Graduate student Richard Parkin earns acclaim for his short film “Contra El Mar”
Richard Parkin is a TFT student whose film “Contra El Mar” (“Against the Sea”) was awarded a Directors Guild of America Student Film Award.
By Jenna Maffucci
Nov. 3, 2011 12:32 a.m.
Storytelling is a gift, one which Richard Parkin knows well. A graduate student in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Parkin is sharing that gift with others in the form of “Contra El Mar,” a film he wrote and directed that has recently been garnering such recognition as a Directors Guild of America award.
“I’ve always been drawn to storytelling,” Parkin said.
According to Parkin, “Contra El Mar” tells the story of a deep-sea diver who struggles with the pull of a job that could either kill him or get him arrested. The film focuses on the pressure this danger applies to his family and the search for stability within common ground of a young marriage.
Eric Martin, a graduate film student in the production program, has worked to help edit much of Parkin’s works, including “Contra El Mar.”
“His films are very distinct; they have their own perspective. The kinds of stories that he’s interested in telling, he pursues with a quiet confidence that I think is rare,” Martin said.
Shot in coastal towns of Baja Mexico, the film centers around a Mexican family of three, presenting authentic characterization in about 20 minutes, which is the film’s duration.
Judy Phu, also a TFT graduate student, met Parkin at UC Berkeley through undergraduate study and has worked with him since, including helping with still photography, film production and costumes.
“The story he was telling was just extremely human and moving; he tells about hard-working people who are struggling to make ends meet, and I think those are characters that people can really get in touch with; we all want to succeed in our own right. Richard captured that,” Phu said.
The film shows painful times of uncertainty and the characters’ methods of dealing with those worries. It also shows lighthearted moments made to induce smiles.
“People always tell you not to try to hit a wide array of emotions in a short film. It’s for good reason, but I went for it in “˜Contra El Mar’ and tried to convey different sentiments within the film,” Parkin said.
The annual Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards recognize minority and women film students from California and other universities nationwide. Parkin’s film “Contra El Mar” will screen at the upcoming awards event this month.
Parkin said his drive to eventually write and direct films originally sprouted during his adolescent years, and that one film in particular sparked his interest.
“”˜Boogie Nights’ did it for me. When I watched that movie, I realized this is something I could do. I had never seen characters so vulnerable or so raw ““ it drew me in,” said Parkin.
According to Martin, Parkin’s love for film shows in his knowledge of film in general, something that can only be gained through exploration.
“One of the things that I really admire about Richard is that he’s very literate in film; he’s watched so many movies. I think it gives him a confidence for his work,” said Martin.
Parkin said he strives to make himself well-rounded as a filmmaker, beginning with his choice to attend UCLA four years ago.
Once he completed his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, he applied to graduate film schools. After narrowing down many options, the decision came down to a choice between the American Film Institute and UCLA. Parkin finally chose UCLA after much difficult deliberation.
“I won’t lie, it kept me up a lot of nights,” Parkin said.
