People of Central: Student Director Sarah Hobgood

The Central Michigan International Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. The festival features a wide variety of films including some created by Central Michigan University faculty and students.

Sarah Hobgood, a senior studying broadcasting and cinematic arts, is the vice president and volunteer coordinator for the festival. She also has a movie featured in the CMU Film Spotlight.

“Making a film while going to school, having homework, and a part-time job, can be a lot at times, so it really becomes about finding time to do what you love,” said Hobgood.

The 22-minute short film False Promises follows a college senior as she struggles to write her thesis.

A TV writing class Hobgood took last year spurred the development of the movie.

“The whole thing was kind of inspired by how I was feeling at the time. With graduation right around the corner, I wasn’t sure what was next for me, so I was feeling a lot of the same things as the main character in the film.”

Hobgood directed Always Watching, a project created in BCA 521: Advanced Cinematography. But False Promises is the first film Hobgood independently wrote, directed, and edited.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Hobgood

“I learned a lot about my creative process…since I took on so much of the project myself, and it was so stressful, I learned that sometimes it’s good to let other people take the wheel for a while to lift some of the weight off your shoulders.”

Hobgood says her biggest supporters in creating False Promises were her parents and friends. She also acknowledged her advisor Katherine Hadar’s role in making the film possible.

“…(She) was super encouraging and gave me a lot of guidance through the whole process of making this film.”

Hobgood is now focusing her efforts on preparing for life after graduation. She doesn’t have any projects in the works at the moment, but she keeps a list of ideas on her phone.

When Hobgood completes her degree, she hopes to pursue a career as an assistant director.

Hobgood found that her time at CMU gave her different opportunities to practice her skills and find her own style.

“…Anytime we’ve had creative opportunities almost anything goes. There are rarely strict limitations so that really helps find your niche and your voice and the kind of things you enjoy and want to explore more.”

She encourages anyone interested in going into the film industry to be persistent and keep working towards their goals.

“If it’s something you love, you’ll get to where you want to be.”

False Promises along with other films featured in the CMU Film Spotlight will be playing in the Opperman Auditorium in the Park Library from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Feb. 18th.

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