'Tuscania' film is a Texan hit
Ashley Fuquay
Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Entertainment
A large group of students and faculty viewed the premier of the documentary Texans in Tuscania Thursday Sept. 4. The documentary was made by communication students who accompanied a group of music students to Tuscany, Italy during the summer of 2007.
The documentary was filmed and edited under the instruction of Dr. Robert Anderson as a Room 138B Production. The documentary was about the music students discovering the culture and beauty of Italy while preparing for a competition in Tuscany.
Early in the film, the group took a trip to Venice. Much of the footage was of the beautiful water-stained architecture. On the tour bus they noticed the lack of advertisement on the roadsides.
Another discovery in Italy was the wine. One contestant spoke of never drinking wine in the United States, but he just couldn't get enough of it in Italy. Another film shot captured a bottle of Absinth sitting on a store shelf.
Much of the footage was devoted to showing the students practicing for their competitions, either vocal or piano, but there were many other interesting shots of the city. One part of the documentary showed an elderly gentleman wearing a paper hat washing himself in a fountain. There is even footage of one of the students getting lost in Tuscany that is really excellent comic relief that is really well-placed in the film.
The students also got to visit and sneak shots of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the Dome of St. Peters, Constantine's Arch and the Coliseum while visiting Rome.
The group also discovered ancient Etruscan paintings in a tomb dating back to 1100 B.C.E. They also toured Cinecitta, the largest film studios in Europe. The students were allowed to walk through sets from movies like "The Gangs of New York" and "Casanova."
When the competition day finally came, Cassie Jones won vocal with Katherine Crowell in second and Joni Clay won the piano competition with Rebecca Rosario in second.
This film was spectacularly well done. Many students spent many long hours on it. I think it is definitely some that is worth watching, especially if you are planning to study abroad.
The documentary was entered into the Sundance Film Festival and will be entered in the San Francisco Film Festival in October.
The documentary was filmed and edited under the instruction of Dr. Robert Anderson as a Room 138B Production. The documentary was about the music students discovering the culture and beauty of Italy while preparing for a competition in Tuscany.
Early in the film, the group took a trip to Venice. Much of the footage was of the beautiful water-stained architecture. On the tour bus they noticed the lack of advertisement on the roadsides.
Another discovery in Italy was the wine. One contestant spoke of never drinking wine in the United States, but he just couldn't get enough of it in Italy. Another film shot captured a bottle of Absinth sitting on a store shelf.
Much of the footage was devoted to showing the students practicing for their competitions, either vocal or piano, but there were many other interesting shots of the city. One part of the documentary showed an elderly gentleman wearing a paper hat washing himself in a fountain. There is even footage of one of the students getting lost in Tuscany that is really excellent comic relief that is really well-placed in the film.
The students also got to visit and sneak shots of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the Dome of St. Peters, Constantine's Arch and the Coliseum while visiting Rome.
The group also discovered ancient Etruscan paintings in a tomb dating back to 1100 B.C.E. They also toured Cinecitta, the largest film studios in Europe. The students were allowed to walk through sets from movies like "The Gangs of New York" and "Casanova."
When the competition day finally came, Cassie Jones won vocal with Katherine Crowell in second and Joni Clay won the piano competition with Rebecca Rosario in second.
This film was spectacularly well done. Many students spent many long hours on it. I think it is definitely some that is worth watching, especially if you are planning to study abroad.
The documentary was entered into the Sundance Film Festival and will be entered in the San Francisco Film Festival in October.
Be the first to comment on this story