Short Film Wins Big Prize for FSU Film Student

Legend has it that the screenplay for Star Wars was rejected by ten different studios before George Lucas finally sold it to 20th Century Fox. Florida State University graduate film student Matt Pope only had to suffer one such rejection for “The Line Starts Here,” the short film that just took top honors in Coca Cola’s 2005 Refreshing Filmmaker Awards. “I submitted the same concept last year,” Pope says, “and didn’t even get selected as a finalist.”

Belief in his idea paid off for the 27-year-old: This year he beat out 200 other students, impressing a panel of judges that included executives from DreamWorks, Blockbuster, Inc., and Academy Award-winning actor Matt Damon. The second FSU student to win the Refreshing Filmmaker Award since the contest’s inception in 1997, Pope nabbed the $10,000 prize and the chance to see his film displayed on 21,000 movie screens nationwide this October.

Inspired by Star Wars’ die-hard fans, the 50-second film follows one dedicated movie-goer’s commitment to camp out for months for tickets to a film called Captain Lightning. “Unfortunately for him,” says Pope, “on the day that tickets finally go on sale, the zipper on his tent gets stuck and he can’t get out.” A beautiful cashier takes pity on him and purchases a ticket on his behalf. In the final scene, the happy couple enjoys the flick – and a large Coke – together.

Last fall, ten finalists were selected from hundreds of proposals for the Refreshing Filmmaker Award. Each finalist was given a $7,500 production grant with which to complete his/her project within ten weeks. The most difficult part of the process, Pope says, was telling a story within the required 50-second time limit: “Usually, the biggest challenges on a short are financial resources and time to shoot, but we were given the money and plenty of time.”

The film was shot on location for three days at a local Tallahassee theater, sometimes until 3 AM. There were about 25 crewmembers, as well as quite a few locals who came out to play extras in the crowd scenes. The die-hard Captain Lightning fan was played by New York-based actor Ptolemy Slocomb who has appeared in major national commercials, as well as a small role in the Will Smith film Hitch. Tallahassee actress Carolina Phipps won her role as the kind-hearted theater cashier by responding to one of the FSU Film School’s open casting calls.

Pope had always planned to move to Los Angeles and pursue a film career after his August graduation. In March, he found out that his film was selected for the top prize and that his Hollywood move would be perfectly timed with the release of “The Line Starts Here” in theaters nationwide. “Even an industry giant like Steven Spielberg has yet to see one of his movies open in 21,000 theatres at one time,” says proud FSU Film School Dean Frank Patterson, “so this is a remarkable way for Matt to begin his career.”

Get a sneak peek of Matt Pope’s award-winning film at www.ccrfa.com.