UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A documentary created by Penn State students nearly a year ago was a wonderful educational experience then, and has continued to provide unexpected results and success for those involved.
It’s almost magical, which is somewhat appropriate — especially for a film about the oldest magic shop in Barcelona, Spain.
Senior film major Genna Zagoren was part of the team that produced the film during an international documentary course last March. As part of COMM 437A, faculty and students traveled to Spain for their project. Zagoren worked with then-seniors Julia Parker and Maria Morris on the film.
The trip itself and producing the film were the initial goals. Catie Grant, the assistant teaching professor who led the trip, said Barcelona was a good city to visit because it offered numerous stories and English was widely spoken.
The film, “Mesmerized,” tells the story of magic shop owner Pau Martinez and partner Pere Rafart. The magic shop, El Rei De La Magia, was founded in 1881 and has been open for 141 years.
The most challenging part of the film was the time constraint and finding enough interesting visuals, Zagoren said. As part of the embedded course’s structure, students spent the start of the semester on campus planning for the trip. Then they had a week to get all of the shots they needed in a tiny shop while they visited Spain. Editing and postproduction happened once the students returned home.
“The owner was so enthusiastic and supportive because magic is their own form of art and he was supporting our art,” Zagoren said. So, the students got plenty of access — and it showed.
“One thing I loved about it was that the story was deeper than the shop. They really talked to the wonder and got personal,” Grant said.
Since then, what was to be mostly a class project has found ongoing success. Students entered the film in several festivals, were accepted and were honored for their work.
So far the film has earned eight awards, including the Best Student Documentary Film at the Holidays365 International Film Festival. It was selected for seven awards and premiered in film festivals internationally, specifically in Athens, London, Paris, Prague, Ukraine and the United States.
Different judges have described the film as “one of the best I’ve seen” and “engaging and impactful.” Other judges have praised the use of sound in the film.
The ongoing process has been exciting for students.
“When you win or get into rounds, it is a feeling that you cannot describe because you put so much time and effort into the film and having a festival recognize you for it,” Zagoren said.
This year Zagaron is a video lead for Valley Magazine and an intern for Penn State Student Affairs. She’s also serving as the writer, director, producer and editor of her senior film, “Fixated.” She plans to work in the film industry after graduation in May.