Every four years the best young pianists in the world descend upon Fort Worth for the renowned Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

The two-week event draws observers from throughout the world, but one who arrived for the May competition had a particular interest — Peter Rosen, a documentary director and producer, who delved even deeper into the psyche of the competitors than he did in his Emmy-winning documentary of the 1997 Competition.

And this time he had extra help: eight TCU students and young alumni who joined the documentary crew as cameramen, film editors and production assistants.

Their task? Long hours spent editing tape, little recognition and the chance to capture with Rosen the trials and triumphs of the world’s truly best pianists. Film and Theater Senior Dimitar Orovcanec said being part of the crew was a dream job for a student.

“We are out in the field shooting by ourselves,” said the Macedonian native. “So we are really directing our own little documentary about the competitors we are following. If I get even three minutes of footage in the final product, I’ll be very happy because I’ll know I did it myself.”

“They have been really terrific,” said Molly McBride, assistant producer. “At first we weren’t sure how well they would work out, but we have been very pleased. Now I’m trying to find some other projects to use students in.”

Jennifer Davis, a film student who graduated in May, said working on a production of this scope in Fort Worth was a treat. Davis and several other Frogs worked 10-hour shifts doing rudimentary editing on the tapes.

“To be able to interact at this level with an award-winning director is a great opportunity,” she said. “Not only will our names be in the credits, but we know we are part of something really important.”

The cameramen — shooters in their lingo — agreed that filming the competitors as people rather than just pianists added poignant dimension to the experience.

“We’re all about the same age as these competitiors,” Orovcanec said, “so we really bonded with them as we followed them around and interacted with them. I joke that I am their lucky star since all four of the ones I filmed made it into the semifinals.”

No kidding: Orovcanec’s favorite, Olga Kern, shared the gold with the future filmmaker’s other primary assignment, Stanislav Loudenitch.