Not one but two: Chapman students take on the Student Academy Awards

Photo Credit: Justin Li

In one of the biggest student film competitions in the world, two Chapman students have found themselves at the final round of judgment, eagerly awaiting the decisions. Aaron Johnson (‘24) and Daniel Salas (MFA ‘25) submitted their films in early June after completing them during the ‘23-’24 school year. 

Johnson and Salas first made it to the semifinal round and have just advanced to the finals in their respective categories. Salas said he was shocked that his film made it this far.

“I did not expect that to happen at all, just because the film was very different from what my peers were doing,” said graduate program director Salas.

The Student Academy Awards is an international film competition where colleges and universities from all over the world submit their films to be judged and compete for various awards. The competition has four categories: Animation, Documentary, Live Action Narrative and Alternative/Experimental. Salas says the submission process is simple.

“What we do is submit it the first time through FilmFreeway,” said Salas. “It's pretty easy. You just have your Vimeo link or YouTube link or file, and it's free to submit.”

Salas and Johnson made very different films, but one thing they share is their spots as finalists in their respective categories. In the Documentary category, Johnson made a profile piece called “The 17%,” highlighting the issue of unemployment rates within the disability community. Only 17% of people with disabilities can secure a job in the workforce. Johnson focused on business woman Collette Divitto, who became one of the 17% by starting her own cookie business.

“My initial idea of doing a documentary was always about the disability community,” Johnson told The Panther. “I wanted to focus on the employment rates of those with disabilities. When (Divitto) gave me the opportunity to do it, I felt it in my heart that this is something that I want to do, and I'll put everything I have into it.”

With a great story, there are always challenges — and Johnson faced a few. There were times throughout the process when he said he felt stuck. After completing the film's shooting, he wanted to make sure he told the story correctly. 

“I felt lost, and I felt almost uncomfortable with the unknown,” Johnson said. “You get all this footage, you get the story and then you think to yourself, ‘I don't want to tell the story. I wanted the story to tell itself.’” 

Johnson said the production was made possible by Divitto, her mom and the employees at her shop, who were all eager to be a part of the journey. Johnson’s crew was alongside him throughout the entire process. They all traveled to Boston to work with Divitto to tell her story.

“I'd say I just have to give credit to my crew,” said Johnson. “Chris Kam and Wesley Cunningham and Rachel Karalnik. Having them alongside me and willing to work with me through this process and the film is what it is because of their perspective, their insight and also just our collaboration as a whole.”

Jeff Swimmer, a documentary professor at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, supported Johnson on his journey in the classroom. Swimmer’s senior thesis documentary class gives students a year and a budget to create something they are proud of. The class is structured so that the students have the space to be independent and eventually leave Chapman with a film they will use to find a job in the industry. From the beginning, Swimmer knew that Johnson had found a great story to tell. 

“Aaron was looking into a number of different films, a number of different subjects to profile until he settled on Colette,” said Swimmer. “He felt like she was going to be a strong enough character to carry that film.”

In the Experimental category, Salas made a film called “Wired,” about a psychiatric patient struggling to maintain control after a brain procedure. The character’s consciousness eventually becomes entwined with a former subject. This experimental focus is not new to Salas, as he has been impacted mainly by films of similar natures. He has been drawn to alternative film styles in more recent years, getting inspired by the work of directors like David Cronenberg and David Lynch to create something similar of his own.

“(During COVID-19) we couldn't really get any set experience,” Salas said. “So I was just watching a bunch of movies and some directors that really stood out to me. I really just liked (Cronenberg and Lynch) because their work was very abnormal, very surreal and experimental as well.”

Similarly to Johnson, Salas also faced issues with his project’s production. Creating a film that was so largely based on special effects made roadblocks feel inevitable. He told The Panther that his crew went to great lengths to test out many of the shots they planned to do on set.

“The shoot itself was really complicated,” said Salas. “A lot of stuff that I prepared for, I guess, just didn't work out. We actually cut a lot of stuff out of the film.”

The editing process is where things took a turn; Salas said that, initially, his piece was supposed to be a totally different movie. Despite the changes, the team’s final product has been well received. In addition to the Student Academy Awards, Salas and his team have been recognized at several other festivals, like Indie Short Fest and the Independent Short Awards. 

Salas’ faculty advisor, Andrew Lane, had worked with him since before production began. He supported Salas’ vision when it was just a written script and admired his passion for making this film.

“It was made in fall of ‘23, so it would have been that summer that we started working on the story,” Lane told The Panther. “(It was about) some character who went to a place seeking medical and psychiatric help or counseling, and (it) turns into something unexpected and scary. It had the trappings of a, well, I don't know if I would say ordinary film, but it was not purely experimental.”

Despite some of the hurdles Salas faced during production, Lane said his respect for him only grew. Salas made a different movie than initially intended, but the story and message remained. He appreciated Salas’s ability to adapt to unexpected changes and create something meaningful.

“As I admire Daniel's work on this movie,” Lane said, “that admiration is only exceeded by my respect for the fact that he could have easily said, ‘Screw this!’ and just let the project float away. But (he) actually worked really hard to make something of it that was never really plan A.”

The final results for the Student Academy Awards will be released in September. Salas and Johnson aren’t sure where their films will end up, but they are optimistic about what’s to come. Swimmer told The Panther that the ability to make it this far in the process is an accomplishment in itself. Regardless of the outcome, this achievement has shown the two filmmakers hard work and dedication.

While reflecting on the takeaways from this experience, Johnson remembers the reason why he was interested in making documentaries in the first place.

“I think just knowing that as a filmmaker, but also as a person, that I can go into my life and I can continue telling stories, and then I can continue building relationships with people, that's what documentary is all about,” Johnson said.