Courtesy of Mykwain Gainey
A flamenco dancer performs in a Spanish club.
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The challenge: five film students, five round-trip tickets to Madrid, five perspectives of the city and six days to capture it all on film.
On Oct. 8, five thesis students from the Tisch School of the Arts learned they would be jetting to Spain for Turismo Madrid's "Madrid Dares You" short film competition. The objective was to promote Madrid as a tourist destination through short films that they had just six days to create. On Oct. 22 they left for Spain.
Patti Pearson, assistant to the associate dean and assistant director of special projects at Tisch's Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, said she was thrilled to collaborate with the Madrid Tourism Board on the project.
"The five thesis students selected from the graduate film program have demonstrated exceptional talent and ability in film production and can offer a unique and fresh perspective of Madrid to U.S. audiences," Pearson said. "Opportunities such as these give students 'real world' experience as they prepare to complete their thesis films and begin working in the industry."
The students who were selected for the competition were Marie Dvorakova, Mykwain Gainey, Fred Guerrier, Neil Orman and Brooke Swaney. Each was assigned a thematic area of focus — people, culture, gastronomy, night life, or fashion and luxury — as a storyline for their films. The students were given 72 hours to shoot their films and another 72 hours to edit.
Guerrier, a sixth-year thesis student whose focus was culture, found the experience to be a strange but positive whirlwind.
"I landed in Spain still not knowing how to make a film in three days about the culture of a city I hadn't visited," Guerrier said. "We got the royal treatment when we arrived — swanky hotel, free food, a translator, a producer and media attention."
Gainey, a fifth-year thesis student who focused on nightlife and filmed at clubs, bars and jazz clubs, also found the trip to be overwhelming and surreal.
"Like New York, it is a city that never sleeps," Gainey said. "However, Madrid's nightlife caters to everyone, regardless of age."
Gainey also shot scenic locations and sunsets at the Temple of Debod, tourists and families at the Royal Palace, and the San Ginés Chocolatería, a 24-hour "Chocolate con Churros" breakfast spot, which Gainey said is "extremely popular at 3 to 6 a.m. after partying."
The winner, who will receive $4,400, will be announced on Nov. 19. His or her film will be used in Turismo Madrid's advertising and media relations campaign.
Guerrier hopes his film shines above the other four shorts.
"I hope to make something that surprises the judges," Guerrier said. "I hope to capture some element of the city while creating something that is a film and not an ad."
To view the films and vote for one, visit madriddaresyou.com.
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