Last week, Tribeca Flashpoint students were invited to attend an advance, final cut screening of Sin Bin, joined by Director Billy Federighi & the Tribeca Flashpoint Film Society. Shot in Chicago, Sin Bin features the on-set work of many Flashpoint students and recent graduates, as well as input from current students who attended a rough cut screening of the film last month.
After the screening, several students shared their thoughts in written responses. Check out some excepts below:
Jacqueline Woodward:
The filmmakers were kind enough to not only share their film with us, but also stayed afterward to answer any questions we may have had about the process of making an independent film and explained why they made some of the choices they did in the film. After seeing the audience’s reactions to their film, they seemed genuinely interested in our feedback to help them create the best product they could. As a film student, I think that being able to share ideas and stories about film making with working professionals is an invaluable experience.
Matt Dunne:
“Sin Bin” is a fresh comedy that is easily relatable and extremely funny. Not since “Juno” has a film been made that mirror’s the society we [teenagers] are living in. This film will be relevant for decades to come because the issues the young characters face are issues we all face growing up.
William Huddleston:
“Sin Bin” was a charming coming of age tale of a boy’s first time, or at least the journey there. We’ve all heard this tale before, in some manner or degree, or else we may have experienced it. As a film student, I know I’ve seen this movie before, but with a different cast and crew, and different character names and locations. How it was told was a different story. The filmmakers who brought in the movie knew that this has been done before, just like most movies. However, they’ve turned to Tribeca Flashpoint film students, who study movies rigorously, so that they may provide fresh feedback, untainted from the pressures of studios and critics–for the most part. Anyone involved in movies whatsoever has an opinion that is influenced by Hollywood’s standards. The catch is that smart filmmakers know that one has to go above and beyond these standards if one is to make a successful movie. A fresh set of eyes opens your movie up, to be exposed to new ideas. Some things may slip by even the most experienced filmmakers, that a film student will notice right away–the youth factor. We (film students) tend to be more critical of movies, at least in my own opinion. We’re so full of our own, unexpressed ideas, that we can see those subtle nuances that many others might not notice.
It is possible that as we get older, we lose touch with our younger selves, and to have a youth (or group of youths) study your film in great detail can only prove to be a good thing. We may not be as educated in the film world as these professionals, but we certainly know our stuff. Especially those of Tribeca Flashpoint. We have gone beyond the traditional ways of looking at film, and have progressed to a whole new level. We look at practicality, as well as the abstract ideas that most other film students of other film schools seem to not get past. The great thing is: our feedback is great, and the changes we suggest are, after all, suggestions. Losing touch with that inner “film student” will be the downfall of any filmmaker, and a great place to touch base with that is here at Chicago’s #1 film school: Tribeca Flashpoint.
Matt Downe:
Meeting Billy and Donte was a fantastic experience for me. As an aspiring film maker getting the chance to ask questions of two people who have just succeeded in producing a feature is an invaluable opportunity. Both Billy and Donte were very candid in speaking of the process they went though to make “Sin Bin”. It was also great to hear them speak so highly of the Flashpoint Students who worked on the film.
It was very apparent in the new cut that they had listened to the feedback given to them by the students and applied some of it to their new cut. I think this film is going to go along way and it is pretty cool to know that the film makers used feedback from me and my classmates in order to make their film better.
I love that great experiences like this one have become normal occurrences since I came to Flashpoint!
Melissa Clay:
I really appreciate the filmmakers of Sin Bin coming into Tribeca Flashpoint and sharing their movie. it was very beneficial to me as a student to see an independent film like Sin Bin because this is a movie that I, one day in the near future, could produce.
Sin Bin, inspired by Billy Wilder’s The Apartment and Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, was a really fun movie with real, well-developed characters. Each one had his or her own language that set them apart from each other.
I was very invested in the main character, and I cared about their journeys. The direction made sure the supporting cast was vital as well, and there wasn’t extra fat on the script.
Thanks again to Tribeca Flashpoint and the filmmakers for putting something like this together. I look forward to the next opportunity like this. It provides us with the chance to screen professional movies and gives the filmmakers the chance to show their films to students who will really consider and appreciate their movies.
Valerie Much:
“Sin Bin” is a film everyone should see. Its a great story of youth and discovery, written in only the most unique and clever of ways and acted out brilliantly. Each character holds their own and no personality is off the beat. The comedic lines of the characters are so original and on point that you can’t help but laugh during the entire movie. The movement of the story keeps you interested while the facts of Brian’s life are unfolded in a beautiful mysterious form. The characters are confused but the actors, director, and screenwriter are not, every action is brilliantly thought out. The cinematography is beautiful in a quiet way, the music is fitting, and the scenery keeps you suspended in a timeless world that has the potential to speak to a wide audience, from those who wish to take a distant trip through nostalgia (given they are not opposed to mildly lurid sexual scenes) to today’s young adults who might hope to relate to a film about being young. I have the highest hope for this film and will be shocked if it does not rise to a high place in the world of modern movies. I want to see it again!
Flashpoint Students & Graduates who worked on Sin Bin:
Shawn Courtney
Greg Cozzi
Mitch Koepp
Sam Carmichael
Ryan Howard
Kevin Grimon
Ron Ruanphae
Tom Aylward
