Students in the Media Arts Productions club hope to gain hands-on media experience by producing original short films and a TV show.
Phillip Lyband, president of the Media Arts Productions club, originally started the group in fall 2003 for media arts students who wanted to produce films, but had not yet reached the upper division production classes.
"I had some boring classes," Lyband said. "We wanted to make stuff at the time, so we just thought, 'Hey.'"
Now in its second year, the club's main purpose is to "build strong units of filmmakers and crew members so that whenever a student has the drive to make a movie they have the people and resources to do so," according to their Web site.
When the club began, Lyband said about 50 people showed interest but now about 10 people show up regularly to the meetings.
Lyband, a media arts junior, said club members use their own equipment like editing computers and cameras, and prefer not to use the tools available on campus.
"In all honesty, we probably have better equipment," said Lyband, who spent $3,000 on editing computers recently. He said he's spent so much money on equipment lately that he can't move out yet. "It's kind of an obsession," he said.
MAP's primary focus right now is a TV series called "VENT!" which will air on UATV when completed. Lyband compared the show to MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" or Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn."
The show will be a monitored debate by one or two hosts.
"It's sort of an open forum debate show focused on entertainment," Lyband said. He hopes it will encourage heated discussion between guests.
The first episode of "VENT!" is set to tape Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. in the Cellar at the Student Union Memorial Center.
The show will feature some Democrat and Republican students who will debate various issues regarding entertainment from what they think about certain industry laws to remakes of old movies.
"VENT!" will probably start in October and air for eight consecutive weeks, said Ashley Hillard one of the show's hosts.
Hillard, a media arts junior, joined MAP last year after trying other media-related clubs on campus and not really liking them.
"Now I have an outlet," she said. "Now I can make the media I'm learning about in classes."
Hillard said she is excited about "VENT!" because she wants to write for television when she graduates from school. But, she said, the pressure of being in front of the camera and keeping up her appearance is nerve-racking.
"All the students will be seeing it in the dorms," she said. "That's one thing that makes me nervous about doing it."
But, this won't be Hillard's first time in front of the camera. Last year the club produced a series of short films called "Jokes We Heard," and because she was the only female, she starred in many of the shorts.
"It's such a male-dominated industry," Hillard said. "I was the only girl really, but this year there's more. We're a really good group."
Hillard said the club is not only a good experience for students, but it could be beneficial for the university and the media arts department at UA.
She said with MAP, students have one more option for producing media, leading to more experience and higher chances their work will be submitted to contests with UA's name on it.
Hillard said when she graduates with a degree in media arts, she would like it to compare to a degree from a UCLA or NYU's department, and said she is in the club for experience and to build her resumé.
"It's a really good way to get our name out there," Hillard said.
But the club isn't just for media arts students.
Aaron Dobkin, the club's vice president, said MAP is open to all majors.
"We would love to have people who know music, we'd love to have writers," he said. "If they want to come in and say, 'Hey, here's an idea I have,' it's a very open club."
Dobkin, a media arts senior, works as a producer for "VENT!" but he's also in the process of writing his own 15 to 20 minute-long film noir called "The Close Shave."
"My favorite part of the club is the fact that media arts people could get together and get something done," he said. "We're having a great time with it."
For more information about becoming a member of MAP or upcoming projects, visit the club's Web site at www.clubmap.net.