is digital.

The basement is home to the college’s Media Technology Program, which trains students in everything from audio engineering to creating award-winning films. It’s a lofty goal, but the passion of staff and students actually make it plausible.

“Teacher Wisotsky told me not to forget about him when I’m off to the Oscars,” said Maryam Gidado, 25, a Norwood student who just finished her first film.

Jeffrey Wisotsky, a Bronx native with a long career in film and TV production, is the driving force behind the program and its budding Scorseses and Kubricks. A graduate of Evander Childs High School, Wisotsky returned to the borough in 1992 to reshape the college’s media program.

“I took a bed sheet and hung it up, and asked if we could show class films,” said Wisotsky, a brash and enthusiastic man.

Every year, seasoned faculty teach over 100 aspiring filmmakers from the Bronx and beyond to use the program’s state-of-the-art equipment and broadcast-quality studio. “It’s stuff to drool over,” said James Creque, the program’s engineer, standing among rows of video editing computers. “It’s the best I’ve seen in any community college.”

For the $320 college students pay per class, fancy cameras and sensitive microphones are freely available. All program participants make a short film, working from conceptual sketches through the final edits. Many students are initially drawn to urban or violent themes, but Wisotsky pushes them to expand their metaphors, immersing his classes in cinematography ranging from foreign to the experimental.

Gidado’s new film is a ghost story inspired by a 1950s film from Bollywood, India’s version of Hollywood. Felipe Silvestre, an immigrant from Uruguay, is drawing on his observations of American culture. “It’s about two people … competing to be number one,” said Silvestre, 31.

The students may be greenhorns as directors, but many come with other talents. Silvestre was a pianist and sound engineer in Uruguay, and writes his own film scores. Michael Witter, 43, was an actor and comedian before moving on to TV production. Jamal Johns, 28, has created animated videos since he was a kid.

“We come with lots of different experiences,” said Johns, who is swapping his animation skills with another student who has a knack for cutting through red tape for city permits.

Such resourcefulness is vital given the films’ tight budgets (usually around $300). “In the Bronx, we make our own blood,” said Wisotsky, noting that peanut butter, Ajax, and red coloring create a particularly realistic imitation.

Students often tap friends and family members to act in their films and scenes are set in local apartment buildings or parks. Gidado’s film, “Dream Scheme,” is shot in Van Cortlandt Park, stars her cousin, and was written by her younger brother.

But getting free laborers to shine on camera isn’t always easy. At a production meeting, for one film there were multiple takes of a “criminal” who couldn’t remember his lines, or stop laughing.

Wisotsky assigns readings from filmmaker’s biographies, like Spike Lee’s, to show that even the greats struggled. He also brings working directors, writers, and cameramen to speak at the college.

But students seem to get the most inspiration from their professors, and each other. “Professor Wisotsky is like the godfather,” said Witter, a Loring Place resident. “He sets the standard and lets us know we’re all one big family.”

That solidarity peaks during the annual film festival, where student films are screened. The festival has far surpassed its humble beginnings, and is now hosted at a Manhattan cinema every June with a big reception and mini-Oscar awards. Richard Martinez, 23, enrolled in the program after hearing about the festival.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do with my life,” said Martinez, digital camera in hand.

Many students in the program gain the technical experience necessary to work on film crews, while others go on to internships and four-year schools in film.

Gidado will study film production at Hunter College next fall. Her film, “Dream Scheme,” was selected from over 150 movies submitted to a national film festival last February. After graduating, she hopes to return Nigeria, where she lived until 1995, to start her own production company. When she looks back on her two years in the program, she can hardly believe how far she’s come.

“When I was making my first movie, I was just taking a risk to do something different,” Gidado said. “Now I see we’ve really learned how to do film in the real world.”

 

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