Newswise — In the world of film, there are the Golden Globes, the Golden Palm, the Golden Bear, and now after an 18-year sabbatical, the return of the Golden Doorknob Awards — resurrected by request of doorknob alumni.
Death by doorknob — it's a college thing! Students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College produce a narrative film up to five minutes in length — not much sleuthing needed here since we know upfront that the doorknob dun it! Check out some of the early films. (http://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/community/docs/doorknob.mov)
This year's entries promise equal imagination mixed with off-the-wall humor and occasional way-out wackiness. Titles include "Slumknob Millionaire," "Bicusp Buddies," "Happy Thanksgiving" and "Knobzilla" ; all star a doorknob that creates mayhem and madness.
This year's winners will be announced on April 30 at a screening in the Park Hall Auditorium, Roy H. Park Hall, Ithaca College. Winners receive cash awards: first prize $3,000, second prize $2,000, third prize $1,000 and a special Parkie 100 Knob Award of $500 for freshmen students.
Ithaca College professor emeritus of cinema and photography Gustav "Skip" Landen started the competition in 1970 and continued it until his retirement in 1991. Back in those days the films were silent, black and white, and all of the Park School's film students had the assignment: make a very short film that presents the most imaginative way to kill someone with a doorknob.
Many of the Park School's most successful alumni produced a doorknob film. For example, what do Bill Carraro (producer, "The Golden Compass" ) and Dan Heffner (executive producer, the "Saw" franchise) have in common? They both made a doorknob film and remember it with pride.
Carraro remembers the doorknob films fondly — so fondly that he provided the prize money to revive this unique genre. "It was fun to compete with our peers, and as we were all beginners, we could laugh at our equally amateur masterpieces," he said.
He remembers his film "Doorknob Pistoleros," for which he won a block of wood with a doorknob stuck in it. "No expense was spared," joked Carraro, who is the producer of Matt Damon's new film "The Adjustment Bureau."
Landen said he is delighted with the Golden Doorknob Awards revival. He recalls that when doorknob students went to work in Hollywood, they would check out the "doorknob party." He still hears from many of his students and said the tradition of the doorknob party still exists.
Landen created the competition to "challenge the students to make a simple film with a good idea and a good script," so they learned to develop story lines and the art of storytelling.
Judges for the revived competition are: Bill Carraro '81, award winning executive producer; Dan Heffner '78, producer of the "Saw" movie franchise; Peter Johanns, associate professor and manager of ICTV, Department of Television"Radio; and Cathy Crane, assistant professor, Department of Cinema, Photography and Media Arts.
For more information on the Golden Doorknob Awards, visit http://www.goldendoorknobaward.com/.
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