Teaching Film in a Pandemic

An interview with LBSU film professor Kevin O’Brien.

by Avery Keller

COVID-19 has made it more difficult for students to access hands-on learning experiences and the film and electronic arts department at LBSU was particularly struck by the pandemic.

With no chances to shoot projects together with peers or collaborate in the same room, students are limited in what they can produce. They are restricted to filming with members of their household and many large-scale junior and senior projects were canceled.

Along with these difficulties for students, online instruction has also posed a new challenge for instructors. Here, film professor Kevin O’Brien shares insight on how he has adapted in the past year. O’Brien teaches mostly lower division courses and introduces new film students to the different elements of production.

Krvin O'Brien stands and poses for a photo in front of the large film Cinecittà Studio in Rome, Italy

Photo courtesy of Kevin O'Brien.

How would you describe your online teaching style?

Not too much different than teaching in class. I try to be friendly, open and encourage students to share their thoughts and reactions to the screenings and discussions. However, it is much more difficult to do so via Zoom.

How did you handle activities differently? (film shoots, equipment training, etc.)

Group film shoots on set [are] prohibited by the university. Equipment training [comes] through curating videos, but it is no substitute for actually touching the equipment.

However, the videos are valuable for creating awareness and I am confident it will help students when they transition to actually being in the studio or on set.

As for group work, I was able to continue that by redesigning projects. Students each tackled a portion of the assignment remotely then collaborated on the amalgamated project. For example, in my media aesthetics class we will be watching projects that explore filmic visual components through still photography. Each student in groups of six shot a portion of the project then they collaborated on the final PowerPoint presentation.

What other challenges did you face with teaching through Zoom?

For me personally, it was to set up a consistent work schedule, which started with online office hours at 9 a.m. My other challenges were the sheer amount of preparation time needed to present classes since the Zoom classes have to be backed up with a lot of online material normally distributed in class.

How do you feel online learning changed the experience for your students?

I learned last semester after the abrupt transition to online that you cannot replicate the experience of being in class. The challenge is not just about delivering curriculum, but to create an experience that will keep them engaged and excited about studying film.

I hope that being flexible and adaptive in the online world are skills that will serve [students] well when we get back to in-class learning or when they begin their careers.

The experience was different but still positive one, based on the quality of the projects students [have] produced.

Photo courtesy of Kevin O'Brien.

How do you get students to participate in class?

It’s tough because you can’t make them turn on their cameras. Regardless of all the strategies on how to engage students via Zoom, it is truly up to the student to take ownership of their learning, and this goes for in-person teaching and learning as well. I believe the group assignments and projects I adapted for the online version of my classes created participation behind the scenes.

What would you like to change about your classes next semester?

Other than to be back in the classroom? Not too much to be honest. Along with the students, I feel I am creating better content and delivering it with the detail needed for the online environment.

I think there is this urban rumor that online teaching is less work than in-person and nothing could be further from the truth. I am happy to still be teaching and the feedback from students has been quite positive, given the circumstances. I’ll just keep doing what I do.