{"id":11473,"date":"2024-10-11T09:57:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T14:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=11473"},"modified":"2024-10-11T09:57:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T14:57:47","slug":"buzz-building-for-uwo-students-film-exploring-human-connection-and-kindness","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/buzz-building-for-uwo-students-film-exploring-human-connection-and-kindness\/","title":{"rendered":"Buzz building for UWO student\u2019s film exploring human connection and kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_11476\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11476\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1-1024x640.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of UW Oshkosh student Jacob Lefeber has earned a heap of praise and some impressive awards for his debut short film, Cappuccino.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_jacob-horizontal-camera-1080x675-1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11476\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UWO student Jacob Lefeber has earned a heap of praise and some impressive awards for his debut short film, Cappuccino.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Were there Oscars for experiential learning, you might say Jacob Lefeber is a shoo-in.<\/p>\n<p>Lefeber, a senior majoring in Radio TV Film at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, is still reeling from the success of his debut short film\u00a0<em>Cappuccino,<\/em>\u00a0which he wrote and directed.<\/p>\n<p>The six-minute family drama won\u00a0<em>Best Student Film<\/em>\u00a0at the Star City Film Festival in Iowa (July 19-21) and was honord at MLC international film festival in Green Bay (Aug. 11-12). It also was an official selection at the 2024 Door County Short Film Festival.<\/p>\n<p>The film, which is set in a coffee house, explores themes of human connection and kindness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to give too much away,\u201d said Lefeber, a native of Sturgeon Bay with roots in Oshkosh. \u201cIt\u2019s a story I wanted to tell, a message I want to send about having a better understanding on how to treat people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cappuccino\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A7sD8MZXC7U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Lefeber, who had experience working in coffee houses, wrote the screenplay in one day. He then presented it to the executive board of the Titan Film Society, a student organization that views, discusses and produces films.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone loved it, and they\u2019re like, \u2018Yeah, let\u2019s do it,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_124588\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-124588 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/cast-and-crew-595x446.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"332\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-124588\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-124588\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cast and crew of the short film, Cappuccino, pause a moment for a group photo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>He was supported by fellow RTF students including Sela Ortega, a Titan Film Society member who served as second assistant camera for Cappuccino as a freshman; and Sebastian Vang, a senior who was co-producer on Cappuccino and director of operations for Titan Film Society.<\/p>\n<h3>Grandfather in his corner<\/h3>\n<p>One of the most poignant elements of\u00a0<em>Cappuccino<\/em>\u00a0was Lefeber\u2019s decision to cast his grandfather, Dave Lefeber, in a starring role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just told him he had to be a grumpy old man, who complains about coffee,\u201d Lefeber said, with a laugh. \u201cI didn\u2019t think he\u2019d say, \u2018yes\u2019 because he\u2019s not really the super outgoing type.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dave Lefeber, whose day job is investigator with the Fond du Lac County medical examiner\u2019s office, said he was happy to help his grandson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough I would rather avoid the spotlight, I was willing to do whatever Jacob asked,\u201d the elder Lefeber said.<\/p>\n<p>Dave Lefeber, known to the cast crew as just \u201cDave,\u201d was more than willing to get into the role. For the first table read with co-star UWO student Megan Kitzman, Lefeber said his grandfather showed up wearing overalls and a dirty hat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t give him a dress code, and I\u2019m pretty sure he had some hay in his teeth, and he growled, \u2018Where\u2019s my coffee?\u2019\u201d Lefeber recalled. \u201cI said, \u2018That\u2019s great, Grandpa, I love the enthusiasm, but that\u2019s really not what I\u2019m looking for.\u2019\u201d<span style=\"background-color: #eeeeee\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The grandfather quickly learned to take direction from his director-grandson. Although he had fun being part of the two-day shoot, he said he might be a one-and-done when it comes to acting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t believe I\u2019ll need an agent soon,\u201d Dave Lefeber said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11480\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11480\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_3_megananddave-595x397-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_3_megananddave-595x397-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Megan Kitzman, left, (then a UWO senior) reviewing the script with Dave Lefeber, grandfather of film author and producer, Jacob Lefeber.\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_3_megananddave-595x397-1.jpg 595w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2024\/10\/OSH_buzz-film_3_megananddave-595x397-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11480\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Megan Kitzman, left, (then a UWO senior) reviews the script with Dave Lefeber, grandfather of film author and producer, Jacob Lefeber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Passion for filmmaking<\/h3>\n<p>Jacob Lefeber\u2019s love for filmmaking dates to when he was just 5 years old.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of my first memories is just being in my living room, with a pretend camera, directing my parents to stand here and say a line. My mom, who was an extra on this film, when she saw my most recent film, was moved to tears. It was like seeing the child she knew, directing now as an adult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Beth Hubbard, chair of the radio TV film (RTF) department and past adviser of the Titan Film Society, said she wasn\u2019t surprised that Lefeber\u2019s short film garnered such acclaim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJacob Lefeber is an incredibly driven and passionate filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to take risks and put his work out there,\u201d Hubbard said. \u201cHis success is a direct result of his dedication to his craft and his willingness to seek guidance and apply it effectively. Watching him grow from a student in my\u00a0<em>Intro to post-production<\/em>\u00a0class to someone who confidently navigates the festival circuit has been truly inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lefeber credits professors like Hubbard in the RTF program for giving him the tools to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll semester last year, our phrase was, \u2018Let\u2019s cook.\u2019 That\u2019s what we do. We cook. (Hubbard) just provided us with a book of recipes and then let us be free,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lefeber is also thankful for the guidance of Adam Diller, an assistant professor in the department who teaches narrative filmmaking, cinematography, screenwriting and ecocinema.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has been awesome as well. He just pushes us to go farther, go deeper and really try to create something special,\u201d Lefeber said.<\/p>\n<p>As Lefeber approaches graduation in December, he plans to continue honing his craft in Oshkosh before potentially moving to Los Angeles. He plans to work on various projects with his peers and explore opportunities in directing, writing and producing.<\/p>\n<p>His advice to new students aspiring to be filmmakers: \u201cGet involved, make connections, and learn something new every day,\u201d he said. \u201cKnocking down that first door can lead to many more opportunities. For me, Cappuccino was the first door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/rtf\/\">Study Radio TV Film at UWO\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Written by Grace Lim<\/p>\n<p>Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/124582\/buzz-building-for-uwo-students-film-exploring-human-connection-and-kindness\/\">https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/124582\/buzz-building-for-uwo-students-film-exploring-human-connection-and-kindness\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Were there Oscars for experiential learning, you might say Jacob Lefeber is a shoo-in. Lefeber, a senior majoring in Radio TV Film at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, is still reeling from the success of his debut short film\u00a0Cappuccino,\u00a0which he wrote and directed. The six-minute family drama won\u00a0Best Student Film\u00a0at the Star City Film Festival [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[94],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-11473","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-oshkosh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/11473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=11473"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=11473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}