In Production Magazine Spring 2016

SPRING 2016

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS

TEACHING THE ART OF

EDITING

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Reflections on what we do and why we do it

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was recently invited to be an external reviewer for the Visual and Media Arts program at Emerson College. The process of program review brings in faculty and administrators from other colleges to observe and evaluate a given program based on a selfstudy and on interviews with students, faculty and administrators at the college. I have participated in this process many times at programs around the country, and always find the greatest benefit to be the fact that it causes me to reflect yet again about how and why Dodge College works as it does.

in the classroom, on hands-on/project-based production, on a common core beginning with Visual Storytelling, and courses that illuminate “the business of the business”— how the entertainment industry works, the role of marketing in getting films seen, and the importance of producers in developing and driving projects.

Though I hope we never feel satisfied with where we are — and that we continue to push to improve and refine what we do and keep up with changing industry models and technologies — I do believe we have an extremely solid foundation. As you read Visiting other schools, in this issue about the learning about the accomplishments of structure of their our students, alumni curricula and talking and faculty, I hope you Chapman trustee Scott Chapman, right, toured the Shenzhen facility in March to faculty and students agree. And I hope you with Dean Bob Bassett and Artention Films exec Kim Zheng, center. about their interests will enjoy learning and issues is always revealing. Sometimes I see things about our ongoing enterprises including international I wish we had done or wish we could do, but the way partnerships, innovative courses, and travel opportunities programs develop is also influenced by available resources, through which students can explore different cultures by history, by institutional culture and simply by what and document their experiences with a camera. people are willing to do.

In the coming months, I look forward to sharing more Yet more often than not, I come away from these visits about upcoming initiatives, including a second film happy with what we have created at Chapman. We’ve going into production through Chapman Filmed worked hard to build a culture that is student-centric Entertainment and the renovation of the building housing — one that is designed to serve the students first rather Chapman Studios West to include the Dhont Family than being driven by faculty wishes or convenience.

Documentary Center, space for our production design program, an additional stage and more. Stay tuned. The And we’ve continued to build on what I believe is a future looks bright, but we can never take it for granted. distinctive core vision: a focus on industry-veterans

what’s inside other stuff 7

Faculty Updates and Accolades

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The App for Finding Your Political Match

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Interterm Classes Dig Into Off-beat Topics

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Interterm Travel Course Round-up

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Reflections On How We Create Meaning In Our Lives: A Tribute to Professor Cory O'Connor

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Festival Highlights

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Internship spotlight: Mallory Leonard

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Dodge College Alumni Notes

On the cover: Savannah Lew (BFA/Film Prodution’17)

Monica Petruzzelli (BFA/ News & Documentary'16)

features 2

Dodge College On The World Stage

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When the Tables Are Turned: Students Pitch Former Professor

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Teaching the Art of Editing

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A Storyteller Bound By No Medium: Don Hahn

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Look Around Any Direction, 360 Video Comes to Dodge College

focuses on the art of editing.

In Production: Editor, Janell Shearer; Assistant Editor, Meagan O’Shea; Writers: Brian Hamilton, Sorrel Geddes, Geddes, Kevin Harman, and Jeff Heimbuch

DODGE COLLEGE ON THE

lm schools can fi e, ag st d rl o w e th On d provocative tell an t an rt o p im an y la p young artists to role – by preparinuggh the most powerful their stories throtime. In so doing, film medium of ourthe next generation to schools enable atus quo, to support challenge the stewpoints, and to a diversity of vi ape their national engage in and sh es. and cultural identiti

These challenges and other key questions about the value of an arts education were addressed by deans and professors from 31 film schools in 19 countries around the world invited to celebrate the 110th anniversary of filmmaking in China and the 65th anniversary of the Beijing Film Academy (BFA) at the World Film Institutions Forum in Beijing in October.

Dean Bassett and Kim Dong-Ho, founding director of the Busan International Film Festival and now Dean at Dankook University.

In 29 speeches over the course of

Dean Bassett addresses the Forum.

two days, administrators and faculty addressed the future and structure of film education.

The role of cinema in creating national identity was a theme for Garth Holmes, executive chairman of the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, who cited the particular challenges of South African society and the importance of film in creating a new cultural identity, one that takes “all South African culture into consideration.”

In Beijing 2 Representatives from film schools around the world gathered to discuss the future of film education in Beijing.

World Stage The importance of enabling stories told by differing voices was frequently reiterated.

Film students, various speakers said, are “the authors of future culture.” The strength of that culture, said Kwang-Wu Kim, president and CEO of Columbia College, Chicago, is tied to the plurality of voices represented and the interaction students have with those of other cultural, racial and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as with other definitions and forms of creative practice.

International co-productions, for example, said Kim Dong-Ho, dean of the Graduate School of Cinematic Content at Dankook University, Korea, “will make my cinema and your cinema more interesting.”

The power and importance of film as an art form was also a recurring theme. “Artists are the engineers of the human spirit,” said Dong Wei, vice minister of the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic

Live multi-media performances, singing, dancing, and a variety of speakers celebrated the twin anniversaries of BFA and Chinese filmmaking.

of China, who opened the proceedings.

This sentiment was echoed by Vladimir Malyshev, rector of the Russian State University of Cinematography, representing the world’s first film school, founded in 1919. “Film art is the gateway to the spiritual world,” he said.

Chapman University film school dean Bob Bassett challenged film educators to fundamentally rethink the structure of their curricula.

The traditional model of film school education, based on director-driven projects, does not serve students because it does not reflect how films are typically made in the business today, Dean Bassett said. He challenged educators to put student producers in charge of developing projects and creative teams, including finding material and selecting a director.

The result, he said, will be stronger teams and graduates better prepared to work in the industry where producers not only find financing but also function in a truly creative role.

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While in China, Dean Bassett also explored potential partnerships and exchanges with BFA and film schools in other countries to build on Chapman’s ongoing international programs offering filmmaking experiences abroad. He led a delegation to the southeastern city of Shenzhen, the first and most successful of China’s special economic zones, located just across the border from Hong Kong.

Sometimes referred to as China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen has enjoyed rapid growth and modernization and is a major financial center in China. Dodge College representatives toured the 800,000-square-foot film hub built to house a Chapman film training program in partnership with Artention Films Company.

Top, Dean Bassett is interviewed by Shenzhen TV about the possible partnership. Right, green screen stage under construction.

Discussions are currently underway with Kim Zheng of Artention to create a curriculum and launch an 8-week certificate program this summer to train film students in Shenzhen.

In Shenzhen

From left, Kim Zheng of Artention Films, and the Chapman delegation of Associate Dean Michael Kowalski, Dean Bob Bassett and Media Arts Chair Janell Shearer met with Director Min Yuhui (third from left) and Manager He Wei (far right) of the 4 Longgang Culture Department in front of the facility that would house the program in Shenzhen.

In Munich “Working with Actors” was the theme of the 2015 conference of the International Association of Film and Television Schools (CILECT) at the University of Television and Film in Munich, Germany in November. Dodge College Dean Bob Bassett, Associate Dean Michael Kowalski, Division Chairs Eric Young and Janell Shearer, and Professor Roy Finch joined faculty from around the world to explore teaching students how to work with actors.

As summarized by Stanislav Semerdjiev, executive director of CILECT and a professor at the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts in Bulgaria, the goal of many of the panels and workshops was to explore how “to direct for the actors, not direct the actors.” That fine distinction played out in demonstrations that explored various methods of helping both directors and actors explore character as well as addressing the role of casting, auditions, improv and the language used by directors to help discover and shape a character and a performance.

The CILECT Conference addressed working with actors from a variety of perspectives.

Additional sessions addressed helping actors understand the role of editing in creating performance, the differences between scene objectives and character objectives, the use of voiceover in telling a story, and the impact of visual effects and computer-generated characters on audience perceptions of performance.

“The wide range of presentations and demonstrations we saw in Munich provoked a lot of thought and discussion about how we teach acting,” says Dean Bassett. “I am hopeful that we will be able to bring some of these workshops to Chapman in the future, to help our students explore the very latest techniques as acting continues to be impacted as much as technology as by the learning curve of young directors.”

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In Beruit and Taipei Associate Dean and sound Professor Michael Kowalski visited both the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beruit and Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan to conduct workshops on post-audio and review their sound curricula.

Professor Michael Kowalski regularly leads student exchanges with the Taipei National University of the Arts.

From Prague

Pavel Jech, Dean of Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), in the Czech Republic, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious film schools, came to Chapman in February to talk about the differences between European and American short films and to share his teaching methodology. He also conducted workshops for advanced screenwriting and directing students.

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FACULTY UPDATES AND ACCOLADES

Professor John Badham directs his fifth episode for the show Supernatural, entitled “The Vessel.”

“The best way to know about directing is to direct,” says Professor John Badham. “I love being able to keep up with all the technology, all of the new actors, all the various ways of doing things.”

Badham spent the fall filming his fifth episode of The CW hit television show Supernatural, starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. The series follows two brothers as they pursue demons, ghosts and other supernatural beings. In the episode The Vessel, Badham had to direct as if the majority of the show took place inside a submarine during World War II. Channeling his more than 40 years’ experience, Badham was able to apply techniques used in previous projects to give viewers the sense that the actors were inside an actual submarine diving, maneuvering and holding steady deep below the ocean surface – and he did it all with just the camera.

Photo by Dean Buscher Warner Bros. Television

Photo by Dean Buscher Warner Bros. Television

scle. If you mes u m a e k li is o Filmmaking use and tone it , it becgigs continue todaptable. It lands you inly agile and a s awards. This is cer ta lt y and garner h Dodge College facu the case witue to exercise their who contin muscle on top of filmmaking ll-time. teaching fu

7 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Coolidge on the set of Angie Tribeca.

Directing Professor Martha Coolidge is also no stranger to episodic television. She has directed episodes of Madam Secretary, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and, most recently, Angie Tribeca, which presented a unique set of challenges. Coolidge directed the episode The Ventriloquist starring a real ventriloquist.

The challenge was to direct the ventriloquist, a comedian but not an actor, while he was both acting and throwing his voice.

This past fall, Coolidge’s filmmaking muscle took her to Poland to direct the feature Music, War and Love, a love story set before, during, and after World War II, slated for release later this year. Whenever she can, Coolidge brings students to her set, or guest speakers to her

Coolidge in Poland on the set of Music, War and Love.

class, so that they benefit from her experiences and connections.

