The Arty and the Unusual Highlight Student Festival : Film: The entries of budding directors at OCC are skewed toward the esoteric.

A few minutes into Francie Whiteley and Chuck Gough’s eight-minute entry in Orange Coast College’s 20th annual student film festival, the stylistic specter of off-beat director David Lynch becomes recognizable.

Whiteley confessed that Lynch is indeed her favorite director, while Gough, also a Lynch fan, cited Federico Fellini as an equally important inspiration. The would-be movie makers, both 22, have been working since January on their film, “The Gift,” which is based on a song by 1960s New York art rock band the Velvet Underground.

It’s just one of more than 400 film and video submissions in this year’s festival, some of which will be shown tonight in the college’s Forum theater beginning at 8. As with past festivals, the organizers are expecting a sold-out show.

If there’s such a thing as a typical entry, “The Gift” fills the bill: The black comedy centers around Velvet Underground songwriter Lou Reed’s eight-minute narrative about a love-lorn boyfriend who mails himself to his girlfriend, who he suspects is cheating on him. Sitting inside the cardboard box, the boyfriend nervously waits for his girlfriend to open the box, unaware that she plans to use a pair of long sheet-metal cutting shears.

“The entries do tend to be on the esoteric side,” said Brian Lewis, who heads the college’s film/video department. “You have to understand, these students are personally involved with their films.”

Like a proud father talking about successful offspring, Lewis says that many of the festival’s former winners have gone on to direct feature films, music videos and industrial films. The department periodically inducts former alumni into its Hall of Fame, and today, five former students will be added during the festival. The last induction was held eight years ago.

As for this year’s festival entries, comedies seem to dominate, Lewis said, although some students have turned in slick industrial-type films.

Video entries now account for about 60% of the works submitted, Lewis said, in keeping with the way the movie industry itself has come to rely on video more and more. In the past, the festival accepted only films.

In Whiteley and Gough’s case, they shot and edited the movie on three-quarter-inch videotape, then transferred it to 16-millimeter film, which produced a better picture.

“It’s just too expensive to do the entire project on film,” said Whiteley, who estimated that “The Gift” cost her and Gough $300 for film stock and processing. “But it was so much fun. I had no experience before I got into this class. But I hope to one day make great films and lots of money.”

Arriving at the college’s editing room Wednesday morning to make last-minute changes, Whiteley and Gough were surprised that the room was empty. However, an hour later, things were starting to pick up.

Another student, Randy Campbell, was working on a one-minute commercial promotion for the theater and arts department.

No stranger to celluloid, 44-year-old Campbell previously worked for a production company in Malibu.

Campbell said one of the reasons he came to Orange Coast was because of its national reputation. But what particularly appealed to him was the “hands-on” experience students are given.

“I decided I wanted to make my own films,” the Newport Beach resident said. “I want to make films the whole family can enjoy, without the graphic violence.”

Orange Coast College’s 20th annual student film festival will be held at 8 tonight in the Forum theater, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Admission: $3. Information: (714) 432-5637