Film Captures Spring Break Revelry

"Spring Break" was filmed by Zoom Culture, a local media group, and is a part of the company's ongoing "Digital Diaries" series.

With classes just beginning, Spring Break seems to be a far-off prospect.

But only a short amount of time passes until throngs of UNC students hit the islands, hedonistically revel and let naughtiness run rampant in the Caribbean streets.

A week later, with fabulous tans and a few extra "What have I done?" anecdotes, UNC students return to Chapel Hill -- and to normalcy. But all abide by the rule, "Whatever happened at Spring Break stays there."

But Zoom Culture, a Chapel Hill-based media company, brought "whatever happened" back to Chapel Hill and put it on film.

"People say what goes on in Jamaica stays in Jamaica, but we got it all," said Marty Lasferty, president and CEO of Zoom Culture. "We were incredibly fortunate to capture the stories we did."

The company releases the fruits of its labor, aptly titled "Spring Break," at 7 p.m. tonight at the Lumina Theater. A premiere party is scheduled at Top of the Hill following the screening, and the film's $3 admission also fronts one drink at the after-party.

Filming the trials of several Spring Breakers, "Spring Break" is part of Zoom Culture's ongoing "Digital Diaries" series, Lasferty said. The diaries are meant to chronicle youth's various stages and rites of passage, and Lasferty added that "Spring Break" is a logical extension of that series.

And due to the nature of this particular rite of passage, Lasferty said the film, currently not rated, will receive an R for several adult themes that are present in the film.

"(The R rating is) for numerous incarnations of the ultimate pursuit of hedonistic pleasure," Lasferty said. "It doesn't disappoint in terms of that aspect of it."

Although the rating will not be applied at the time of tonight's showing, audiences only over age 18 are permitted to see tonight's screening.

UNC graduate student Jennifer Grossman, who was affiliated with Zoom Culture during its days as a Carrboro-based Internet company, was filmed by the Zoom Culture crew in Cancun last March.

The experience of having her Spring Break filmed both amuses Grossman and makes her a bit nervous. She said she is concerned how the documentary will depict her but nevertheless looks forward to the film's release.

"I have been on Spring Break three times, so I was familiar with the antics, but being with Zoom Culture wasn't what I expected," she said. "Reality TV can be a lot more stressful than I thought.

"I'm really not as looney as I might appear."

Lasferty said all who participated in the project signed waivers allowing Zoom Culture to use footage at its discretion and added that, despite its antics, the film has a moral about the consequences of things going too far.

Grossman echoed this statement and encouraged anyone on Spring Break -- or on reality-based TV -- to be careful while relishing the revelry.

And while the film might embarrass her, Grossman said she's looking forward to seeing the finished product. "I'm excited and extremely wary of how I'm going to be packaged --