“Part of being movie professionals, our being current and working, is extremely important for the education of our students and the reputation of our school,” says Coolidge.

Coolidge's upcoming feature Music, War and Love, a love story set before, during and after World War II.

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exing their fl y lt u c fa nly aren’t the o ymnasium: e g d li o o C g d Badham an scles in the industr y creative mu Anne Beatts signed a deal with Bento Box Animation Studios (Bob’s Burgers) to develop a series based on the Blues Brothers, as a writer and executive producer, alongside Judy Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

Barry Blaustein became the first American to win a Taffy Award (the Russian equivalent of an Emmy Award) for his work on the hit Russian TV series FZRUK. Last fall, his script for Coming to America, co-written with David Sheffield, was named one of the 101 Funniest Scripts Ever by the Writers Guild of America. ▲

Dr. Emily Carman’s book Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System was published by the University of Texas Press. She is the co-editor of Hollywood and the Law (BFI/Palgrave-Macmillan, 2015) and co-author of the chapter “Doing the Deal: Talent Contracts in Hollywood.” She is the author of an article in the journal Cinephile, “Stardom as Hollywood Historiography: Onscreen Legend and Off-Screen Practice in Robert Aldrich’s The Big Knife, forthcoming this winter 2016. Carman is the co-curator of the film series Independent Stardom onscreen at the UCLA Film and Television Archive Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, April 16-May 26, 2016, and is the featured commentator on the short film Misfit/Landscape (dir. Kimberly Shively, 2016) and the featured guest commentator on the production of John Huston’s The Misfits (1961), world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2016.

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Matt Deller’s book, The Knight Proper, based off his original script, has been published at Inkshares.com, a new publishing outfit driven by reader interest.

Deller’s script Mountain Man made the 2015 HIT LIST, with Danny McBride’s production company, Rough House Pictures, on board as producers.

Ron Friedman recently completed writing the theatrical adaptation of the book The Secrets They Kept by Suzanne Handler for Broadway producer Donald Loze.

In addition he recently completed writing his partly autobiographical book, partly instructional book, I Killed Optimus Prime, and is in conversation with a producer to convert a mega-hit Chinese animated series into a live action series.

Kelly Galindo recently completed her latest book Everything the Director Knows About Acting. This summer she is shooting a documentary in Thailand with Destiny Rescue, a non-profit that rescues young girls from sex trafficking. She is also beginning the rehearsal process for the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, with professor Martha Coolidge directing, set to open this fall in Los Angeles.

Paul Gulino is currently casting a full-length farce, Acting Mad, to be produced at the Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica in April and directed by Rupert Hitzig.

9 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Kirk Honeycutt’s book John Hughes: A Life in Film: The Genius Behind Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, and more was published by Quarto Group.

Christian Papierniak directed and produced the indie comedy Izzy Gets the F–k Across Town, slated for release in 2017. Mackenzie Davis stars as a woman at rock bottom who must find her way across Los Angeles in order to crash her ex-boyfriend’s engagement party.

John Phillips’ feature script, Stealing Time, was picked up by DreamWorks in turnaround from Sony. Phillips, along with Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic Park IV), will executive produce. The story involves a scientist who flees into the past to protect his time machine, forcing his son and grandson to rebuild the device in the present to rescue him, all while fleeing crooks bent on exploiting time travel. Phillips was also hired by cable network Ovation TV to adapt Joel Eisenberg and Stephen Hillard’s fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Ara, for an eight-part miniseries. ▲

Sally Rubin’s Life on the Line documentary was broadcast nationally on PBS, and screened at the following festivals: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Mexico International Film Festival (Best Environmental Documentary), Arizona International Film Festival, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles Indie Film Festival, Saint Louis International Film Festival, White Sands International Film Festival, Viva Latino International Film Festival, Chicago Social Change Film Festival, Oregon Underground Film Festival, Providence Children’s Film Festival, Big as Texas Film Festival, Boston Kids Film Festival, LA Lift Off Film Festival.

The film premiered in May at the Mark Taper Auditorium in conjunction with “The Big Read” Los Angeles.

She is also producer/consulting editor of Mezzo, about a transgender opera singer, funded by Frameline Films, which premiered in San Francisco, also in May. After Coal, which Rubin edited, is slated for PBS broadcast through partnership with West Virginia PBS, and will premiere at the Athens Film Festival and Princeton Environmental Film Fests, and at the Hay Film Festival in Wales in the coming months. Rubin’s documentary Hillbilly is receiving a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

Jim Schlenker is the location designer for the upcoming Disney Television animated television series Tangled, premiering early 2017. The Tangled series is being developed by executive producer/supervising director Chris Sonnenburg (Enchanted) and co-executive producer/creative director Shane Prigmore (The Lego Movie). The series also reunites the feature’s composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater.

Paul Seydor’s book The Authentic Death & Contentious Afterlife of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was counted among film critic David Thompson’s top six favorite books on the creative process, appearing alongside Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov and composer Stephen Sondheim, among others.

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Jeff Swimmer’s book Documentary Case Studies: Behind The Scenes of the Greatest (True) Stories Ever Told, telling the stories of how Oscar-nominated and Oscarwinning documentary filmmakers overcame production challenges in creating their most celebrated films, was published by Bloomsbury Academic. He directed/ produced the one-hour film A Golden State of Mind: The Storytelling Genius of Huell Howser, which aired on multiple PBS affiliates.

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Madeline Warren wrote the instructor’s manual for Macmillan Education to accompany the newly published (2016) filmmaking textbook, Filmmaking in Action: Your Guide to the Skills and Craft by Adam Leipzig (Dodge College adjunct professor), Barry Weiss and Michael Goldman.

Gil Zimmerman directed four episodes of the Netflix/DreamWorks TV series Dragons Race to the Edge. He is currently cinematographer on DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 3, slated to be released in summer 2018.

Director Rob Cohen, the filmmaker behind the blockbuster hits The Fast and the Furious, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, xXx, Alex Cross, and others, brings his nearly three decades of motion picture experience to Dodge College as the Marion Knott Filmmaker-inResidence for spring semester. “I had many mentors in college and my early years take time to teach me,” says Cohen. “That knowledge helped me through some difficult times.”

11 Rob Cohen Filmmaker-in-Residence. Photo by Lia Hanson

AN

APP FOR FINDING YOUR POLITICAL MATCH

T

inder breaks dating down into its simplest form: you get a brief snapshot of a person, what they like, what they don’t, how they look, where they are located, and you can make a quick decision as to whether to swipe left (thanks, but not for me) or swipe right (hey, maybe

“More importantly, though, my time studying advertising gave me a great appreciation for what separates the good ad campaigns from the great ad campaigns: empathy.” something can come out of this). If only the rest of our lives were that easy.

Well, when it comes to picking a political candidate, it can be with Voter, a matchmaking app for politics.

Created by Hunter Scarborough (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’12), the app makes it easy to vote with confidence. You simply answer a few questions to find out which candidates line up with your own views (and actually have the track record to back it up) to find your perfect political match.

The genesis of the app came out of the competing claims and media hype of election season.

“During the 2012 presidential race, I became frustrated by how difficult it was to find political news sources I could trust,” says Scarborough. “I looked at the wealth of raw political data becoming available, and realized there could be a much faster and more accurate way to become informed.”

Scarborough wanted to mimic online dating, since in both instances, people are looking for a match.

He liked Tinder’s swiping interface, and thought it would lend itself to political issues as well as be fast, fun, and easy to use.

He also wanted a simpler way to research the candidates, as doing it on your own can be a long, frustrating process.

“As I researched the potential market I found I wasn’t alone in my disappointment with the current system; people are more disenfranchised than ever. The 2014 midterm elections saw the lowest voter turnout in 72 years, at only 36%,” Scarborough says.

The app has been in development for nearly a year and half. In early 2014, after designing a basic prototype, Scarborough began looking for a talented developer, but after several interviews, had not found anyone that met his needs.

A chance meeting over dinner at his cousin’s house led him to his cousin’s roommate, an engineer at Yahoo. A week later, the two of them dove into building what would become their first beta.

After getting feedback from friends and family, Scarborough went a step further to validate the product through beta testing and surveys. Their final test flight group came to just over 500 beta testers.

“Over three months of surveys and testing, the response was a resounding, ‘Yes. I need this.

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The app helps takes out much of the guesswork about what candidates stand for and helps filter out media bias. On top of that, Voter particularly appeals to young people who get their news from social networking apps, and nowhere else.

While the app is currently pre-revenue, the Voter team plans to be roll out a data monetization component later this year.

“Monetizing revolves around helping politicians understand which issues their constituents care about most,” says Scarborough. “Candidates can pay for premium insight into their voting base.

We are very conscious of our users’ privacy, so none of this data can be traced to specific individuals.”

Dodge College’s ad program engrained in me the power of empathy—what it means to step into a customer's shoes.

Scarborough credits his Chapman education with helping promote Voter.

“Having been a Public Relations and Advertising major, and film studies minor, I found myself drawing on all my experiences at Chapman to make the promotional video we did for Voter come to life,” he says.

Hunter Scarborough at work on Voter's analytics.

The country needs this,’” Scarborough quotes users as saying.

The app, launched on September 17, 2015, currently has over 62,000 active users.

Keeping the information on the app up-to-date demands on-going research. “To ensure the highest level of accuracy, we hold politicians accountable to their actions, analyzing candidates’ voting records, public agendas, personal views, speeches, and more,” says Scarborough. “We present this information as a percentage, describing how closely your views align with each candidate.”

that make up the bills, had voting records attached to them as well. We now have a greater number of data points, and each point is significantly more accurate. This all translates into more accurate matching and a better experience for a user.”

In addition to Scarborough’s team of six, three research associates from Pepperdine’s Public Policy master’s program are responsible for keeping the app up-to-date with candidates’ public stances. In addition, they also weigh candidates' voting record and speech analytics, both of which are automated.

Initially, the Voter team was planning to analyze voting records for Congressional bills, however, they quickly realized that bills were far too broad to sum up with a binary question.

At the end of the day, though, their mission is to take the friction out of becoming an informed voter.

“We were searching for a solution when we realized that amendments, the smaller items

“Uninformed voters don’t vote, or worse, they do,” says Scarborough.

