Student Film Wins HIFF Audience Award

SENIOR GINO CARUSO’S AGENT ROVER WINS AUDIENCE VOTE FOR STUDENT SHORT FILMS

→ By Titus Lee (24’) NEWS

Three HBA student-produced films were showcased at this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) as part of the Student Showcase program. Agent Caruso, an animated film, was produced and directed by senior Gino Caruso. “Remember to Be Considerate,” a PSA, was directed by freshman Lauren Espiritu. The high school animation class produced a collection of animations full of their own original characters.

At the HIFF, Caruso’s film won the Audience Award for Student Short presented by Hawaii News Now. “The theater was packed; every seat was filled. My heart was beating a hundred miles an hour,” Caruso recalled. Along with the excitement, he found the experience gratifying and appreciated when the audience would laugh at the jokes and applaud at the end. Caruso also enjoyed watching the other movies and meeting their respective filmmakers, particularly animators like himself. “It’s a rare hobby, and I always like talking about it with someone who does it,” Caruso explained.

Agent Rover featured high-speed chases, skydives, and explosions, revolving around the story of a crime-fighting canine named Rover who must track down a cat burglar. Caruso had to create a threedimensional background, add voices and sound effects, and animate complex movements, a laborious process that took five months to complete. “Animation is hard, especially when you aren’t using shortcuts like puppets,” Caruso said. He added that seeing his ideas eventually come to life in a film was especially rewarding considering the work he put in.

With the experience of making Agent Rover behind him, Caruso is currently working on a sequel. The script has already been finalized and his voice actors have already begun recording some parts. He also has about 30 seconds of animation already finished.

Caruso intends to study film at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While he’s encouraged to have been recognized as animator at HIFF, he has his heart set on becoming a director. “I would rather be a director that knows how to animate, so I have intimate knowledge of my production and can personally do a scene if I want it a certain way,” explained.