Cinequest 2013: At Spartan Studios, San Jose State students get their shot
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“Cinequest gives the students something to shoot for, something to dream about,” says SJSU teacher Barnaby Dallas, who runs Spartan alongside teacher Nick Martinez. “You never know who will see your screening and where that might lead.”
Dallas is also a script doctor at DreamWorks, so he knows the standards expected in the reel world. He and Martinez try to teach the students that showbiz is more about elbow grease than glitz and glamour.
“It’s a grind,” says Martinez, producer and co-director of Spartan. “We work 13 hours a day for 25 days. That’s the reality.”
Students start at the bottom of the rung by catering and work their way through costume, makeup and lighting. By graduation, they are no longer greenhorns.