(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Jun. 1st, 2009) ―

A man with a cassette player is surrounded by people with advanced technology. Dissatisfied with his meager device, he lets his imagination—with help from Mother Nature—take him farther than technology ever could.

It’s a simple premise for a movie, but one that is taking Cal State Northridge film students Michael O’Connor and Ross Sauriol from Manzanita Hall, home to CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts, to the screening rooms of Paramount Studios later this month.

O’Connor and Sauriol and their short film, “Make Like A Tree,” have been invited to take part in the Campus MovieFest 2009 International Grand Finale at Paramount on June 11-13. The event will feature the top 45 films from Campus Movie Fests held at universities across the country.

“We feel honored and grateful to be included in the festival,” O’Connor said. “To be honest with you, I’m not sure what all is happening at the Grand Finale, but I am looking forward to seeing all the other student films and perhaps learning something.”

Representatives from Campus MovieFest, which professes to be the world’s largest student film competition, visited university film departments last fall and invited the young filmmakers to participate. The students were given one week and all the equipment needed to shoot, edit and produce a short film.

O’Connor and Sauriol, who have just finished their junior years at CSUN, declined the offer of equipment since they had their own, but took up the challenge to make a film in a week.

“We actually did it in only two days,” said O’Connor, 21, of Agoura Hills, who composed the music for the film and starred as its main protagonist.

With limited time, O’Conner said they weren’t going to hire an actor. Most of the locations for the film were near his house, or on the CSUN campus. “And since I kind of look like a nature, grungy guy, it made sense for me to be in it.”

“Make Like a Tree” made the top three of the CSUN student entries in the Campus MovieFest, and was invited to be part of the regional contest in San Francisco. There, it made the top 16.

“After that, I thought it was over,” O’Connor said. “But then we got a call that we were invited to Hollywood. That was pretty nice.”

O’Connor said he has been struck by how different people interpret “Make Like a Tree.”

“To me, it’s about a guy using his imagination to have fun,” he said. “But Ross sees it as a technology vs. nature concept. Others see it as a green film. While that wasn’t my goal, I’m glad people are enjoying it.”