FILM/SNEAK PEEK : STUDENT FILM GIVES UCSB A NEW KIND OF REPUTATION.

Byline: - Bob McCarthy

The ``Shadow'' knows, and so does Daniel Kutner.

Working around the clock for nearly six months, the senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, got an education in the rigors of filmmaking. With the surf and the Isla Vista party scene raging around them, he and film-studies partner Brian Emerson rarely left the house as they made ``Shadow of a Drought,'' their animated student production that marked a breakthrough for UCSB's academically oriented film school.

Proving that talent knows no bounds, Kutner and Emerson will take home UCSB's first-ever Student Academy Award this month when they receive their medallion for ``Shadow,'' which is in competition with animated entries from New York University and CalArts in Valencia. Entries from UCSB - which offers only two animation classes - had been nominated before but never reached the winner's circle.

``This is a school where, if you're willing to kill yourself making a film, you can make one,'' says Kutner, who served as the co-writer and producer for ``Shadow.'' Co-writer Emerson also handled the directing duties on their production, which employed three types of animation: computer-generated imagery, cel and bond, and clay.

``We had no social life for months. We left the houses only to get dinner,'' adds Kutner, who hails from La Jolla. Emerson is from West Los Angeles.

The story line of ``Shadow'' follows the disappearance of cinema's most beloved actor, who vanishes from the set of the motion picture ``Drought.'' A tabloid reporter goes in search of the star and, through his interviews, strings together a history of animation and its destiny.

The production was a combined effort of the film studies department, engineering and computer engineering sectors on campus. Engineering students designed and built the film's claymation set, and computer engineering students served as on-call troubleshooters for the production team. Cel painters for ``Shadow'' were just anybody who would volunteer some time.

UCSB was also a national finalist in the documentary category. ``Portraits'' by Ivan Oyco and Jesse Baldwin brought an added measure of acclaim to the campus known more for its surf and party atmosphere than rigorous academic standards. For Kutner, beating the odds and more prestigious universities with their better equipment and famous alumni only reinforces his belief about the essence of moviemaking.

``It doesn't matter because in the end, it's how well you tell the story.''