Rewriting the After-Graduation Story

The group behind Post Credits

While the film industry has always been notoriously hard to break into, U Film alum Cayden Turnbow was faced with unique challenges when he graduated last year. The WGA strike had just begun, and the SAG-AFTRA strike was on the horizon. The industry was still catching up from the disruptions caused by COVID-19, thrown by the possibilities of AI, and caught in the ever-continuing cycle of corporate uncertainty.

“It's harder than ever to enter the industry,” said Turnbow. “More and more people want to get into film every year and that creates more competition.”

But he’s not one to be disheartened: “Making films has never been more accessible. You don't need the most expensive camera or lighting gear to make something cool… If you don't see an avenue for what you want to do then create one,” said Turnbow.

And that’s what Turnbow, along with fellow U Alum Rahul Barkley, did by creating Post Credits, an exciting event by U alumni filmmakers (and sponsored by the Department of Film & Media Arts). It will feature screenings of five films, followed by a panel discussion with the directors and producers, and conclude with a networking session designed to facilitate connections between alumni, current U students, and industry professionals.

Barkley and Turnbow began planning the event while working on the set of a short film called “It Came From Inside.” The film, directed by Jackson Rees and Aura Martinez Sandoval, is a production from an intrepid group of U alumni filmmakers, who have continued their filmmaking practice in the face of an uncertain industry.

“The pandemic combined with the entire industry going on strike just as we graduated made for a less-than-ideal post-graduation scenario, making these filmmakers who continue to create original pieces of work that much more impressive,” said Turnbow. “We wanted to find a way to showcase this amazing film… from there it snowballed into this networking/showcase/celebration.”

“I think that Post Credits is going to become a super valuable resource for filmmakers,” said Duke Ross, a U alum and director whose film “The Ballad of Straw-Hat Sam,” will be showing at the event. “After college, it becomes exponentially more difficult to find opportunities to screen work in front of an audience.”

Jacob Hagen, another U Film alum, ended his undergraduate career with his senior film project, “Game of Love,” winning both the Jury’s Choice and Audience Favorite awards at the F&MAD’s Spring Showcase. But he also was faced with a gap in filmmaking resources after graduation. “I think for post grads in any field there’s always a moment where you realize you have no clue what you’re doing,” he said. “For me, that meant losing a lot of resources like free equipment and software, which you never quite realize how nice it is until you no longer have it.” Post Credits and the network of U alumni have consequently been especially helpful for Hagen, whose film “Damned in the Fields of Heaven” (co-directed by Maya Olivares) will be screening at Post Credits.

Ross says it’s all too easy to feel “doom and gloom” in the face of AI and the dominance of large intellectual properties in the industry. However, he thinks this has created a new generation of independent filmmakers. “A lot of young filmmakers are taking the current state of the industry as a call to roll up their sleeves and do things on their own,” Ross said. “I predict that we’re on the cusp of a micro-budget renaissance, and regardless of any external factors such as budget, I intend to keep making films until I keel over.”

Hagen is also optimistic about his future as a filmmaker. “Honestly, my goals are 100% the same,” he said when asked about the changing industry. “I’ve just had to adapt the means to those ends.”

And it’s that determination and uncontainable creativity that Post Credits will celebrate, and give people a chance to see. “Making the films is only part of the journey,” said Turnbow. “Getting people to see them is, in my opinion, just as important.”

Post Credits will be held on March 30th from 1:30pm-5:00pm in the Nancy Tessman Auditorium at the downtown branch of the Salt Lake Public Library. The University of Utah Department of Film & Media Arts is a proud sponsor.