Wilde Lake High School alumnus among six finalists in Sprite Films contest; voting to close on Aug. 31

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Photo Credit: Carla Englof on behalf of Sprite Films

SAVANNAH, GA (08/23/2012)(readMedia)-- A film by Savannah College of Art and Design dramatic writing graduate student Qayoe Jones is one of six shorts selected by Sprite to compete in the annual Sprite Films program. Jones, who wrote the film Lord Olivier and produced it with a team of SCAD students, was one of only eight rising filmmakers chosen to participate in the contest. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in 2003, Jones studied film production at Howard University.

Film aficionados have until Aug. 31 to vote for Lord Olivier at sprite.com/films. The winning film will play in movie theaters across the country in November, and the production team will travel to Universal Pictures for a screening party. Jones is busy drumming up support for the film from her home in Columbia, Md.

"I'm encouraging my cast and crew to continue to vote and spread the word," said Jones. "I'm excited that we're in the program and that our film is online. I feel like we already won even though we're only in the second phase."

Sprite representatives visited SCAD earlier this year to announce the contest and call for short films that convey the theme: To be True to Self. Reviewed by Creative Artists Agency during the evaluation process, Jones' script, Lord Olivier, is about a character with his own style. "When I write, the first thing I think is 'what if'. For the Sprite contest my 'what if' was what if I created a character who belonged in the nineteenth century but existed in 2012," said Jones.

Upon selecting Jones and the other finalists from candidates representing a dozen colleges and universities, Sprite invited the filmmakers to the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas. At CinemaCon Jones networked with representatives from the motion picture theatre industry, attended workshops sponsored by Universal Pictures and enjoyed one-on-one mentoring sessions with actor Tyrese Gibson.

The SCAD team shot Lord Olivier in Savannah over five days in May. In addition to Jones, the crew consisted of Producer Jane Barr, Sound Designer James Scullion, Director Catalina Alcaraz-Guzman, Director of Photography Nikita Carpenter and Production Designer Erin Murphy.

Jones wrote her first screenplay at age 12 and counts Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan among her favorite directors. She aspires to write and direct feature films in a variety of genres. "The film industry is competitive and that's one of the reasons I went to the Savannah College of Art and Design, so I could build my network and make films," Jones said. "SCAD made sure that I had the best team behind me."

Viewers who visit sprite.com/films may cast one vote every day from now until Aug. 31. Each voter will be eligible to win a trip for four to Universal Orlando Resort, including airfare, hotel and park tickets.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 majors. Visit scad.edu.