A short film blending dance, music and virtual production technology will make its Texas premiere at the Austin Film Festival on Oct. 31. Produced by Texas A&M University’s Virtual Production Institute, “Chase Your Dreams” brings together award-winning filmmakers with faculty and students from across the Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
The five-minute film demonstrates how virtual production uses computer-generated imagery displayed on a large LED wall to create multiple visual environments within a single studio space. The Virtual Production Institute, which is part of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, operates three virtual production stages on Texas A&M’s Bryan-College Station and Fort Worth campuses.
Directed by Academy Award winner Brandon Oldenburg and Emmy Award winner Limbert Fabian, “Chase Your Dreams” follows an aspiring dancer from childhood to young adulthood as she pursues a whimsical creature (“The Dream”) carrying a pair of sparkling ballet shoes. Four performers portray the determined dancer at different ages as the pursuit continues through six environments, including a forest, theatre production and dance club. The chase culminates in a performance in a grand concert hall. Except for a school scene, all environments were created and filmed on the Virtual Production Institute’s stage at Backlot Studios in Fort Worth.
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“It’s a film for all audiences,” said Wayne Miller, executive producer and head of production for the institute. “We get to show the world what the Virtual Production Institute can do, and what virtual production as a tool in content creation can achieve.”
Faculty members in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts led the choreography (Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers), performed music (Lynn Vartan and Francisco Perez) and created visual effects (Deepak Chetty). Riley Emler, a senior who is earning a minor in the Dance program, plays the young adult version of the dancer.
“We were completely spoiled,” Oldenburg said. “Getting to create alongside these incredible students and faculty in choreography, music, visual effects and production brought a richness to the story well beyond what we ever could have dreamt up.”
David Parrish, director of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts at Texas A&M-Fort Worth, served as co-executive producer. Tim McLaughlin, dean of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, is director of the Virtual Production Institute.
“Chase Your Dreams” has screened at three festivals outside of Texas: the Children’s International Film Festival of Wales, the Santa Cruz Film Festival and the San Francisco Short Film Festival.
The film will screen at the Austin Film Festival Oct. 31 at 12:25 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Galaxy Theatres Austin. Additional festival screenings include the Rockport Film Festival (Nov. 1), Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth (Nov. 6) and Billy the Kid Film Festival in Hico (Nov. 8).
In 2027, “Chase Your Dreams” will be shown prior to family movies at all Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide.
