Registration. Roommates. Romance.
Revisit the freshman experience this Wednesday night with Duke's Froshlife film festival, when eight short movies produced by first-year students will "premiere" at a red-carpet awards ceremony.
The event will be streamed live on Duke's Ustream channel, and for the first time, viewers online and at the event will be able to vote online for their favorite to win the "People's Choice Award." Real-time results will be compiled and displayed using Poll Everywhere, an online application being tested as part of the Duke Digital Initiative.
About 200 first-year students have spent the past two weeks producing movies to document the freshman experience as part of the eighth annual Froshlife competition, organized by the Office of Information Technology and the Division of Student Affairs.
Over 15 days, student teams, grouped by residence hall and presented with equipment for filming and editing, drafted scripts, recruited actors, and filmed and edited a movie that clocks in at seven minutes or less.
The new "People's Choice Award" allows the audience to reward films that might not be recognized by the judging panel of campus notables, which this year will include Larry Moneta, vice president of student affairs, and Samantha Earp, OIT's director of academic services.
"Every year, movies get applause or laughs in places we didn't expect, because there are jokes and pop culture references that are just part of the student zeitgeist," said Michael Faber, an OIT multimedia specialist and Froshlife organizer. "Students have a different way of seeing things, and that's what Froshlife is all about."
Prizes also will be awarded for best actor/actress, story, director editor, score and overall movie. Winners will receive Duke Stores merchandise and prizes donated by local businesses.
The event begins at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 24 in White Auditorium on East Campus and also will be available on the Froshlife site.
Last year's films are available for viewing here.