“More importantly, though, my time studying advertising gave me a great appreciation for what separates the good ad campaigns from the great ad campaigns: empathy.

Empathy is the driving force behind successful products, and it is also the driving force behind successful advertising.

Dodge College’s ad program engrained in me the power of empathy—what it means to step into a customer’s shoes.”

VOTER IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD THROUGH THE ITUNES STORE

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When the tables are turned: Students pitch former professor For public relations students, pitching the media is one of the most important skills they can learn. And there is no better proof of the effectiveness of classroom practice than having to use those skills in the real world. But what could be more nerve-wracking than pitching your client to the man who taught you how to pitch?

Chris Trela is an adjunct professor of public relations who teaches the Media Relations and PR Campaigns classes in the PR/Ad program.

He is also the owner of ArtsPR, a boutique PR agency that specializes in public relations services for arts organizations, and the editor of the Newport Beach Independent newspaper, where former students now pitch him.

As a PR practitioner and an editor, Trela is on both sides of the pitching fence — and he knows what works and what doesn’t.

In class, he teaches students the many ways that PR practitioners interact with the media, from crafting pitches

pitch 14

and handling press conferences to greeting the media at events.

He also brings in a variety of guest speakers who are experts in their particular industry to give current, real-world examples. Some of his former students are also now among those speakers, sharing what they’ve learned on the job with the next generation of PR practitioners.

“

line, perhaps another 5 to 10 seconds in the opening paragraph of a pitch. What you include in the subject line and the first paragraph can make the difference between garnering interest or garnering delete.”

Trela shares real pitches that he receives at the Independent, both the good and the bad, explaining why one was good or bad, and how successful they

”

important that ow h e iz al re ot n id They d d started pitching an s b jo ot g ey th l was unti TRELA ay!. – PROFESSOR CHRIS d y er ev ts is al rn u jo

As for pitching stories, Trela aims to give his students as much direction as possible so they can craft the perfect pitch.

“An email pitch is usually the first point of contact that a PR person has with a journalist,” Trela says. “Journalists get hundreds of emails a day, so how do you avoid getting your pitch deleted? Generally, you have about three seconds to catch attention in the subject

were in getting his attention.

“I also share my email exchanges with PR people so they can see proper etiquette in working with journalists,” he says.

According to Trela, crafting a good pitch takes practice, time, and knowing specific tips and tricks, like putting the name of the journalist in the subject line and keeping it short. Even something as

Chris Trela In Character: Once a semester, Professor Trela appears in class as Robert Riteway, CEO of Riteway Products, based in San Antonio, Texas. He addresses the students as though they were his PR team, and tells them he is introducing a new product developed in partnership with Apple called the iJava coffee maker that uses Siri as a personal barista.

The students have to create an email invite for a media launch event, a photo shot list, press kit, etc. Says Trela of the event: “Somehow I manage to stay in character (complete with Texas accent) for the duration of the class, even answering questions in character.”

simple as attaching a press release or pasting it into the body of an email can affect how a journalist views the pitch.

Surprisingly, Trela gets former students pitching him stories almost daily.

“Several former students now work for local PR agencies, and I get pitched by them all the time,” he says. “In fact, one of them who pitches me a lot is usually a guest speaker in my class, coming in to talk about how she’s incorporated what she learned at Chapman into her job skills.”

“One of the biggest and probably most valuable things I learned from Chris was how to craft a successful pitch,” says Hannah Goodman (BFA/ Television & Broadcast Journalism ’15). “In my current position as a Content

Strategist for Zillow Group, I apply those skills every day when I pitch blogs and outside sites on a collaboration with our brand. I credit what I learned from Chris at Dodge as one of the main reasons why I have been so successful in my current position.”

Some of the students do not realize they are pitching to Trela when they send their initial email, but most do soon afterward.

“It was definitely more nerveracking, since he was the one who taught me about media relations,” says Ranggin Hedayat (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’14). “I needed to make sure I utilized everything he taught me and pitched him using best practices.”

thanking him for teaching them proper pitching skills.

“They did not realize how important that was until they got jobs and started pitching journalists every day!” he says.

In one way, the job of teaching never stops. Trela often provides feedback to his former students when they pitch him, and it’s always positive.

“I know they’re thrilled when a story runs in my paper or online, because that’s a success in the eyes of a client, and their boss,” he says. “Even better — I tell them I am going to share their pitch as an example for my class, and I do. They’re flattered, and I’m like a proud parent showing off the work of my kids!”

Trela has received several notes from former students,

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Pitches that got press Nothing beats seeing your client in print. For Trela’s former students, proof of their PR skills comes in the validation of being published.

A pitch from Jennifer Main (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’15) resulted in front page coverage, and an article in print and on the web for the Crystal Cove Alliance. Trela’s assessment: “Jennifer told me they’d send post-gala info to me for the Crystal Cove Alliance annual gala.

The drop box link she sent included photos, photo IDs, photo credit.

We used one photo on the front page as a teaser, one with the article, and more for the website version. She did everything we talked about in my class — good subject line, drop box link, info in the body of an email.”

Pros who share their expertise Among the guest speakers to Trela's class who share their expertise with students are: Jennifer Morris, Ajenda PR (a boutique agency specializing in restaurant clients) discusses pitching, media events, etc. Her assistant is a former Chapman student, and she uses Chapman interns.

Carrie Williams, Devon Hillard and Rubina Jaffer, Kitchen Table PR (a boutique agency that specializes in business, retail and real estate clients including Pacific City, SOCO Collection and The OC Mix, Burnham-Ward properties) talk about interviewing tips, pitching tips, and working with social media influencers. Devon graduated from Chapman last year.

Robin Wachner, director of PR for the OC Fair and event center, discusses how to coordinate TV shoots, creating and hosting media events, etc.

Vanessa Showalter, a PR consultant who works within the business-tobusiness and non-profit industries, is also an expert on crisis PR, which is what she presents in class.

Katie Coates APR, past president of the OC chapter of PRSA, covers crisis communications, government PR and working with the media.

Greer Wylder: Lifestyle writer, of Greer’s OC newsletter and website, a daily newsletter and an OC journalist for 20+ years, talks about working with bloggers and online media.

From the OC Press Club: panels of local journalists from the OC Register, OC Family, Daily Pilot, etc. talk about how they work with PR people.

From the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach Visitors Bureaus: representatives talk about working with out of town/foreign media who they bring in to write about their cities for travel or lifestyle publications.

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TEACHING THE ART OF

EDITING

BY JANELL SHEARER

An oft repeated aphorism says that a film is written three times: first by the screenwriter, then by the director and finally by the editor. ertainly the screenwriter lays the foundation, although the film may bear little resemblance to the final script. The director, who interprets the screenplay, may have a different vision or be limited by the budget, by the actors’ performances or by any other of a million other obstacles or exigencies.

And finally comes the editor, who shapes and interprets the material, hoping to create or preserve, as needed, a coherent and compelling story.

C

In handling material created by others, the editor is often caught in the cross-fire of conflicting opinions. Thus he or she has to be a “sly politician,” says Professor Scott Arundale (The Wash, Hairspray, Rambo III, Punch Line), quoting director

Alexander Payne (Nebraska).

“An editor has many bosses,” Arundale says. “His first priority is to the story and keeping to the director’s vision.

But he or she must also answer to the producer or the studio or the network or to the person writing the paycheck.”

When things go south and arguments or differences of opinion create a stalemate, the editor can be caught in the middle. “To avoid ‘shooting the messenger,’”

Professor Paul Seydor reviews a cut with one of his students.

Arundale advises, the editor “must always maintain a ‘can-do’ attitude, even in the face of adversity.”

Fixing technical, coverage or performance problems demands that an editor be a problem solver, Arundale says, as well as a passionate observer of human nature.

Professor Paul Seydor (White Men Can’t Jump, Tim Cup, Turner and Hooch, Guess Who) looks for “a real sensitivity toward evaluating performance

and narrative as they express drama and story.”

To help students understand whether story is an interest that drives them, Seydor asks them questions: “’What’s the last novel you read? When’s the last time you went to the Music Center to see a play or hear a concert? How much music do you listen to?’

In other words, are drama, storytelling, etc. pursuits that are important enough in your life that they are also part of your recreation as well as the work you’d like to do?”

For those who answer yes, there are other expectations: good communication skills, technical skills, enormous patience and an appreciation for the finest details. Although students often think, mistakenly, that editors are “not expected to be outspoken” or are rarely asked for an

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second year and editing thesis films in the third year.

Seydor begins in the fundamentals class by giving students four scenes to cut — and no instructions. “I want to see what they do on their own,” he says. Then he reviews the cuts, “discussing the implications of their decisions, correcting the many outright mistakes, and then telling them how I would like the scene to be edited,” thus giving students the experience of working to meet a director’s goals.

Finally, they move into fine

Professor Scott Arundale insists that students also complete basic sound work on their cuts.

opinion, Arundale points out that the successful editor must have a point-of-view and not be a “shrinking violet.”

example about context, the needs of story, performance, narrative, and the like.

“The editor “must always maintain a ‘can-do’ attitude, even in the face of adversity.”

PROFESSOR SCOTT ARUNDALE

To prepare students to work as editors, Seydor and Arundale provide a wide variety of exercises and on and off set experiences—from writing script coverage to supervising continuity to data wrangling — to help them understand the entire filmmaking process and develop a strong sense of story. Yet teaching where and when to cut is as much about practice as about having clear rules about what works and why.

“The same holds with the various editing decisions: I discuss at great length the implications of choosing a close-up versus an over-theshoulder versus a cowboy shot (a ¾ shot) or a full-shot.

Why you go to the master, when you don’t, when you stay in and when you drop back. Again, these are very difficult to generalize about, so you simply take them on a case-by-case basis.”

“It’s very difficult if not impossible to generalize about where to cut and why,” says Seydor, “so I show them on a case-by-case, cut-by-cut basis so that they learn by

To gain experience in making creative decisions, students begin editing short scenes and eventually move to an entire movie, working on mid-level projects in the

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cutting, handling such tasks as removing lines.

Students are also required to do basic tracking, effects and music work so that the director, the producer, and the studio can watch a cut as if were a finished film.

To do anything less is to fail to communicate the editor’s vision for the work. Sound, Arundale and Seydor agree, is critical to selling an edit, yet students often believe that sound editors or others will handle that portion of the work after the editor is done.

