Amid the flurry of pinballs and joystick clicks, three UT students turned Cidercade’s energy into art. Set in the arcade, Jet Sullivan, Lailah Licon and Natalie Tran’s short film took home the People’s Choice Award at the first Cidercade Creator Cup.
Showcasing the venue’s vintage charm, “Pixel Paradise” follows two girls who fall into a pixelated world and battle through chaotic challenges for the Creator Cup. The competition invited Texas filmmakers to create short videos inspired by Cidercade, with the “People’s Choice” determined by popular vote. Sullivan, Licon and Tran’s film received the most likes on YouTube, winning them a $1,000 prize and local praise.
“Getting to collaborate with my two best friends was pretty fun because we love working together,” journalism senior Licon said. “That’s how we got the idea to do the (Creator Cup) in the first place, was going and hanging out at a place we love to be together.”
Each friend took a different role in production. Radio-television-film junior Sullivan served as the project lead, writer and animator, while Licon produced, marketed and acted. Tran, an acting junior, also acted and introduced the concept of a pixelated game world, bringing the arcade-inspired visuals to life.
“I sat down and … put sticky notes all over this wall and tried to see what stuck,” Sullivan said. “I knew I wanted to do a competitive kind of thing and take in all of what Cidercade’s branding was — their cider, their $12 play, all those things — and put it into one thing. So I asked my friends, and we went in.”
Filming at Cidercade came with its own challenges. Between unexpected Halloween decorations and the buzzing atmosphere, the trio learned to adapt at the last minute.
“We had to work around a lot of people,” Tran said. “We (didn’t) want to be in anyone’s way. … Filming in public … is definitely troublesome when you don’t have a closed set, but we always end up making it work. And a lot of times, when you’re faced with constraints, it allows you to make more creative decisions.”
After submissions closed, Cidercade introduced the “People’s Choice Award” to let audiences vote for their favorite video.
Also introduced when the competition first launched, the Grand Prizes honor the top three creators with cash awards, exclusive perks and the Creator Cup trophy, as determined by an internal judge panel. The arcade’s Instagram and YouTube announced the winners on Thursday.
The People’s Choice Award trio celebrated their win, but an online comment accused them of using their social media followings to gain more likes, a claim Tran immediately pushed back on.
“What bothered me about that comment is they used the word ‘leveraged,’ and what people don’t realize is we’re all best friends,” Tran said. “When we submitted … it (wasn’t) in the rules that there was going to be a popular vote. … But besides the (negativity), it’s great to (get recognition), and I know all our friends are happy for us.”
Now, the team looks ahead as Sullivan, Tran and Licon develop a comedy feature film. Meanwhile, Cidercade expressed interest in continuing the Creator Cup, potentially expanding into new creator categories.
“Competitions are always scarier than they look,” Sullivan said. “What’s it hurt to try? Worst case scenario, you learn something new.”