CONTEXT
I finally got to show The Wildlife of Little Hot Springs Valley and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: A Biophysical Overview to a bunch of my peers at Humboldt State University (HSU) in Arcata, CA. The screening was an incredible experience and something I’d hoped to do for a long time. When I shot footage in isolation during the weekends while attending high school, I didn’t think it would be seen by my college classmates four years later. Finally, I was able to show people my own age what I could accomplish outside of an academic setting.
MAIN EVENT
I showed up early in the screening classroom and tested my DVDs. They both played well, so I stood around as the audience gradually filtered in. The HSU Geographic Society provided popcorn and lemonade, which proved to be popular. The classroom had a seating capacity of 50 and was mostly full by showtime.
I introduced The Wildlife of Little Hot Springs Valley and then sat out of the way to examine how my fairly well-educated, college-age audience reacted. People got a big laugh out of the turtles, they seemed especially intrigued by the western fence lizard Lyme disease connection, and they laughed quite a bit when my narration discussed the chances of an intelligent person being bitten by a rattlesnake. At the end, I got a mighty round of applause, which was real nice. One of my classmates even told me that the documentary was way better than she thought it would be. I mentioned that that wasn’t the first time that had happened.
I then had a five-minute break and introduced and played my Prairie Creek film. That got a pretty positive reception and people seemed especially struck by the elk and banana slugs. After another round of applause, I answered the audience’s questions. When people left, a fair amount took my business card, which I displayed on a table in the front of the room.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank everyone who helped make my HSU screening possible. I largely have Mary Beth Cunha and Stephen Cunha to thank for first making my work known among the Geography Department faculty at HSU. Stephen and Mary Beth are both renowned geography teachers and intrepid world explorers. They learned about The Wildlife of Little Hot Springs Valley after Mary Beth’s sister happened to see it broadcast on KIXE TV. Soon afterwards, the Geography Department found out about my filmmaking work and wanted to schedule a screening.
I also want to thank Joy Adams (another legendary geography teacher) for spreading the word around campus about my documentaries. Her offer of an extra credit opportunity to students who went to my screening was a big help and showed a lot of support. I have Barbara Cook Overton (my film history teacher from fall 2008) to thank for making my screening known to her students and the Theater Arts Department. Plus, I thank the HSU Geographic Society, and especially Anna Leeper and Corinne Cogger, for their efforts in facilitating my screening. The Geographic Society made the room arrangements and co-hosted the event. I also want to thank everyone who showed up.
