Avid Everywhere Empowers AFI Students to Create Student Academy Award-winning Films

Burlington, MA, 2015/10/07

Talented film students use Avid Artist Suite and Storage Suite solutions to create engaging films recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Avid® (Nasdaq: AVID) today announced that students from the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) embraced Avid Everywhere™ to create films that were honored at the 42nd Student Academy Awards® in Los Angeles. AFI students used Avid Artist® Suite and Storage Suite solutions to craft their films, which are now eligible for an Oscar®, including all three films that won the Narrative Award—This Way Up, Day One and Stealth.

AFI made history this year by being the first school to win all three medals in the Narrative category, winning more awards than any other film school. Established in 1972, the Student Academy Awards recognize and honor student filmmakers who demonstrate excellence in the creation of motion pictures. Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

This Way Up tells the story of a hardworking homeless man who creates a ‘fake’ life so his daughter won’t see what he has become. The filmmakers relied on the industry’s preeminent nonlinear editing solution Avid Media Composer® and the Avid ISIS® shared storage system to cut the film in a very short space of time.

“Our project was on a tight schedule – we finished our first cut two days after we wrapped principle photography,” said Editor and Post Supervisor, Steven Pristin. “Media Composer allowed our assistant editor to continually prep incoming footage while I watched dailies with the team and put together my cut.”

Pristin worked closely with director Jeremy Cloe to cut the film. “I was thrilled and honored to win a Student Academy Award,” said Cloe. “After working on a movie for so long it's hard to view it objectively, so it's an amazing feeling to have new eyes view it and respond in the way you'd hoped.”

Editor Leo Chan relied on Media Composer to cut Stealth, which follows a transgender child as she faces the challenges associated with being her ‘whole self’. “Using the same tools as they do in Hollywood provides us with good practice and habits that will be useful in the future,” said Chan.

Stealth Director Bennett Lasseter, added, "AFI was outfitted with a great Avid workflow that gave the Fellows the tools to craft their stories in post-production. The lab becomes your second home for a while, so Avid is what your days start to revolve around. It was always efficient and smooth to use day in and day out. It’s clear why it’s the industry standard."

“Together with leading films schools like AFI, Avid is committed to nurturing the filmmakers of tomorrow,” said Kyle Kim-Hays, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Avid. “By embracing Avid Everywhere, AFI’s students have access to industry-standard tools and workflows, enabling them to create the highest quality films and giving them a head start in their future careers.”

About the AFI Conservatory

The AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling. AFI Fellows make four to 10 films during their training. Graduates of the Conservatory are part of an elite group of 4,845 alumni — with 81% of AFI alumni working in the field according to a recent survey. Artists from the Conservatory have received a total of 133 Academy Award® nominations and 27 wins. Throughout the completed 2014-2015 academic year, AFI alumni have been nominated for 202 awards by 38 major guilds, academies and other professional associations — with 72 award wins.