Thursday, June 15, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.
In one short film, a man is heckled by an umbrella-wielding stranger. In another, a television writer discovers the hell of living in his own cheesy sitcom. And in another, three young men pretend to be Jewish in order to enjoy some great brisket at a Shabbat dinner.
The three films were among 16 that were unveiled Tuesday night by UNLV filmmakers at CineVegas, spanning from absurd to insightful to blasphemously funny. But there was no shortage of creativity.
The UNLV showcase, and one Wednesday night highlighting the work of Community College of Southern Nevada students, gave Las Vegas' homegrown filmmakers a chance to show off their skills in writing, directing, cinematography, editing, light and sound.
And there's much to boast: UNLV and CCSN's film programs are bursting at the seams, having more than quadrupled in six years. The schools' goal: boost the local talent pool, generate new projects and improve the region's viability as a film town. Some early graduates already are enjoying success, working on such films as "Harry Potter" and "Alexander."
"The logical next step, if Nevada wants to make filmmaking its next major industry, is to create Nevada filmmakers. And to create Nevada filmmakers, you have to train them in Nevada," said Francisco Menendez, who directed his award-winning feature-length drama "Medio Tiempo" mostly in Las Vegas.
When Menendez arrived in 1990, seven students were taking film classes at UNLV's College of Liberal Arts. He launched his own department in the College of Fine Arts in 1996 that by 2000 was serving 150 students. The program has since exploded to 650 students.
Their instructors bring decades of screenwriting, cinematography and acting experience to campus. Among the newest members of the film faculty is Clarence Gilyard, who had major roles in "Walker, Texas Ranger" and "Matlock."
UNLV concentrates on classical film training with a one-year vocational program in technical training, a bachelor's degree in film and a master's degree in fine arts for screenwriting, with another planned for film directing. The film department is also heir to some of Howard Hughes' classic films and has restored three of them for TNT.
CCSN's program, which specializes in technical training for digital moviemaking, has similarly blossomed since film producer John Marsh founded it in 2000. In the first year, 50 students were enrolled in five classes; today, the school's 18 film classes are quickly filled to capacity with 300 students.
Marsh arrived when CCSN was constructing a new telecommunications building on the Cheyenne Campus, so his students benefit by state-of-the-art equipment and computers for digital moviemaking.
Their programs are still in their infancy, but Menendez and Marsh believe they've laid the foundation for innovative filmmaking.
CineVegas, the city's premiere film festival for both mainstream and independent projects, is screening 41 short films by Nevada filmmakers over four nights, and the vast majority have ties to either UNLV or CCSN.
The lone feature-length film by a Nevada filmmaker, "Damn Yankee Day," was written and directed by 2002 UNLV graduate Robert Shupe, and much of the work on the film was done by fellow alumni. Graduates such as Robin Quinn are winning award nominations for editing work on films like "Harry Potter" and "Die Another Day."
Even before they complete their first couple of editing classes, many of Marsh's students are landing local jobs as cinematographers, editors and directors in television news, commercials and promotional videos.
UNLV and CCSN students say their programs have helped them forge film industry contacts and given them access to professional-quality equipment.
"The biggest thing is that you get what you put into it," says 2005 graduate Mike Thompson, whose production company was behind the sitcom-hell short "Hello Frank."
"If you are actively out their trying to do shorts, you are going to learn more than just sitting in the classroom."
While students are producing their own work, their skills and availability also are attracting out-of-state production companies to the region, said Jeanne Corcoran, production manager for the Nevada Film Office. UNLV and CCSN film students and graduates are being hired to supplement the out-of-town crews, said Corcoran, who connects production companies with local workers .
The better and deeper Las Vegas' talent pool, the more that production companies are attracted to the area - and the more local talent they will hire, Corcoran said.
Festivals such as CineVegas further promote that talent and improve the city's reputation as a place filmmakers want to shoot.
The Nevada Film Office has seen film production revenue grow along with the programs at UNLV and CCSN . Production companies poured $102.5 million into the state economy in 2005, double the amount brought in five years earlier. That's a $130 return on every dollar invested in the office's $786,000 budget.
It's difficult to compare the amount of film production in Nevada to other states because of differences in how it is measured, says Bill Lindstron, chief executive for the Association of Film Commissioners International.
But Nevada is near the top, he said, just behind top grossers such as California, New York, Illinois, Florida and North Carolina.
Good weather, low taxes and little bureaucracy attract production companies to Nevada, but other Southwestern states are now offering their own incentives.
Even if the more ambitious film students leave Las Vegas to advance their careers, Menendez and Marsh hope they'll return to shoot productions locally.
They're watching the likes of Kynan Dias, who directed the short "No One Likes David Himmel" for the UNLV showcase at CineVegas. Dias, a UNLV student studying writing and directing, knows he'll have to go to New York or Los Angeles if he wants to make it big.
"I love this city, and it will be hard to leave," Dias said. "But I'll definitely come back here."
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