“Many student editors take sound for granted and yet it is crucial to telling the story,” says Arundale. “I like to show

them how to appreciate pace and rhythm in the flow of dialogue and how that is reflected in the pace of cutting.”

The same lessons are reinforced by film analysis and by regular practice.

Seydor asks students to “bring in examples of editing from films that they think have really good editing and explain why.”

Arundale asks his students to cut at least one scene a week, to get them “battle ready” for both their final projects and the job market.

Clearly, the practice and mentoring Dodge College editing students get pays off. Seydor reports almost 100% employment among editing grads.

When an editing friend recently asked Seydor for crew for his film, Seydor put the word out to as many students as he could.

“And they all turned him down — because they were all working already!

And he’s an editor with a seriously high reputation,” he adds.

Both professors add that they have been repeatedly told by members of the American Cinema Editors (ACE), the preeminent editors guild, that Chapman editors are “consistently the best prepared students out of film school that they come across.” Or as Seydor puts it “We must be doing something right.”

ALUMNI EDITORS:

Where are they now?

Robin August (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’10) is working with editor Regis Kimble, who is set to work on writer Noah Hawley’s (Fargo) new series Legion this spring.

Nicole Brik (MFA/Film Production, Editing ‘11) is editing a new series Berlin Station for EPIX and will receive her fist editing credit on that. She recently wrapped the 2nd season of The Leftovers for HBO. Tim Brinker (MFA/Film Production, Editing ‘07) is currently editing on the series Grimm.

Dylan Highsmith (BFA/Film Production ’08) is working on Star Trek Beyond, directed by Justin Lin. Mike Patterson (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’11) is working on The Blacklist for NBC. Maureen Ross (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’14) is finishing up assisting on a feature at Sony, Miracles From Heaven, due for a spring release.

Rockie (Rachel) Stephens (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’12) was an assistant editor on Code Black for CBS.

From Professor Paul Seydor: Literally anything by Peckinpah but principally The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, Junior Bonner, The Getaway, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.

From Hitchcock Vertigo, Notorious, Psycho, and To Catch a Thief

Wendy Tzeng (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’13) assisted Professor Paul Seydor on the feature, The Young Messiah, (Focus Features and 1492) released this spring.

Virtually anything that John Bloom has edited, but most importantly Betrayal ▲

Arica Westadt (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’12) is a senior video editor at Fandango Movieclips.

Films every editor should watch:

Career highlights so far Arica Westadt: I was given the opportunity to make a short film I wrote in Europe. We had a very small crew and I had to wear many hats (writer/director/ producer), but it was the most incredible experience. ▲

Robin August: I had the pleasure of working on The Comedians for Ben Wexler. It was a joy to see Billy Crystal, Josh Gad, and Larry Charles around the edit bays. Working for Noah Hawley on Fargo was another highlight. He is incredibly smart, and thinks about his craft deeply. Finally, getting to join the Ryan Murphy team on American Horror Story: Hotel and seeing how his world works was another fantastic insight into the industry.

Dylan Highsmith: The test screenings for the Fast films were always a lot of fun.

When you’ve been buried in the footage for so long, it’s refreshing to see the film with an audience. The energy in those screenings is crazy and you always learn something you weren’t expecting. As for my current project, getting to work with Justin Lin again on Star Trek, a franchise that’s been around 50 years (and I grew

Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver Twist, and Dr. Zhivago (Lean began as film editor) Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai From Professor Scott Arundale: Run Lola Run (1988) dir.

Tom Tykwer Chinatown (1974) dir.

Roman Polanski Apocalypse Now (1975) dir.

Francis Ford Coppola Requiem for a Dream (2000) dir.

Darren Aronofsky Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) dir. James Cameron Whiplash (2014) dir.

Damien Chazelle

19 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

A reader’s comment on Amazon: A must-read for anyone who wants to comprehend the battle that American artists wage for selfexpression, or the group inspiration generated by a collaborative art at its best, or simply how a film professional approaches the reading of a script. A one-of-a-kind experience.

Scott Arundale with Chapman alum Tashi Trieu (BFA/FP ’10): Modern Post: Workflows and Techniques for Digital Filmmakers A reader’s comment on Amazon: We’re beyond the days where filmmakers can fall back on the weathered phrase “fix it in post” to save their movies. This text makes it clear that in the brave new world of digital filmmaking making great films begins by understanding the data pipeline before the camera begins rolling. I can’t recommend a work any higher.

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Mike Patterson: The most exciting aspect of my career so far was editing a scene with Tony Shaloub on this season of The Blacklist that remained untouched from my first version and became a personal favorite of our executive producer, John Eisendrath.

Advice to future editors Learn as much about the entire filmmaking process as you can while you’re in school.

Robin August: Learning the Avid workflow at Chapman was a huge benefit to my career. Learning how the media gets communicated from camera origin to the off-line edit, to sound, on-line and color, through final deliverables helped prepare me for my daily responsibilities.

Having that foundation enabled me to communicate with fellow professionals right out of the gate.

My secondary key responsibilities are sound design, VFX work, temping music, and cutting scenes and recaps for my editor. Here is where my course work became so valuable. I took several sound design classes, a course on making documentaries, a class on recaps, and finally the editing courses where we learned to think critically, and which serves me in my daily conversations with my editor.

Work on set. Learn at least the basic responsibilities of your fellow creatives. I worked as a script supervisor, a sound mixer, boom-op, art director, camera assist. They will give you an appreciation for all that goes into creating a film or television show.

Dylan Highsmith: Starting my freshman year I tried to cut as many projects as I could. That’s really the best way to prepare. As for classroom advice, I remember my editing professor telling me that your first cut shouldn’t try to make something that wasn’t intended. Even if you feel something isn’t working, cut it as close to the script as possible so the director can see what they have. Your second cut you can try things, but it’s always important to make your first pass as close to what the director’s vision is and work from there. ▲

Paul Seydor: The Authentic Death and Contentious Afterlife of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: The Untold Story of Peckinpah’s Last Western

▲

Editors as authors

up watching) — being in the editing room with iconic characters like Kirk and Spock and Bones on your screen is pretty incredible.

Getting to go on location with a film is generally an added perk — but being on location and standing on the bridge of the Enterprise — it’s tough to beat that.

▲

Maureen Ross: The most valuable experience was how we worked on our short films with the other disciplines. You learned how to work with the director, producers and the sound team. Your professors also played the role of studio executives.

The creative process we went through with each stage of the process is similar to what a feature film goes through.

I can especially appreciate how Paul Seydor ran his class to mimic the preview process. For features it works the same way: after you screen the film, the filmmakers and studio executives sit at the back and don’t say anything while a selection of the preview audience discusses what they did and did not like about the film with a focus group leader. I think it’s very important to learn this process early because in features, the numbers, or grade, your film gets in a preview will dictate how the rest of your post time will be spent.

Discover how you work best.

Cut for the director.

Dylan Highsmith: There’s usually two type of editors. Those who try to get every cut perfect before moving on — and those who lay things out as roughly as possible and then go back and refine. Find out which one you are. I’m definitely the latter.

It’s important to put together a first cut as close to the director’s intention as possible — not necessarily as it was intended in the script, but as it was intended on the day it was shot. The director made conscious choices for each setup and take — I’ll always read through all the script notes, watch the dailies and keep note of when in the scene the camera moves, trying to see how the director was intending for it to cut together on the day.

That’s always my starting point. Any ideas for different ways to play a scene that I get while I’m cutting I’ll try — and then file away as alternate cuts.

Understand the career path for editors.

Do internships and leverage your Chapman connections.

Maureen Ross: The biggest challenge for editing students is realizing that you won’t be able to edit a feature for a long time. Granted, you can become an editor much faster in the independent or TV track, but in the studio feature world, you are looking at least seven years of assisting, if not more, before you step into the editor’s role. Of course there are always exceptions, but be prepared to assist for a number of years.

Maureen Ross: The best thing I did for my career was getting an internship. In my thesis year at Chapman I interned at Sony in the post-production department for features in the fall, and the post-production department for television in the spring. My internships gave me great experience and I learned a lot about how the studio side works, but the most important thing it did was give me great contacts.

You will also start as a post-production assistant, which is the only non-union position on an editorial crew and does not allow you to use Avid. This is a big adjustment after being the editor on your short films and thesis. But it’s a really great position to learn how a cutting room works and ultimately, your goal is to find an editorial crew who likes you and continues to hire you for their next projects.

Nicole Brik: I would highly encourage participating in the A.C.E. Student Editing Competition, as well as the A.C.E. internship.

▲

Practice your craft — edit as much as you can. Get in the union.

Wendy Tzeng: Be diligent and be prepared. Do your research on how to accumulate union hours and get your paperwork in order. Definitely try to keep in touch with your contacts. Sometimes it seems like luck, but if you’re prepared, an opportunity will come. And most importantly, just be nice and respectful. Love the challenge. ▲

In this industry especially, it’s all about who you know. Start building your network while you are in school. That includes your internships, teachers and classmates. You never know where that first job will come from.

21 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

I N T E RT E R M C L A S S E S

BY JEFF HEIMBUCH

Dig Into Off-beat Topics s e r a scudents?

What

st

Here what the students in Professor Finch’s class reported as their greatest fears in their fear journals: intruders being along at night, being followed rape being tortured death the love of my life dying being put on death row innocent zombies physical immobility being stuck in a large crowd flying never loving anyone romantically never being loved romantically abandonment being forgotten isolation loneliness letting people down responsibility death (without an afterlife) embarrassment being judged losing my mind helplessness loss of control failure bugs heights

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Horror on screen: what scares you?

Students in Roy Finch’s Modern Horror Workshop got a crash course in fear over interterm. Starting with the birth of modern horror, and using modern directors as examples, the class looked at films to find out what evoked the sensations of fear and dread in an audience. “Why do audiences gain pleasure from un-pleasurable emotions?” Finch asked his students.

To help them understand how to create tension on the screen, Finch showcased techniques, such as tilted angles and sound design, used by various horror filmmakers. Following their study of the work of horror masters, students each presented a film of their choice to explore the use and effect of horror tropes in filmmaking.

To chart their own reactions to scary material, each student also kept a daily fear journal, to learn more about their darkest fears, exploring the nature of fear itself, and ways in which it can be utilized in storytelling. Finally, they also created short horror films, showing a practical application of the horror tropes they learned, using them to create tension in short sequences.

