Epic Experiential Film Opportunity

UT communication students have been spending the summer and this fall helping produce a local cooking competition television series benefiting Feeding America Tampa Bay. They are behind the cameras, rigging up the lights and performing interviews for Epic Chef Showdown, a Food Network-inspired show similar to “Chopped,” and hosted by the Epicurean Hotel.

Each Epic Chef Showdown is shot by UT film production students live and on location at the Epicurean’s Kitchen Theatre, said Assistant Professor Christopher Boulton, explaining that every episode begins with two chefs from some of Tampa’s top restaurants opening a mystery box of unorthodox ingredients and racing the clock to prepare two creative, beautiful and delicious dishes for a panel of three judges. The winning chef moves on to the next round until the grand finale when the champion is chosen by world-renowned author and Food Network celebrity Simon Majumdar.

Claire Farrow ’17, a double major in writing and film and media arts, was tasked with filming the competing chefs from various angles. On one of the shoots, she worked as a producer, interviewing one of the chefs post-competition.

“Professionally, this experience not only honed my collaboration skills, but also enhanced my camera work and interview skills, which are vital to my film major,” said Farrow, of Huntsville, AL, who hopes to be a scriptwriter for and/or creator of a television series.

The project helped her conquer her fear of interviewing as well.

“This whole experience was a personal triumph for me. I learned that I could still produce quality film under pressure and how to rely on others in a group to work towards the same goal,” Farrow said. “I also have become more comfortable conducting interviews, and cultivating such a skill is beneficial in the world of film and writing. Overcoming that fear has taught me that I can be proactive and engaging as an individual.”

Tom Haines, Epicurean Hotel general manager, said the Epic Chef Showdown brings awareness to their corporate partner, Feeding America Tampa Bay, and their mission to provide food to the more than 700,000 hungry in the 10-county area of West Central Florida. The partnership with UT was established before Epic Chef — the Epicurean hosts an annual tour and lecture for a College of Business hospitality class.

“We had heard great things about the UT film and media department from the crew that stayed with us during the filming of the Infiltrator movie. We reached out to Gregg Perkins and Christopher Boulton at UT and pitched them on the concept. It was an easy sell, and they quickly sprang into action, turning the filming and production of Epic Chef Showdown into the class project for this semester.”

Rebecca Lopez ’16, a film and media arts major with a minor in communications, helped out in a number of ways such as setting up the interview lighting and in post-production editing. She learned how to perform a professional interview, how to “dress a set” and where to place the camera to get the best shot, especially in a quick moving live setting.

“Basically tons of very valuable experiences that I can take with me to other production jobs in the future,” said Lopez, of Houston, TX.

Samantha Allen ’16, a film and media arts major from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, absorbed as much as she could during the time she participated on set.

“Every time we went to shoot an episode we noticed something new, so we constantly modified and improved upon it,” Allen said. “I had never personally done anything like Epic Chef Showdown, so the event definitely gave me some real-world experience that I wouldn’t have gained elsewhere. I feel that I have greater knowledge of all the equipment we used and an increased ability to manage stress.”

Boulton is also working with members of UTTV: Spartan Television to form a post-production team that will edit the program in time for a series premiere at the end of the fall semester, he said.

Haines said they are already considering making Epic Chef an annual series and a regular part of the class curriculum, and “We will look for additional ways to work with the school to give students real-life experiences.”

Eric Langhoff ’15, who graduated with a dual-degree in film and media arts and entrepreneurship, serves as the creative director for Epic Chef Showdown. He has overseen the entire production in tandem with Boulton, including planning show elements, designing and supervising the technical setup for the production and ensuring the team is capturing all of the content they needed for the final edit.

In addition, Langhoff, of Fort Myers, FL, said his role has had a strong teaching aspect, including showing the students real-world techniques to improve their craft, providing creative feedback for the editors and designing pre-show material such as set elements and a teaser video.

“When an opportunity like Epic Chef arises it’s always a great experience because it stretches and tests your creative and technical abilities. Almost every time you pick up the camera, you have the capacity to film and discover an entirely new subject matter — in this case it was the culinary arts,” said Langhoff, who is a creative videographer for Tech Data Corporation and runs his personal video production and creative agency, L4 Creative LLC. “This is one of the most powerful aspects of film, because you are constantly learning new material to complete the project. You are told many times throughout your university career that learning never stops, and opportunities such as Epic Chef really prove that saying.”

Langhoff said the chance to collaborate with one of his former professors was an enticing prospect.

“We worked on numerous projects during my time at UT and have continued to do so since I graduated,” said Langhoff. “This was one of the many blessings (and fulfilled promises) of UT, as opportunities such as Epic Chef allow you to collaborate with professors outside of the classroom. I know these experiences shaped my time at UT, and it is great to see the communications department continue to provide students with these opportunities.”