SAN FRANCISCO – Earlier this month, the movie-making genius of three student-athletes, women's golfer Han-Chuan "Vicky" Kuo, men's track & field alumni Michael Houston, and baseball alumni Mason Verhees, was recognized at NXT UP Fest 2020 hosted by the Academy of Art Schools of Entertainment (Acting, Motion Pictures & Television, Writing for Film, TV & Digital Media). Kuo's film "Confessions," Verhees' documentary "Primal," and Houston's acting roles in recreations of scenes from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "Enemy of the State" were all highlighted during the celebration of student work across the different disciplines, including directing, cinematography, acting, writing, and sound. Watch the full presentation of NXT UP Fest 2020 here!

Kuo, a Motion Pictures & Television major, had her own "confession" to make when talking about the origin of her love of filmmaking that would lead her to win the Audience Award for Best Director - Under 12 Minutes with "Confessions."

"I want to share a funny and embarrassing story," said Kuo. "When I got an old v8 camera in fifth grade, I gathered my naive younger siblings and 'forced' them to play ugly soldiers in the story I randomly created. They wore Disney shirts with wrinkled gray shorts and ran into the frame, fighting against each other. I pretended I was a movie director and kept nodding my head when seeing the playback. I guess this is where I started to love filmmaking. It's fun and creative for me and I love to see the story in my head being visualized on the screen."

Kuo did much more than simply mimic the actions of a director when putting together "Confessions." After obtaining the script from a MPT class, she set out on analyzing the script and characters as well as writing notes and beats then made a floor plan, storyboard, shot list, look book, and other pre-production items before sitting down to do a table read and rehearsal with her actors to ensure everyone would be ready for shooting the scene. In addition to "On My Own," her Music Video nominee, Kuo saw "Confessions" also nominated for Best Director - Under 12 Minutes and Shot in a Day.

"For me, 'Confessions' is about revenge," said Kuo. "It's a story about a broken-hearted daughter who tries to explore the truth after knowing the news of mother's death. I spent a lot of time working with each department just to make sure that we were all on the same page and we were ready to roll. There's always a 'something unexpectedly happens' moment on set and that's the reason why we need to fully prepare ourselves. I also learned fast decision and problem-solving from every experience. Being a director isn't an easy job, but I found it fun."

A three-time Academic All-PacWest honoree, two-time D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient, and WGCA All-American Scholar, Kuo has epitomized the ART U "Be Artist. Be Athlete." mantra in her four years as a member of the women's golf team. While excelling in her film production, she was named All-PacWest Second Team twice, First Team once, and contributed to the program's first Pacific West Conference Championship last year.

"Honestly, being a student-athlete helps me a lot in film directing," said Kuo. "Since I need to balance golf and school, I learn time management and work with high efficiency. Playing golf tournaments also helps me easily calm myself down under the pressure and be able to solve the problems immediately on set. I also apply the mental skills when I have negative emotion and sometimes things don't go well with my plan. I'm glad and proud to be a student-athlete."

Houston, an Acting major who appeared in a musical theatre production of "In The Heights" last year, was honored twice at this year's NXT UP Fest, earning Best Actor in a Drama – Undergraduate ("Enemy of the State") and the Audience Award for Best Actor in a Comedy ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith").

"For the two scenes that I won 'Best Actor' for, my professors knew what scenes worked best and also challenged me to go above and beyond," said Houston. "My inspiration has always been Will.Smith for his fluidity in his acting. As we have seen, he successfully transitions between many different genres which is something I have started to do as well."

For "Enemy of the State," when getting into character for the role of Robert Dean, a lawyer who is suddenly thrust into the middle of a political scandal which can cost him is life, Houston found a familiar way to channel his intensity, particularly for a scene where he is approached by a detective who questions him about the death of a man with key evidence of a murder.

"I approached it like a 400m race," said Houston. "You never want to sprint full speed at the start because you can only sustain that for a short amount of time. It was the same thing with this scene; there were moments where I can just coast and, in the end, that's when I channel everything to drive home my point."

On the other hand, Houston's part in a hilarious couple's therapy scene from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" allowed him to express his more playful and witty side.

"For 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' we just had so much fun honestly," said Houston. "My scene partner Tiffini [Williams] and I always create great work together and, for that scene, we just let loose."

A multi-time USTFCCCA All-Region honoree and Academic All-PacWest recipient, Houston thrived in his two years as a track & field student-athlete at Academy of Art. Directly translating his skills from track to stage, he has built a strong resume with roles in "Death and The Artist," "The Marriage of Bette & Boo," and "Six Degrees of Separation."

"Some people think it's easy, but being an actor requires focus like no other," said Houston. "Whether it be on set or stage, there are a million different things you have to be aware of while performing and being a student-athlete has helped me hone in and focus. From knowing where your mark is, where the camera is placed, the lights, props, dialogue, etc., they're so many things that can occupy your mind and it takes stamina to be in this line of work. My time on the track definitely has taught me to endure through difficult challenges and how to focus in to succeed on my goal."

En route to the finish line that will be his upcoming graduation from the School of Acting, Houston offered important recognition of current Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Kevin LaSure.
 
"I'd also like to dedicate my growing success to my Coach LaSure," said Houston. "I've known my coach since 2013 and learned so from him much over time. As with any long relationship, there are challenges, but he has taught me a lot about myself and I wouldn't be in this position without him. I am grateful. Love you, Coach."

Verhees, a Motion Pictures & Television major who has worked behind-the-scenes in video production for the Academy of Art Athletics Department since September, assiduously pursued his project "Primal," the story of his friend and big wave surfer Chris Mashburn, which was nominated for Best Documentary.

"As a filmmaker, I am personally most passionate about telling true stories," said Verhees. "My professor for the documentary class, Janice Engel, has always said the best story to tell as a documentary filmmaker is one that is personal and important to you. I've been surfing my entire life, and having a close friend who has an interesting story with big wave surfing made my decision to create this film pretty easy. Chris's willingness to make this film with me made the whole production process very enjoyable."

Collaborating with another Motion Pictures & Television major and ART U Baseball alumni in Michael Maleski, Verhees served as the director, main editor, and a cinematographer on the piece which delved into Mashburn's love of surfing. Verhees, who again credits School of Motion Pictures & Television instructor and documentary filmmaker Janice Engel for her help with planning the structure and style of the film, reveals one of the biggest thrills of the piece was voraciously moving through a tidal wave of footage after shooting was complete.

"Surfing is a very unpredictable sport, so for me and my assistant cameraman Mike Maleski, being in the right spot at the right time was key," said Verhees. "What you tend to learn in documentary filmmaking is that most of the story is created during post-production, in the editing room. Editing a documentary is like a puzzle, it takes hours on hours on hours. I had tons of material to work with, including all the footage Mike and I shot, archival footage, interviews, photos, and more."

One of the best pitchers in ART U history, Verhees still holds a spot on the program's top 10 in six different categories including strikeouts per nine innings where he ranks first overall. Developing the skill of performing under pressure and adapting in the face of the unexpected has shown not only in his four years on the mound for the Urban Knights, but also in the director's chair.

"Trusting the process is as important in filmmaking as it is in baseball," said Verhees. "But being able to improvise if things don't go as planned is key. This makes or breaks a film and it will win or lose a baseball game."

Applying what they have learned in the classroom, on set, and in their respective areas of play as student-athletes, this trio represents some of the dynamic talent emerging from Academy of Art in the near future.