Bringing the creativity of improv to the screen Usually, making things up on the spot isn’t the best idea when it comes to filmmaking.

However, students were able to explore the possibility of creative brainstorming on the spot in the Improv Filmmaking class, taught by Mary Beth Fielder.

The students used improvisation to deepen the rehearsal process, develop script ideas, and to create films on the spot by creating a scene-by-scene outline and allowing actors to improvise while the cameras rolled.

“It’s a great way to help actors break out of a pre-conceived performance and jump into the unpredictable nature of moment-to-moment life,” says Fielder. “Improvisation provides an intuitive, experiential way of developing characters and stories.”

After acting, shooting, and coaching each other in improvised scenes, the students completed a group project based on a story idea which had a role for everyone in the class. They then turned the story into an outline of the basic set-up and action. Using the film school as their location, they shot in chronological order, shooting one take for each scene. Fielder wanted to help students let go of their inhibitions, and to allow themselves to be vulnerable. “I wanted them to trust their creative instincts,” she says, “and learn techniques for shooting improvised films while producing compelling work.”

Exploring Disney, Taking on the challenges of in

filming the wild

Sally Rubin’s documentary production course covered techniques and methods for producing and editing environmental and wildlife films. However, instead of just sitting around learning about it in the classroom, Rubin took her students into the field, allowing them to produce their own material to explore the challenges of capturing real life in nature.

Most of their weekends were spent around locations in Southern California including Joshua Tree National Park, to give students hands-on opportunities in wildlife documentary filmmaking.

“I want my students to learn how to construct documentary film in these genres, especially emphasizing the many challenges, such as weather and changes in an animal’s behavior, that may come up in the field and how to overcome them.”

Each group of students completed two films. The first was a short portrait film of their group using no voices and no faces that represented an accurate portrayal of everyone in the group. This helped the students learn how to create a story without words using the environment around them, much like when filming wildlife. The second was a seven-minute documentary filmed at Joshua Tree, which they filmed over a three-day camping trip. The topics ranged from the story of the endangered California desert tortoise to a portrait of an environmental activist working to preserve the desert to the story of a desert refuge where visitors can find peace in the natural world.

from animation to empire Although everyone knows the Disney brand, there is still a mountain of misinformation, urban myths, and mysteries surrounding the company’s history, development, and operations. Dawn Fratini’s Disney: From Animation to Empire class explored the company’s evolution from a small animation studio to a global entertainment empire.

“The Disney Company, as a topic, is rich and complex: it involves Hollywood history, television history, gender and cultural studies, fan culture, media industries studies, and travel and leisure studies,” says Fratini. Using the historic “backbone” of the company’s legacy, the class looked at how the company affected America’s history using a variety of media studies methodologies.

One surprising bit of history was the story of how an animation strike led Disney to get involved in the Good Neighbor Program, created to help stem the rising tide of Nazism in South America.

“The mere act of Walt (and company) visiting some countries in South America pushed the Nazi agenda to the side, because people were so excited to have Walt in their country,” says Fratini.

“The class was consistently full of surprises for me and for the students,” continues Fratini. “Not only did we learn new facts, but, covering such a broad range of Disney history within the context of American history, really vividly illustrated cultural and economic trends in ways not always expected.”

23 On location in Joshua Tree National Park.

A STORYTELLER BOUND BY NO MEDIUM

Don Hahn

BY BRIAN HAMILTON

Photo by Nicholas Bradford

Don Hahn and documentary filmmaker Mike Carroll.

T’S EVENING, AND SEVERAL STUDENTS FROM BILL KROYER’S DIGITAL ARTS INDUSTRY INSIDERS CLASS ARE SITTING AROUND A LARGE TABLE IN THE FASHIONABLE WOMEN OF CHAPMAN ROTUNDA BOARDROOM, HAVING DINNER WITH PRODUCER/DIRECTOR DON HAHN, ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE FOR SPRING SEMESTER.

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“Not only is he successful, but he’s able to communicate it in an articulate and engaging way. It’s an incredible opportunity to expose students to a top professional like that.”

“

Don Hahn imparts his expertise during weekly dinners with students and Pankey Scholars.

“I don’t know where I see myself in five years,” says Joshua Scheurer (BS/Business Administration, ’17) when asked about his plans for the future. “I’ve thought about doing my own startup or getting involved in a startup. I really love the entertainment industry and think it would be great to be a producer or

position, retirement, or promotions. It’s driven by a desire to tell stories and to have a personal impact on the world.”

”

And Hahn should know. Starting out as an assistant director on Pete’s Dragon, he produced many of Disney’s most celebrated animated films: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Nightmare

Not only is he successful, but he’s able to communicate it in an articulate and engaging way. It’s an incredible opportunity to expose students to a top professional like that.” – PROFESSOR BILL KROYER

director. But to be honest, I don’t really know what I want to do.”

“When I was your age, I had a major in undecided,” Hahn responds. “I couldn’t stand the idea of having to focus on one thing. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me, but working with animators like Ward Kimball (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), who was in a band and built a steam engine in his backyard, I realized you don’t have to narrow your range.

The life of an artist is not defined by

Before Christmas, and The Emperor’s New Groove. In 2009, he directed and produced Waking Sleeping Beauty, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the renaissance in Disney animation during the 80s and 90s. In addition, Hahn has produced several live action films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Maleficent and the upcoming adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

In addition to screening his films and talking with students about his experiences, Hahn is helping this semester’s Pankey scholars to develop their own films. One of these students is Hannah Bradford (MFA/Documentary Filmmaking ’17). Bradford is doing a personal documentary about her mother, who committed suicide last May. She is hoping to use animation to convey her recollections about the experience in a way that’s visually compelling.

“When I talked with Don about my idea, one of the first things he told me was not to focus on the animation. Instead, he said focus on the story. Later on, I can learn how to make it move.”

In addition to her experience working with Hahn, Bradford recalls watching Hahn’s film High Ground, a documentary about a team of veterans who hike the Himalayas in an effort to overcome their PTSD, and how it inspired her.

“Since I saw that film, I’ve been playing with the idea of hiking the Grand Canyon. It’s something I could say I did for my mom and it’s something I want to do personally. I think doing it for my film will help tie the story together and give it a good meaning as well.”

“It’s great to see them light up and see the possibilities,” says Hahn about the Pankey scholars. “They have really clever ideas, but often get distracted by the cool features of the movie and edit themselves unnecessarily. They forget that the only reason we go to the movies is to be entertained by a great story and to be reminded of what it means to be human. It’s fun to remind them of that.”

“It’s unusual to find a producer who is successful in all these areas,” says Professor Bill Kroyer (Fern Gully).

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FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

INTERTERM

BY MEAGAN O’SHEA

TRAVEL COURSES

T

he importance of storytelling in transmitting culture was a key lesson for students in Professor Terasaki’s Outside HollywoodHawaii class. They visited cultural and political points of interest including the Bishop Museum and the Waipahu Sugar Plantation on the island of Oahu and the set of HawaiI Five-O, where they met with the show’s co-executive producer, the principal director and a 1st AD along with Donne Dawson, Hawaii’s state film commissioner.

Exploring how storytelling shapes culture in

Hawaii

Additional stops included the Kulaloa Ranch film backlot where scenes from Jurassic Park and Oliver Stones’ upcoming feature Snowden were filmed.

“From Donne Dawson, we gained a lot of insight into the film industry and how tax credit initiatives work,” says Pauline Yang (BA/Public Administration & BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’16). “Together, these two factors have helped generate $37 billion for Hawaii’s economy in the past 10 years. In fact, entertainment is right behind military and tourism, generating $250 million in direct dollars spent!”

The film commissioner also shared her sense of responsibility to her culture and to her community.

Yang notes that the film commissioner faces real challenges “when outside filmmakers come with a sense of entitlement to the resources and locations or simply don’t do their research about Hawaii’s culture,” when they “don’t respect the locals and the sacred lands and locations throughout the islands.”

“Much of the culture in Hawaii is told by stories of the land,” says Claudia Marino (BFA/Creative Producing, ’17). “As a storyteller, it was great to be reminded that some of the most powerful and meaningful stories are right in front of us. We just have to be open and willing to learn about the environment that we are exploring.”

From left: Kelly Russ (BFA/News & Doc’18) and Sydney Paley (BA/Film Studies'17) on the backlot of Kulaloa Ranch.

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New York Monica Petruzzelli (BFA/ News & Documentary'16)

Jon Ryder (BFA/Television Writing & Production’18) lives out his dream as a techincal director.

Reaffirming a passion for news in

N

ow in its fifth year, Professor Pete Weitzner’s Networking in New York and D.C. course connects students interested in a broadcast journalism/producing-forthe-news career with toplevel alums working for all the major networks. This year’s excursion saw the addition of four new experiences: The Wendy Williams Show, The Nightly Show, ESPN, and a tour of the White House. “Three-quarters of the networks have a Chapman connection,” says Weitzner. “There are many reasons to get discouraged in this business so this is a way to show students this can happen and these connections are closer than you think.”

Sophomore Jon Ryder (BFA/Television Writing &

Production ’18) is a testament to that connection. While touring The Wendy Williams Show in New York City, Ryder was introduced to freelance technical director alumnus Scotty Anderson (BFA/FTV/FP ’02), whose credits include The Colbert Report and NBC Olympics.

Ryder, who aspires to become a technical director because he craves the pressure and adrenaline that lies behind the scenes in TV, was invited to join Anderson on the set of Fox & Friends. There, he was able to take on the technical direction of The After the Show Show segment.

“That experience confirmed my passion for this industry, and that I know what I’m doing and that this is what I want to be doing,” says Ryder.

Monica Petruzzelli (BFA/ News & Documentary’16) agrees. “This trip left me feeling inspired and ready to kickstart my career,” she says.

So does Catie Kovelman (BFA/Creative Producing ’19).

“Networking in New York was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” she says. “As a freshman in Dodge, it really confirmed my love for media and that I’m studying the

right thing! Seeing everything from CNN and ESPN made me really excited for the future and gave me a renewed passion to learn about the industry.”

“The class taught us so much about the field that we love so much, and could easily lead to future employment opportunities,” adds Madison Bader (BFA/Television & Broadcast Journalism’16).

On the set of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.

