On Friday, March 30, a group of six students, also known as CineMafia, from Lakeview’s Television Production Magnet Program competed in the Video Association of Dallas 24 Hour Contest. The students were given 24 hours to write, shoot, edit, and submit a film that had all the required elements: a specific theme (Water Under the Bridge), a location to include stairs or a ramp, a prop, and the line of dialogue – “It’s a great idea but how can we afford it?”

“This was my first year competing in this contest,” junior Alexis Flores said. “I enjoyed it and I’m excited for next year.”

The students started planning their project at midnight when the theme was first introduced to them, until 2 a.m. The next morning at 10 a.m., CineMafia began filming their project at Duck Creek and spent five hours filming there – only a few hours were left after that.

“It was kind of a wild adventure honestly,” junior Victor Villagran said. “We were all acting like fools in a public area, and laughing about what we were creating.”

On April 4, CineMafia received news that they advanced to the finals that would be held at the Angelika Film Center.

“I was excited when I found out we advanced, we were all surprised,” Villagran said.

On Monday, April 9, the Video Association of Dallas announced first, second, and third place teams, as well as the Honorable Mention Award. Although Cinemafia didn’t place, they remained positive and were thankful for the experience.

“I’m glad we entered the contest and I know we all tried our hardest, even though we didn’t win,” junior Martha Villalobos said.