How to Avoid Clichés in a Student Film by Using Them

Film students are always, always told by their tutors to avoid certain things but, quite often, they fall in to the trap of misusing and abusing any number of tired and not-to-be-trusted movie making tropes and mistakes.  The list might include tedious on-screen text expositions, filming on campus, using friends as actors – and many, many more.

Laurel Powers, a student at Columbus College of Art and Design decided to make a musical short filled with all the student film clichés she could come up with in just under three minutes.  There may be more errors of judgement to be made than just those that appear in  A Student Film (although there are quite a few) but she enters in to it with something approaching mischievous glee (quite infectious too) – and one can only hope that was how her professors received the final piece. After all, to render the unoriginal fresh once more is something of a feat - and we can all list professional directors who can't seem to manage it (or are too lazy to do so) - so hats off to Laurel.