27 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Celebrating diversity and alternative media at

Sundance T Hailey Millar with director/actor John Krasinski.

wo groups of students traveled to the renowned Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where they drew inspiration from exclusive film screenings, learned from panel presentations, and mingled with filmmakers and alumni alike at the Dodge College reception hosted at the Riverhorse restaurant on Main Street.

“Along with seeing some incredible films, I was able to attend a panel with John Krasinski who discussed his new films, The Hollars and 13 Hours,” says Hailey Millar (BFA/News & Documentary ’17). “He led the discussion with Thomas Middleditch (actor/writer) and I learned what it takes to go from having no connections in the industry to being as successful as Krasinski.”

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From left: Jeff Dolen (BFA/Film Prod.’04) and Charles Box (MFA/Film and TV Prod.'09).

Getting into the spirit at Sundance, from left: JJ Gavillet (BFA/Film Production'16), Alex Yonks (BFA/Film Production'16), Jennifer Finkel (BA/Screenwriting'16) and Kayla Moe (BA/Public Relations & Advertising'16).

For Jonathan Mackris (BA/Film Studies ’17), the biggest surprise was the enormous presence of alternative media.

“Going into the festival, I never would have anticipated that virtual reality would become my favorite activity, yet it most certainly was,” he says.

A sense of inclusion was most important to Caitlin Manocchio (BA/Film Studies ’16). “I think the festival promotes minorities of all walks of life as well as individuals from different sexualities, ethnicities,

races, religions, disabilities, and genders,” she says.

“I think that the festival wants to give filmmakers who could be easily judged unfairly because of their differences a chance to share their vision and hopefully change the way in which viewers watch films by or about minority groups.”

At other festivals, Manocchio was often frustrated by the lack of representation and thus she was thrilled to find that over 40% of the films at Sundance were directed by women.

From left: Sorrel Geddes (BA/Public Relations & Advertising'05), Ariana Victor (BFA/Film Prod.'17), Gary Lisenbee, Mary Lisenbee, Jason Lisenbee (BFA/Creat. Prod.'16), JJ Gavillet (BFA/Film Prod.'16), and Jacob Braunstein (BFA/Creat. Prod.'16).

A

cross the pond, Professor Dave Kost’s students explored the history of filmmaking in London and Paris. Stops in the United Kingdom included the Harry Potter Film Tour, St. Bartholomew Church, Notting Hill, the Tower of London, Air Studios, and the BBC. In France, the students toured the Louvre, took in the Eiffel Tower, marveled at the gargoyles at Notre Dame, and discovered inspiration at the gravesite of Oscar Wilde at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. But it wasn’t all about seeing the sights. Students experienced London and Paris’ current roles as filmmaking hubs by meeting with agents, producers, and studio executives, including Carlo Dusi, head of business affairs at Scott Free London (Ridley Scott’s company), and his associates

Nick Eagleston (BFA/Film Production'17) and Annalise Tahran (BFA/TV Writing & Production'16) take a turn behind the news desk during a tour of the of BBC’s legendary Broadcasting House in central London.

Discovering difference and history in

Paris AND London Nick Eagleston (BFA/Film Production ’17) agrees. “It was surprising to hear how differently things are really run (in Europe) compared to in LA. I can’t say which I like better. On one hand, the Brits seem to have greater connection to their writers, more creative knowledge in their producers. However, they also simply don’t have as large as an industry as we do and it seems to hurt their budgets and decrease their chances in a global market.”

At the British Film Institute, students met with Londonbased agent/producers Sandy Lieberwson and Steven Kenis who have represented artists such as Julie Andrews, Peter Sellars, and Peter O’Toole.

who recently finished production on the TV show Taboo, starring Tom Hardy, set to premiere later this year.

“It was truly a wonderful experience seeing the differences between how we and other countries work,” says Meaghan O’Rourke (BFA/Film Production ’17).

While touring BBC News, Nate Friend (BA/Screenwriting ’18) was moved most by a touch of history, listening to a radio news report broadcast during World War II, when the Germans were bombing London. “A reporter was speaking when he heard a bomb slam into the BBC building. Then, after a pause, the reporter carried on reporting the news without so much as a waiver in his voice. Truly powerful stuff.”

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FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

LOOK AROUND, ANY DIRECTION:

e g e l s l e o C m o ge c d o o e vid to D

Learn more about VEGO and their 360 video services at http://vego360.com.

30

BY JEFF HEIMBUCH

T

he digital landscape is ever-changing, and as new technologies emerge, so do new ways to view them. One of the most popular these days is 360 video, an immersive platform that is a stepping stone to true virtual reality content. 360 video allows the viewer to control where to look in an environment using a browser or a smart phone, or simple add-ons like Google Cardboard and a pair of headphones. In fact, films such as Star Wars and Insidious are using 360 video as a way to promote audience engagement by getting viewers into the action in their worlds.

However, 360 video isn’t just meant for Hollywood. Four enterprising Dodge College students have embraced it and created a business to provide digital content that provides immersive promotional videos to universities such as Chapman.

Sho Schrock (BFA/Creative Producing’19) is one of the minds behind VEGO. Schrock and friends all had an interest in virtual reality. Sam Wickert (BFA/Digital Arts ’19) was the only one that had some experience in that area, having worked with 360 video before on his YouTube Channel, So Krispy Media.

Along with Daniel Price (BA/Screenwriting ’19) and Shiv Rajagopal (BA/Film Studies ’19), they came up with the idea that it could be used for non-narrative content, and decided to go into business together.

Shooting 360 video is no easy task; the team uses a custom rig that houses six 4K GoPros operating simultaneously. The synced footage is then stitched together to create an equirectangular image (a flat image) which can be viewed in 360° with a video player that supports it. The rig itself was designed and 3D printed by the team, using inspiration from existing models, and modified to suit their needs.

is that if the rig is not working out, we can always go back and modify it,” says Schrock. “We are currently using our second rig model, and are working on designing our third.”

Since 360 video is still a new platform, the team had to create rules for themselves.

“We have to be aware of framing, height, location, and subject distance from the camera in order to ensure that the video stitches correctly,” says Schrock. “We have to make sure there is enough motion and that it’s in the right places to motivate the viewer to look around.”

The VEGO team has already created a 360 video of the Digital Media Arts Center, which can be viewed on the Dodge College YouTube channel, giving prospective students who can’t make the trip to Chapman a unique look at what Dodge College has to offer.

“As content creators, narrative 360 video is very new and exciting. We would love to see what new forms of entertainment can come from it,” Schrock says. “As a company, however, we believe that 360 video can be used to showcase a wide variety of subjects including campus tours, real estate, and businesses, in a new light.”

While Schrock and his team don’t expect 360 video to replace traditional film or television any time soon, they do believe we will be seeing more of it in the future.

“It seems to act as a gateway to virtual reality for the general content consumer,” he says. “Major studios are already producing content for VR and companies such as Facebook, Samsung, and Apple have already invested in the technology. It is likely that we'll be seeing more high budget stand-alone content soon.”

Team VEGO (from left): Shiv Rajagopal (BA/Film Studies '19), Sam Wickert (BFA/ Digital Arts '19), Daniel Price (BA/ Screenwriting '19), Sho Schrock (BFA/ Creative Producing '19).

“The benefit of using 3D printed rigs over purchasing commercial rigs 31 FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Reflections

BY JANELL SHEARER

on How We Create Meaning in Our Lives

I

lost a friend just after Christmas with the passing of my colleague Cory O’Connor.

Having been a part of a number of efforts to recognize his contributions to Chapman and to his students, I had many opportunities to listen to people he affected, to think about our own interactions, and to try to understand a very complex human being who was, in many ways, very different from myself. In the end, of course, that activity defines what we all do on a daily basis, whether we are conscious of it or not — we try to understand each other and find the value in the other and in our relationships, no matter how different or mystifying the other might be.

will remember with a smile, but even when he seemed to launch onto a wild tangent, there was no denying that passion drove his train of thought.

He set high standards for his students — high standards that reached down to the tiniest details, such as how he insisted on page numbers on every assignment, standards that helped prepare them for the world of work.

He gave very specific instructions for assignments, demanding effective use of color and images, pushing them to understand how the look of what they presented was also part of the meaning.

trials in his personal life, and the nature and depth of both of these ongoing conversations pushed me to try to understand and appreciate someone very different from myself, yet very much the same in the fundamental human ways.

One of the earliest lessons I learned as a teacher was about using the strengths of who you are — not trying to be someone else. I remember being intimidated by legendary Chapman professor, Jim Miller, a Southern gentleman with an encyclopedic memory for his subject, history, who entertained his students with stories of what “my momma told me” and tortured them with hugely

Cory was indeed different. His students have described him as eccentric, idiosyncratic, aggravating and confounding — but then again, aren’t we all? The word that comes up in conversation after conversation, in Facebook post after Facebook post, is passionate. And that, I know, is as good a definition of the man I knew as any.

As a teacher, Cory was so very passionate about advertising, Internet marketing, and a wide range of subjects, from Twitter to Disney to Nickelodeon, that he inspired his students to look again at the material he covered and to find for themselves the passion he carried for the field. He often followed those passions into obsession, as those who knew him 32

Plaque outside the classroom dedicated in Professor O’Connor’s name.

Cory and I had many arguments over the years, about teaching style, grading standards and the nature of the assignments he gave. I was also deeply embedded in conversations about some of the

detailed, lengthy exams. And I thought, “Oh, I can never be as good as he is.”

But I came to realize that I didn’t need to be like Jim Miller. I only needed to be myself.

Ashley Beall speaks at O’Connor’s memorial service.

O’Connor at Chapman

That was a lesson Cory taught, in spades — the value of authenticity.

As his students know full well, Cory’s biggest mantra was love. “There’s you and me and there’s what we can do together,” he often said, challenging his students to understand that everything from a marketing problem to success and happiness in life is built on the relationships we honor and sustain. And that is the biggest lesson Cory taught me as a teacher. That although we must challenge our students to learn how to think critically and to grapple with the material that is at the heart of our instruction, the content that we share with our students will not long be remembered nearly as long as the nature of our interactions; that how we affect others is the true measure of what we give to the world.

