Savannah, Ga. – The Savannah College of Art and Design announces its collaboration in the Savannah Ocean Film Festival, sponsored by Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, which took place at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Trustees Theater and the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
Former SCAD students, Tim Arnold and Landon Lott’s film “Skimming the Surface” were among the 33 films selected for the festival. They competed for the Dr. Robert O. Levitt Prize for local emerging filmmakers.
Tim Arnold, a recent SCAD graduate, studied film production. As a filmmaker, he was compelled to focus on the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf, teaming up with an old friend and native of New Orleans, Landon Lott, to help spread the voices of the afflicted. Together, they sought to clarify ambiguities of the wide-reaching effects of the disaster on the communities and environment.
Additionally, Kevin McCarey, SCAD professor of film and television, serves as the senior advisor to the Gray’s Reef Ocean Film Festival. His substantial roll in the festival includes organizing student film submissions, as well as establishing the partnership with National Geographic who will judge the student films for the Dr. Robert O. Levitt Prize.
"The Gray’s Reef Film Festival provides a wonderful showcase for SCAD student documentary filmmakers,” says McCarey. “Their work is seen and judged by seasoned professionals - such as National Geographic Television executives. And the event itself provides excellent networking opportunities. To top it off, students get to see some terrific films. SCAD is currently offering a course in environmental filmmaking and the festival is an extraordinary learning experience."
Writer-Director, McCarey worked five years as a physical oceanographer before attending the University of Oregon for an M.A. in film studies. As writer-director for Turner Broadcasting, he worked on the Peabody Award-winning series “Portrait of America.” For 12 years, he worked principally for National Geographic Specials on films such as “Sea Monsters,” “Tigers of the Snow,” “Dolphins: The Wild Side,” “Deadly Love” and “Wolf Pack,” for which he won an Emmy. His narrative short, “San Juan Story,” was an Academy Award semi-finalist. His narrative feature, “Coyotes,” won Best Feature Film at the Savannah Film Festival. Currently, he is a professor in the film and television department of the Savannah College of Art and Design.