At the end of last semester, Washtenaw Community College students in the Video Production program submitted short-form projects to be considered for screening at the annual Digital Media Arts Student Showcase.
One film stood out, but there was a slight problem. Ethan Williams’ submission was 45-minutes long. “I tend to get carried away with things,” Williams said with a wry smile. “It was an idea I’ve had for a while, so once the process started to flow, I didn’t want to stop.”
Rather than asking Williams to cut the film to better suit the annual short-form film festival, faculty member Matt Zacharias had a more grandiose idea: A solo world premier of Williams’ fictional comedy “I Hear That You Make Baby Videos” will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12 in Towsley Auditorium.
Zacharias — who calls Williams a “gifted, tenacious and talented” student — says an individual premier is unprecedented for the WCC Video Production program. Almost as rare, he says, is a freshman or sophomore video student producing such long-form projects.
Williams isn’t new to content creation. He and a group of friends from his days at Plymouth High School have been creating YouTube videos together for six years. With some professional guidance from WCC faculty, their work reached new heights.
“This movie is the best thing we’ve ever produced,” Williams said. “I’m much more competent and confident. I’d love to have as many people watch it as possible.”
Premiering the film on a large screen in a 495-seat theater will be a new experience for Williams. Previous communal viewing experiences have been limited to a laptop in a classroom.
Williams describes “I Hear That You Make Baby Videos” as a story about freelance video editor, and loser, Marcel Coogan, who desperately wants to get his movie made. When hired by a mysterious client for a midnight meeting across town, Marcel encounters gasoline addicts, homicidal way station clerks and a stalking, 7-foot baby that records his every move.
While comedic in nature, Williams calls this his “most mature story” because of the dark subject matter.