ALUMNI, STUDENTS, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES REMEMBER CORY O’CONNOR

Cory listened to his students for hours on end, in his office, at his home in the garage lounge he called “the Clubhouse,” over meals in Orange and Newport, on weekends, late at night, you name it. He made each student feel he or she was seen and appreciated and that he cared about their goals and their struggles. What Cory gave was his time, the greatest gift any of us can give to another, a gift made ironic by the fact that he had so little of it for himself.

Thank you Cory, for teaching us all, for realizing that we all impact others based on our own special qualities. Thank you for teaching me about you, and about me. We will miss you, my friend.

Cory O’Connor joined the Public Relations and Advertising program in 2003. A M.B.A. graduate of Harvard University, he brought a wide background in the entertainment industry, including a position with the Walt Disney Company, where he served as Senior Vice President of Synergy Programming and Communications, overseeing work in public relations, community relations, marketing, advertising, sponsorships and television programming. He also served as the chief marketing and communications officer of the American Film Institute.

At Chapman, O’Connor taught courses including Entertainment Marketing and Promotion, Principles of Advertising and Internet Communications, and served as faculty advisor to the Chapman Ad Club and its National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) teams.

He guided those teams to a #1 win in the nation in 2010, three additional spots in the national competition and rankings in the top 5 in the regional district over 10 different years in the competition.

People touched by Cory O’Connor across the decades gathered for a memorial service in the Wallace All-Faiths Chapel, Saturday, January 16. Alumna Ashley Beall (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’07) was one of the driving forces behind organizing the event. Here are a few thoughts from her remarks that day: “My favorite times were sitting in an oversized chair across from Cory in his dimly lit office. I have a feeling this was a favorite moment for a lot of his students. We would talk about class, Ad Club, NSAC, life, internships, and of course, possible career choices. It felt like a strange mix of talking to your teacher, a father figure, and some kind of weird therapy. I can still see him looking at me over the brim of his glasses, and then throwing his head back in an unexpected bellow of laughter.

“He also made me feel special. And I’m realizing, he made a lot of us feel special. He saw potential in his students and helped us see it for ourselves. He had so much faith in me that he nominated me for the Spirit of Chapman Award behind my back — and I ended up winning.

I never would have dreamed that for myself, but he believed in me.”

From left, Lani Nguyen (BA/PRA '07), Stephanie Pool (BA/PRA '07), Ashley Beall (BA/PRA '07), and Rob Harrington (BA/PRA '06) gathered to celebrate the life of Professor Cory O'Connor.

33

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

MEET THE FILM FESTIVAL COORDINATOR Navigating the crowded world of film festivals in an ongoing challenge for student filmmakers. Which festivals are worth entering? Where will my film have the best chance of acceptance? Is this festival or that one most likely to get my film the kind of attention that will help build my career? That’s when they turn to Kevin Harman, Dodge College’s new Festival and Industry Relations Specialist.

Raised in the San Diego area, Harman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Santa Barbara in Film and Media Studies and an MFA in Animation at UCLA. He has worked in many film and media-related jobs, including as a freelance animator, a media librarian, a video game designer, and a film festival coordinator and programmer at such festivals as Sundance, Telluride, and Palm Springs International. Harman also has a love of animation. Stopmotion animation, in fact. He’s done work at Robot Chicken, Moral Orel, and Zombies vs. Ninjas. And he still works on his own stop-motion projects as time permits.

At Dodge College, his goal is to help students achieve their goals. To do this, he helps students create a festival strategy to reflect their personal goals, garnering numerous festival awards.

To further educate students about the festival world and film marketing, Harman has also created an Industry Dialogues panel series for the spring semester to point students in the right direction after their films are completed. Topics include meeting festival programmers; publicity, marketing and social media; where to start (Festivals 101) and Life After Dodge: Bridging the Gap. “I’m very excited to utilize my background and experience to help students maximize their film’s potential and outreach. We’ve had a record-breaking awards season already with one Student Academy Award winner, four DGA Student Film Award winners, and two MPSE Golden Reel award nominations.

I’m looking forward to pushing our success even further and helping to raise the profile of the students and of the school.”

GABE SCHIMMEL (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’17), RIANI ASTUTI (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’18), MONICA PETRUZZELLI (BFA/TELEVISION & BROADCAST JOUNALISM ’16), AMANDA LE (BS/ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLICY ’15) ALZHEIMER’S: A LOVE STORY DOCUTAH Intl. Documentary Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Chagrin Documentary Film Festival – BEST SHORT FILM WINNER, DocuWest Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Rhode Island Intl. Film Festival – Alternative Spirit Award First Prize WINNER & Best LGBTQ Award WINNER, Laguna Film Festival – Best of Fest Short Film WINNER & Best Documentary Short Jury Award WINNER & Best Documentary Audience Award WINNER Prism

GERRY VAZQUEZ (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’16) PRISM 63rd MPSE Golden Reel Awards – NOMINEE; 52nd Cinema Audio Society Awards Student Recognition – NOMINEE JACKIE! ZHOU (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) HUM Hum

JENNA KIRSHON (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) NOTE FOR NOTE Arlington Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, San Pedro Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Sedona Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, San Jose Intl. Short Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION Note for Note

34

63rd MPSE Golden Reel Awards – NOMINEE

JON MILANO (MFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) STRAW DOLLS Los Angeles Greek Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Hoboken Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Ridgewood Guild Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, ARPA Film Festival – Best Short Film NOMINEE, San Pedro Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION Straw Dolls

KEEGAN MULLIN (BFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) THE LAST WORDS 21st DGA Student Film Awards – Best Latino Student Filmmakers, West Region – Award WINNER; Sedona Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION; Austin Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION; San Luis Obispo Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION; Omaha Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION The Last Words

MARGARET ANDERSON (MFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) CASEY AND THE DEATH POOL 21st DGA Student Film Awards – Best Women Student Filmmakers, West Region – Award WINNER, Portland Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Skyline Indie Film Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION; BAFTA Aesthetica Short Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION Casey and the Death Pool

THY RIEDEL (MFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’15) LONG LOST 21st DGA Student Film Awards – Best Asian American Student Filmmakers, West Region – Jury Award WINNER TOM TELLER (MFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’16) HUM Long Lost

Melbourne International Animation Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, BendFilm Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, San Pedro Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Oxford Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Bahamas Intl.

Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Sedona International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, LA Shorts Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Arlington Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Hum

WESTIN RAY (BFA/TELEVISION & BROADCAST JOURNALISM ’15) THE LISTENING BOX 21st DGA Student Film Awards – Best Women Student Filmmakers, West Region – Jury Award WINNER; LA Femme Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

35

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS 36

The 37th Annual College Television Awards, the Emmy organization’s equivalent of the Student Academy Awards, which will take place on May 25th, has bestowed a Dodgerecord SIX nominations for the following films and categories:

Justin Alpern (MFA/Film Production ’15), Christopher Naughton (MFA/Film & TV Producing ’15), and Jon Milano’s (MFA/Film Production ’15) STRAW DOLLS for Best Drama Colin Laviola (BFA/Creative Producing ’15), JJ Englert (BFA/Creative Producing ’15), and Gabe Figueroa’s (BFA/Film Production ’15) COLD WINTER’S NIGHT for Best Children’s Program Anne Chapin (BFA/Film Studies ’16), Sky Stone (BFA/Creative Producing ’16), and Andrew Evers’ (BFA/Film Production ’16) OPERATION DIVORCE for Best Children’s Program Nicole Jordan-Webber (BFA/Film Production ’16) and Ceylan Carhoglu’s (BFA/Film Production ’16) GARDENERS OF THE FOREST for Best Documentary Skyler Stearns (BFA/Creative Producing ’15), Melissa Hauser (BFA/Creative Producing ’15), and Jackson Miller’s (BFA/Film Production ’15) GUIDE for the Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship Anthony Abaci’s (BFA/Creative Producing ’18) PLAYHOUSE OF CARDS for Best Series – Scripted

Guide

INTERN SPOTLIGHT

BY MEAGAN O'SHEA

MALLORY LEONARD B.F.A. Broadcast Journalism Senior Production Intern – Entertainment Tonight Fall 2015

Mallory Leonard B.F.A. Broadcast Journalism

Leonard has been interning since her freshman year at Chapman. Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, she took advantage of interning over her interterm breaks. In addition to Entertainment Tonight, she has interned with a boutique public relations agency, ABC4 Utah, NBC KSLUtah, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), PBS Socal, and is interning with Dateline in the spring semester.

How did you find your internship?

I found the internship with Entertainment Tonight through Professor Steve Hirsen, who used to direct episodes of the show.

I’ve taken classes with Professor Hirsen since freshmen year, so when it became time to begin my internship search I reached out to him for recommendations.

He was able to connect me with different options, like Entertainment Tonight and TMZ, and encouraged me to use his name in my outreach efforts.

For this specific internship, Professor Hirsen provided me with a contact name so I could follow up on my application materials. I believe this connection played a key part in me landing the internship.

If you know someone and show an interest they’ll give you an edge up on the competition.

Students also play a great role in the internship process. I have had friends forward my resume along for consideration, or have told me about un-posted opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard about. They’re always willing to help out.

What’s a typical day at your internship?

I started out with the rest of the interns logging tape and sorting through footage

in a room called “The Vault.” From there I was assigned to help research with an assistant to some of the producers. For example, I would be handed a list of celebrities who would be attending a specific event and then asked to find news articles and updates on each one.

People at ET are so willing to give you the opportunity to try new things and to talk to you about how they got to where they are in the industry, all I had to do was ask.

that were mostly hands on, like Chapman News, Multi-Camera Production, and courses where we learned technology like iNews and Avid, provided me with an understanding of the industry-specific tools used at my internship. For example, ET uses iNews so I already knew how to use it and find my way around which was helpful. Having a general sense of how the technology and equipment work together enabled me succeed in this internship.

What was the highlight of the internship for you?

What advice would you offer students looking for internships in the industry?

One of my favorite aspects of the internship was the opportunity to get to know everyone in the office and going out to different shoots. For example, I was helping one of the producers conduct research on the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the press junket and was able to attend.

I got to sit in the room while they interviewed Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, J.J. Abrams and all the new stars in the cast. It was a great moment for me.

What courses or skills that you learned at Dodge College were most helpful in your internship?

Be persistent. When I started looking for internships I would think of shows that I liked, Google them, then visit their hiring page to see if they had an application process. I made lists that incorporated all the details such as application materials required, deadlines, contact info, etc.

