Film is one of the many fields of study offered at Keene State, but people could ask; What opportunities are there for film students once they complete their studies and graduate from Keene State?
Two Keene State alumni took this question to a bold answer, as they both created a comedy/monster film known as “The Hay Man” that is now available for viewing on Amazon.
Zachary Benton (or as he likes to call himself on stage, “Meliodus Zach”), was a Keene State student who majored in American Studies. However, during his time at Keene, he had a love for making videos with his friends.
While on campus, he and his roommate/soon-to-be co-writer Dave Allen would spend their days hanging around the Redfern Arts Center and the Putnam Theater, which are still active places to this day.
Benton and Allen would not only be in a band together that played at KSC’s “Saturday Night Jive” event, which was a performing event in the Night Owl Cafe, but they also worked on a TV show during this time.
“I started a show,” Benton said, “and it started as a talk show, but it ended up becoming a variety show where I would do comedy sketches and music videos.”
After leaving Keene State, Benton and Allen ended up taking bits and scenes from their TV show and making a movie out of it, separate from “The Hay Man”, which the pair said they found inspiration for later in their lives.
“I was inspired by my grandparents’ farm,” Benton stated. “Sometimes in the summer we would help them load hay onto the cart. Later on, if you took a shower or a bath or started to sweat, your arms would start to sting. You would look down and there would be 100 really little cuts on your arm, so I thought I could totally make a monster out of hay.”
When asked about what opportunities film students have after graduation, Allen had this to say: “Make sure it’s a passion or it’s something you really want to do. And make sure you’re working with nice people, people you can collaborate well with.”
Jo Dery, film department chair, had some advice for current students regarding opportunities after graduation.
“The film scene is not just in LA,” Dery stated, “You can find it in places like Boston, Atlanta, Vancouver; it’s been very decentralized.”
“You can also find plenty of other work, such as digital marketing,” Dery continued. “There are really interesting models of people who continue to work with friends from college. It’s really important to keep making stuff. Technology gets more and more accessible, and you need to keep the passion alive.”
Michael Ardita can be contacted at
mardita@kscequinox.com
