Short film lovers will have the opportunity to view about a dozen three-minute pieces at the Crest Theatre on Thursday. The shorts are from “Open Reel,” a film competition held by the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, as part of the center’s sixth annual Capitol Artists’ Studio Tour. The event starts at 8 p.m. and is free.

One film at Thursday night’s screening will receive an award for best use of color as determined by judges Jenny Stark and Ed Ortiz. Stark is an associate professor of communication studies and film at Sac State, and Ortiz is a Sacramento Bee music critic, playwright and Sac State screenwriting instructor.

A second award will be presented for the audience favorite, which will be judged next weekend at 1020 16th St., where all films will be shown on a continuous loop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Among the videos to be featured is “Storm Scapes” by Donald Satterlee, a commercial photographer who created a short film of still photos in the manner of Ken Burns.

“I zoom and pan to create motion, the feeling of movement,” he said.

Each image was shot entirely through the windshield of his car during a rainstorm while he was trying out a new lens. Many of the Sacramento locations are iconic and may be recognized through the raindrops.

“I liked the neon effect of raindrops backlit,” Satterlee said.

Travis VanZant will show his film “Filegen.”

“I found a dead hummingbird,” he said. “Judging by its condition, it must have been moments after its death. I was struck by its beauty, and the idea for the film popped in my head.”

VanZant prefers to hear how others interpret this type of film. He has worked with film for about three years and graduated with a degree in film and video production from Sacramento State in 2010.

“Devil Forgot His Hat,” filmed on a cell phone and a 12-megapixel camera, is a collaborative project between Jason Miles Briano and Lori Ann Blair Taffuri.

“The film is multilayered,” Taffuri said. “It’s about the type of beauty our culture demands and about laughter and began with a failed job interview and a very large bra.”

Other films to be screened Thursday evening are “The Spider” by Camille Getz, “Close” by Jonathan Joiner, “Zombie Kickball” by Ann Tracy, “Land Escapes” by Robert Barbarino and “The Locust” by Tim McHargue.

In addition to the “Open Reel” films, the event will include two films by Adam Bearson featuring studio artists Lisa Fernald-Barker and Shirley Hazlett.

One film focuses on why Hazlett participates in the annual studio tour, which has grown from 30 to more than 150 participating artists in six years, and the process she uses to create her acrylic on silk/poly-fusion art.

“I work like a film photographer, creating a very large piece and then looking for pieces within,” Hazlett said. “The process informs what the outcome will be. It evolves visually.”

“The film competition is another component to the annual studio tour,” said gallery manager and event coordinator Mike Azevedo. He hopes that this is the first year of an annual competition.
 

Mike Azevedo and art from some of the CAST artists at CCAS (Image by: Sandy Thomas)