From staff reports
Clarion University junior communications major Christopher Tate is getting a taste of fame with his short film “TIME Vol. 1.”
The Meadville resident’s eight months of film study this summer paid off, as his project was chosen as a finalist in the Los Angeles Independent Shorts Awards and as an official selection in the Experimental category of Montreal Independent Film Festival.
The film, which is Tate’s first, is a psychological comedy in which a character named Wallace – portrayed by Tate – encounters a small, broken clock that appears to follow him everywhere. It was shot at Clarion University and Clarion Borough locations.
“The main message from my film can be drawn from many points, of always coming back to the same moment where you were before, to always considering the big picture when one tries too hard to run from the past,” he said. “These themes will be explored in the sequel, “TIME Vol. 2.”
Tate said the seven-minute film was an exploration of combining music with storytelling to figure out why they co-exist so well in the pursuit of creativity. He was inspired by ’60s jazz broadcasts, as well as Buster Keaton films and National Lampoon’s “Animal House.”
To view the film, go to youtu.be/Dim7OMDiWCk.