Jordyn Zurbaran, as Princess Constance, and Melody Brewer, as Godith, in “The Runaway Princess.”
“The Runaway Princess,” the Senior Capstone project of a 2024 alumnus, has been officially selected and will be screened live at the 2024 International New York Film Festival’s Diamond Globe Awards on June 28.
“To be an official selection, on top of also having the film screened live, is very exciting,” beamed its director, Jacob Hébert, who majored in Communication: Video Production with a minor in French, in an email to his Communication professors. “We are up for an award in the Western New York Student Film category! The awards in this festival may include a distribution contract, so fingers crossed.”
This will be my first-ever red-carpet event and it just makes me so proud of all the work and dedication of the talented cast and crew who contributed to the making of the film.” – Jacob Hébert
According to department Chair and Associate Professor Roslin Smith, “The competition is enormous and it’s very difficult to get screened (at a festival) and an international festival is even harder, so this [film] being screened at an international festival is huge.” Festival screenings are bullet points on a resume, can get a filmmaker recognized and may lead to job offers, she added.
“When I saw that email from the film festival that our film was selected, I just couldn’t believe it,” remarked Hébert, a summa cum laude graduate from Farmington, NY. “This will be my first-ever red-carpet event and it just makes me so proud of all the work and dedication of the talented cast and crew who contributed to the making of the film.”
Hébert wore multiple hats: director, producer, editor and writer. The first half of the semester of his senior year was devoted to pre-production work, the second half to filming.
Two students had integral roles in the making of the film. Arin Russell, who is credited as director of photography, also worked on camera operations and production and served as an assistant director. She is a rising senior majoring in Communication: Digital Film Production, with a minor in Sociology, from Canandaigua, NY. Hayley Mercer-Mapes, who also had an integral role in the film, serving as a co-producer, and is a rising senior, is majoring in Communication: Video Production, with a minor in Film Studies, from Batavia, NY.
“[Ms. Mercer-Mapes] was most helpful with production, helping with all the planning, getting the talent and crew together and figuring out locations,” Hébert said.
All three were invited to and will attend the red-carpet event at the Robert H. Jackson Center’s Cappa Theatre in Jamestown, NY.
The fantasy comedy film’s plot line centers on a brave but naïve princess, Constance, who runs away from her castle with the help of a loyal maid, only to discover that the world outside of her castle walls is not as great as she had anticipated. Hébert wrote the script two years ago for another course.
Comprising the film’s cast are two lead actors: Jordyn Zurbaran (Princess Constance) and Melody Brewer (Godith), and two supporting actors: Sunny Custer (Anne) and Christopher Buettner (Cuthbert). About 25 students were involved in making the film in some way. Ms. Smith contributed to the film as a narrator.
The competition is enormous and it’s very difficult to get screened (at a festival) and an international festival is even harder, so this [film] being screened at an international festival is huge.” – Associate Professor Roslin Smith
“At the beginning of the semester, we sat down and looked at our vault of scripts that I had written, and came across the script for this one; we laughed so much and thought it was hilarious, and Hayley said, ‘we have to make this film,’ so that’s the one we chose,” Hébert recalled.
Hébert also partnered with Music Composition major Philip Marra III, who not only wrote the original score but also assembled an orchestra of student musicians to perform the music and worked together with Sound Recording Technology students, Hébert added. The musicians huddled together in a Mason Hall sound booth to record the music.
The film, in color with a run time of just over 11 minutes, was made to satisfy a graduation requirement, Hébert noted, but it’s going to make a very important contribution to his portfolio.
Department of Communication Adjunct Lecturer Nick Smith and Ms. Smith encouraged Hébert to submit the film to the International New York Film Festival. He took their advice, and has gone a step further by submitting it to additional festivals. Having one’s film selected and screened at festivals gives a filmmaker prestige and can lead to potential opportunities or offers to work in the industry, Ms. Smith said.
Hébert is currently engaged in an internship with the video production team at Wegman’s Corporate Office in Rochester, NY, working with digital and broadcast producers. He’s looking forward to making films, becoming a writer, director and producer in the industry.
