For members of Syracuse University’s Ottonomous Productions, filmmaking skills learned in class are put into practice throughout their creative process — beginning with writer meetings, followed by pre-production planning, filming, editing and distribution. As the organization reflects on its first five years, its leaders hope to grow the club’s membership and experiment with new forms of entertainment.

“We like to say we are the premier short film club on campus, because we are the only short film club on campus,” said Lizzy Jones, president of Ottonomous Productions.

Founded in 2013, Ottonomous Productions does both pre- and post-production work for student films. Jones said the organization typically takes on two to three projects each semester.

This semester, Ottonomous Productions is working on a new podcast series which will focus on films and movies. Jones said they are currently planning out episodes and securing hosts and guests to come onto the show. She added that she is excited for a live-reaction podcast they will stream on Feb. 24, following the broadcast of the Academy Awards.

“(Podcasts) are definitely a new project, it’s something we have never done before and it taps more into audio production, which we don’t do a ton of,” Jones said. “It will be a really fun process.”

Nicki Zelenak, co-head writer for Ottonomous Productions, said that most ideas for projects come from their weekly writers’ meetings, which serve as an opportunity for writers to pitch story ideas and get feedback on scripts.

The meetings feel like working in a Hollywood writing room, Zelenak added.

“We try to simulate that environment,” she said. “We just really work to build each other up and improve each other’s writing.”

After a script is finalized, an executive producer is assigned to the project to oversee its completion. From there, the producer will hold auditions for actors, scout for filming locations and film the scenes. After filming, the producer compiles the footage and sends it to a post-production team for editing.

Jones said that each project usually takes a full semester to complete, but added that they sometimes will not screen a final project until the following semester if it still needs additional work.

Last semester, Ottonomous Productions produced its first mini-series project, which included a handful of five-minute episodes. The group is currently working on a project called “Dorm Hunters,” a play off of HGTV’s “House Hunters” — but for college students.

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“For us to band together and produce a five-part mini-series, just blew me away,” Jones said. “This is something that people do in capstone classes, and this was made by mostly freshmen and sophomores.”

Sophomore Valentina Velasquez said that one of her favorite parts of being a member of Ottonomous Productions is attending the writers’ meetings and pitching ideas to her peers. She said she’s currently working on developing a story that combines her love of conspiracy theories with the show “American Horror Story.”

This semester, Velasquez has been working as a production assistant on a project, a first for her. She added that having the opportunity to work in different areas in addition to writing has been beneficial for her and has opened her eyes to what goes into a project after the script is finalized.

“I feel like a (production assistant) is a good position for me because I get to kind of have my hand in everything and help out with whatever while still being a part of the project,” she said. “(Writing and producing) are both so different, but both so great.”

For Jones and Zelenak, what makes Ottonomous Productions special is the different people it brings together. Jones explained that the organization serves as a bridge for the College of Visual and Performing Arts and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications students to harness their creative and technical skills developed through academics in a project of their own.

The organization tries to provide creative opportunities for students outside of class, Zelenak said, since some students may “get a little restless” waiting to get into upper-level film courses.

“A lot of the skills you learn here go beyond the classroom because you learn how to work as a team,” Jones said, “which sometimes you can’t really simulate in a class.”

Published on February 19, 2019 at 9:30 pm