To the pleasure of the Southeastern Channel Director Rick Settoon, far left, and Steve Zafutto, far right,  the channel has continued to rack up Emmy awards.  Steven Farmer was honored for his music video “Perfect,” Amanda Triay won an Emmy for her short film “Insomniac,” Amanda Kitch’s “A Stronger You” Public Service Announcement gained an honorable mention,  Trevor Vampran’s music  video “Drink a Beer,” won in the  “Photographer” category and Jonathan Calhoun  gained an honorable mention for his PSA “Words Hurt.”
Courtesy of Communication and Creative Services

The Southeastern Channel celebrates its 12th straight year of nominations and Emmy wins.

Amanda Triay won an Emmy for her Long Form Fiction short film “Insomniac” and an honorable mention Emmy recognition for her music video “Heathens.” Trevor Vampran won an Emmy in the “Photographer” category for his music video “Drink a Beer.” Films air on the channel’s student film show “Cinematheque.” 

General Manager of the Southeastern Channel Rick Settoon praised Vampran for his abilities in production and dubbed him an “outstanding cinematographer.”

“He creates stunning compositions with excellent lens choices and lighting, especially natural light, to deliver riveting images with rich color,” said Settoon.  “Trevor really knows how to use his photographer’s toolbox to hook, engage and move viewers with his visual storytelling.”

The mature level of quality of “Insomniac” impressed Settoon being that it was Triay’s first film. 

 “Amanda made perfect creative choices for telling the story in her blocking and staging of the actors in relation to the camera in each shot,” said Settoon. “Her creative, shot-to-shot vision for each scene cut together seamlessly in editing with such a good pace that the audience is locked into the drama and doesn’t even notice the aesthetics and technique behind it. That’s a sign of great filmmaking and very mature for a student director.” 

Ethan Wooley played the main character William, and Alison Kemp played the haunting spirit that accounts the man’s guilt after his fiancé dies in a car crash that they were both involved in. 

Triay and Christian Carlin revealed that their inspiration for the short film spewed from seeing Anna Akana's style of suspense films on YouTube and noticing how plot twists hooked people easily. Both agreed that the time crunch and low budget proved to be a stressful part of production.

“I was really hoping that the audience would sort of pick up on his desperation throughout the whole thing,” said Triay. “It kind of built suspense and kind of felt what he felt. The entire thing from the beginning of script writing to turning in the finished product was three weeks. It was stressful, and our actors were great because they worked crazy long days. Ideally in a situation like that, you would want more time, but there was a deadline, but hey, it worked, we got an Emmy. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it. It’s very reassuring.” 

Carlin’s music choices for the film reflected the mood and content of the script that he created alongside Triay. 

“My idea was that the main character was basically torn between his dying wife in the coma and the apparition that’s haunting him,” said Carlin. “So, my idea was to use some music to amplify at that point of the film whatever he was in that spectrum. When he’s remembering his wife, or talking about her, I tried to use more organic things like strings or pianos, or then when the specter was really digging her nails into him metaphorically, having a hold on him, then I would use more electronic instruments, so like fake, inorganic and less human.”

 Although Triay produced, directed, shot, edited and created special effects makeup for the film, she accredits a lot of the success to Carlin who wrote the screenplay and original musical score. Carlin was Triay’s longtime boyfriend who later became her fiancé after proposing on the set of “Insomniac.”

Triay and Carlin met at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry when Amanda dual enrolled at the university in high school. The pair agreed that their creativity and connection with each other kept the production in harmony. 

 “We spend a lot of time together,” said Carlin. “We talk about it a lot. If you do a project with someone else, you gotta make time to talk about it. Me and Amanda are next door neighbors. We hang out all the time, so it makes things easier. On set, I can read Amanda and she can read me with just a look.”

The initial inspiration for a career in production spewed from Triay’s involvement in her productions that her church did. 

“I got really involved in them doing lighting especially for their youth group,” said Triay. “I think that was when I first really got involved in production with all of these people who had basically retired to volunteer at the church. Hanging out with them and learning with them really inspired me. 

Triay, a senior communication major and Carlin, a senior majoring in general studies with concentrations in music and creative writing both plan to graduate in December. Triay previously produced episodes of “Cinematheque” and plans to produce “College Night,” the channel’s version of “Saturday Night Live” with the help of Carlin. Vampran graduated this past spring with a bachelor’s degree in communication and served as the cinematographer, producer, director and editor for “Drink a Beer.” Bryan’s video was based on the death of his brother and sister while Vampran’s video depicts the loss of the lead character Adam Hebert’s best friend, played by Dillon Thompson, an East Baton Rouge Sherrif’s Deputy.

Although the video that was inspired by Luke Bryan’s “Drink a Beer,” started solely as a class project for Vampran’s communication 260 Field Video Production, it eventually helped him to pay homage to friends who passed away. 

“As a cancer survivor, I’ve lost many friends during my treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Vampran. “I wanted to create something that honored their memories. Of course, the song is about enjoying a cold adult beverage, so I included my childhood best friend who is now a police officer. It serves as a dedication to the friends I’ve lost and also honors the friends that are still by my side.”

Vampran admits that he did not expect the reality he now faces as an Emmy winner when his work was initially submitted. 

“I feel honored and was very surprised to receive the award,” said Vampran. “I knew my work was submitted but never dreamed I would win an Emmy.”

With friends by his side as production partners, Vampran found the shooting to be the most difficult part of the process. 

“Filming all the necessary shots was definitely the hardest part,” said Vampran. “I had to do a lot of pre-production planning and storyboarding to ensure everything tied together.”

The conclusion of the music videos, which revealed that the lost friend was a police officer, revealed an important message that Vampran wanted audiences to recognize.

“I wanted people to remember that cops are people too with friends and families that worry and care about them,” said Vampran. “Ultimately, when we lose a loved someone, we should remember the good times we shared with them and continue to live our lives in their honor.”

After spending time working at the Southeastern Channel, Vampran is thankful for the career aiding lessons that he has learned. 

“I learned something new every time I worked with the Southeastern Channel,” said Vampran. “I was able to practice and hone my skills through a variety of events and scenarios. Ultimately, you have to think of the viewer and what is going to make you stand out above the rest.”

Vampran has hopes of working on an outdoor television show or southern movie set. “Drink a Beer” includes landscapes that were filmed at his grandparent’s house in the Maurepas swamp on the Amite River and makes use of early morning and natural light shots. His methods mirror his love for Louisiana’s landscapes. 

“My passion for this production combined my interest in filming outdoors and the natural beauty of Louisiana,” said Vampran. “I’d like to work on an outdoor television show or maybe even a southern movie set.”

According to Settoon, the channel has seen 15 Emmy winners and has earned 56 nominations in the past 12 years. He believes that Triay and Vampran’s status as student Emmy winners will offer them a better chance at employment upon graduation in the industries of television production and filmmaking.

Recent graduate in communication Trevor Vampran, left, was inspired to create a music video for Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer” after several of his friends passed away from cancer. Senior communication major Amanda Triay was inspired to create a supernatural thriller short film after researching with fiancé Christian  Carlin.  
Courtesy of Rick Settoon 

Recent graduate in communication Trevor Vampran, left, was inspired to create a music video for Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer” after several of his friends passed away from cancer. 
Courtesy of Rick Settoon 
 

Correction: In an earlier version of this article that was posted on lionsroarnews.com and printed in the July 11th issue of The Lion's Roar, it was stated that Amanda Triay and Christian Carlin's inspiration for "Insomniac" came from the film "Anaconda." The inspiration for their short film came from filmmaker Anna Akana.