I would ask my professors if they had any contacts at those shows that I could approach. Once you get your initial application in and you have a contact name, follow up, even if you haven’t heard back. Keep putting your name out there so it’s at the top of their inbox.

All the upper division classes for my major

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DODGE COLLEGE 1

Michael Aronson (MFA/Film Production ’11) is completing postproduction on his short film, Nutcracker.

Rahul Bansal (BFA/Creative Producing ’15) is working as a floater at Anonymous Content.

Alan Baxter (BFA/Film Production ’02) was awarded second place in the Slamdance Screenwriting and Teleplay Competition 2015 for his screenplay, Escape/Artist. He is represented by The Muraviov Company and Kaplan Stahler Agency.

Mike Bernstein (BFA/Film Production ’06) was hired as a film director at Saturday Night Live to create digital shorts.

Jason Brescia (BFA/Film Production ’09) wrote and directed, Bridge and Tunnel, which was released on iTunes, Amazon, and other VOD services. The film’s cinematographer was Trevor Wineman (BFA/Film Production ’11) and it was edited

by Alex Oppenheimer (BFA/Film Production ’08).

2

Hayden Boal (BFA/Television Broadcast & Journalism ’13) is the director of development at Critical Content, formerly named Relativity TV. 3 Ian Dalesky (BFA/Film Production ’11) was hired as a producer’s assistant on Hawaii Five-O in Los Angeles after three seasons as a production assistant in Hawaii.

Patrick Dawn (BFA/Film Production ’11) worked on Hawaii Five-0 as a production assistant and is currently assistant directing.

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ALUMNI NO

Aubrey Davis (BFA/Creative Producing ’13) is working in television development and production at Lord Miller Production Company (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, The Last Man on Earth).

Matt Dekneef (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’09) is working as the digital media manager for Hawaii Magazine.

5

Rebecca Haber (BA/Public Relations & Advertising ’15) is an account coordinator at CBS Local Digital Media in New York City.

6

Traci Hays (BFA/Film Production ’11) directed the short film, Frederick, starring Josh Mann and James Morrison.

Sasha Demello (BFA/Film Production ’11) wrapped the Hawaii portion of Kong: Skull Island as the art department coordinator.

DJ Dodd (MFA/Film & TV Producing ’12) has several films set for upcoming release including The Shadow Within, starring Lindsay Lohan, which he co-produced; Dark, starring Alexandra Breckenridge, which he executive produced alongside Joe Dante, and Mothers and Daughters, starring Susan Sarandon, Courtney Cox, Christina Ricci, Sharon Stone, Mira Sorvino, and Selma Blair, which he executive produced.

Portia Fontes (BFA/Film Production ’06) wrapped Kong: Skull Island as the assistant location manager and was the assistant production office coordinator on the latest Zac Efron comedy, Aloha.

Kelly Galuska (BA/Screenwriting ’06) won Best Animated Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards and received a WGA nomination for her episode of BoJack Horseman, “Hank after Dark.”

Jeff Garvin (BFA/FTV/FTP ’98) recently celebrated the launch of his novel, Symptoms of Being Human.

4

Joshua Guereque (BFA/Film Production ’14) is an associate producer for Anaheim Ducks Entertainment.

2

1

3 7 Mischa Hedges (BFA/Film Production ’06) produced and directed the documentary, Of the Sea: Fisherman, Seafood & Sustainability, which was produced by his company, TrimTab Media.

Adam Herbets (BFA/Television & Broadcast Journalism ’14) received two Golden Mike Awards for his work on an investigative piece for KBAK (Bakersfield) and for excellence in photojournalism.

8 Alex Hillkurtz (BA/Communications ’90) recently storyboarded his 50th feature film. His credits

TES

11 7 4

8

an Indiegogo campaign in hopes of getting enough seed money to go into pre-production this fall.

9

Melanie Kocher (BA/Screenwriting ’15) is a page at NBC Universal.

9

Leon Langford (MFA/Screenwriting ’13) had his script, Backlash, picked up by Michael Tadross Jr. and Danny Roth.

5

10 Anna Lee Lawson (BFA/Film

10 6

Production ’02) was one of the actors and Charles J. Gibson (MFA/Film Production ’13) worked as a director of photography on The 4th which made its premiere in the NEXT category at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

11 Erin Lim (BFA/Television &

include Almost Famous, Argo and Unbroken. He also directed second unit on It’s Complicated and The Intern.

Houston Hooker (BFA/CP ’15) is working as a post-production assistant on Hawaii Five-0 in Los Angeles.

Ryan J. Kaplan (MFA/Film Production, Editing ’12), Rachel Werth (MFA/ Film Production, Directing ’12) and Beth Wickman (MFA/ Film Production, Producing ’11) completed a concept trailer for their first feature film project, titled RainBRO. They recently launched

Broadcast Journalism ’13) is one of the newest correspondents for E! News Hollywood. Prior to joining the team based in Los Angeles, she hosted for E! Asia based in Singapore.

Rachel Lim (BFA/Creative Producing ’14) previously worked in Pantheon Media as a producer and is now working with Vertigo Pictures as an assistant producer.

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ALUMNI NOTES DODGE COLLEGE 40

12 Ezra Lunel (MFA/Film Production ’13) was brought on as an adjunct faculty in the Fine & Performing Arts Division at Santa Ana College. He is teaching courses in film/television screenwriting and film history.

13 Kelley Mack (BFA/Film Production ’14) completed her second short film, The Perfect One, which she produced, acted in, and edited.

Samantha Militante (BA/Public Relations & Advertising, BFA/ Television & Broadcast Journalism ’14) is currently working as a series assistant at FX Networks.

Kaelyn Moore (BFA/Film Production ’15) is working as a talent assistant at Paradigm Talent Agency.

an award-winning content studio that develops, produces, and distributes video built for the digital age.

14 Jennifer Mueller-Robins (BFA/

16 Ty Sanga (MFA/Film Produc-

Film Production ‘06) is a set decorator and won an Emmy award for production design on Silicon Valley. She has also worked in various art departments on several productions including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Sons of Anarchy and Scandal.

tion ’09) will be directing Family Ingredients, which is the first show from Hawaii PBS to be picked up for national primetime PBS.

15 Brendan Nahmias (BFA/Television

& Broadcast Journalism ’12) is working as the Manager of Development & Producer for Original Series at Portal A,

Kevin Staniec (BFA/Film Production ’01) was listed as one of “OC’s 100 Most Influential People” by The Orange County Register. He is executive director at 1888 Center, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting literary arts in Orange County.

12

14

13

18

15 17

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Do you have a recent accomplishment you’d like to share? Email Alumni Coordinator Sorrel Geddes, sgeddes@chapman.edu, so we can share your success with the Dodge College community.

19

17 Evan Seccombe (BFA/Film Production ’09, MFA/Production Design ’11) is working as an art director at Kreate, Inc. 18 Casey Stolberg (BFA/Film Production ’15) completed a documentary for USC Keck School of Medicine highlighting multiple sclerosis within the Latino community and is preparing for his first feature film this August, an independent drama set at the Salton Sea.

19 Bruno Tatalovic (MFA/FTP ’09) completed post-production on his second feature film, Lux in Tenebris, starring Oscar nominee Eric Roberts. www.facebook.com/Lux.movie 20 Alex Theurer (BFA/FTV ’06) co-wrote and produced Sleight, which was bought by WWE Studios and Blumhouse Productions after premiering in the NEXT category at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Ariel Thomas (BFA/Creative Producing ’13) continues to work in the wardrobe department on the current season of Hawaii Five-0.

Paarth Trivedi (BFA/Creative Producing ’15) began working for Skydance Media as the executive assistant to SVP of Marketing and SVP of Corporate Communications.

21

21 Robert Watts (BFA/Film Pro-

duction ’07) and Matthew Celia (BFA/Film Production ’07) completed a virtual reality/360 video for Paramount Pictures for the home video release of Paranormal Activity 6.

22 Kc Wayland (BFA/FTV ’08) is now represented by Paradigm Talent Agency.

22 23 Nicholas Wiesnet (BFA/Film Production ’11) was nominated for best cinematography in the music video category for Hook N’ Sling “Break Yourself ” featuring The Far East Movement at the 2015 Camerimage International Film Festival.

23

Carly Yates (BFA/Television & Broadcast Journalism ’15) was hired

by Warner Brothers to do publicity and social media for the studio tours department.

Daniel Steele on set

Dan Steele Honored by Scholarship Fund-Raiser In February, some 200 people gathered for a fund-raising Super Bowl Party held in honor of Dan Steele (BFA/TBJ ’15), who died tragically last year in an accident.

Organized by his parents, Trish and Kevin Steele, the event featured silent auction baskets with tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live, NFL gear, tickets to sports events and more. The $16,000 raised at the event will go towards the Dan Steele ’15 Endowed Memorial Scholarship, which has now surpassed $68,000. Interest from the funds will be awarded to selected students with demonstrated financial need in Dan’s memory.

Following his graduation, Steele was picked up by the NFL Network, where he worked as a production assistant. The week of his death, he had just been promoted and given his own production booth, “a big deal for production assistants at the network,” says his professor, Pete Weitzner.

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Orange, CA Permit No. 58

One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866

UPCOMING EVENTS AND CLASSES: UPCOMING EVENTS

For more events, visit events.chapman.edu

For more events, visit events.chapman.edu

Community Voices Documentary Screening – December 9

Laos Travel Course Documentary Screening – December 10

SUMMER CLASSES: Community Voices Documentary Screening – Thursday, May 5, 7 p.m.

Cross Cultural Filmmaking: Mumbai, India Travel Dates: June 21-July 20

A social issue documentary film program that links Chapman University documentary film students with Orange-County based organizations. Each semester, groups of students produce short character-driven portrait films that highlight causes the partner organizations aim to serve.

This cross-cultural filmmaking travel course is designed to give students the opportunity to work collaboratively with a group of students from Whistling Woods in Mumbai on two school-sponsored short film projects, one in India and the other in Orange.

Discover Documentary: Ireland Travel Dates: June 4-16, 2016 This course emphasizes visual anthropology and ethnography by exploring other cultures and spiritual traditions through the medium of documentary.

Students will spend 12 days touring Ireland creating short documentaries profiling their experiences.

II Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival: Bologna, Italy Travel Dates: June 22-July 2, 2016 Students explore living film history through tours of the film restoration lab and cinematheque, visiting the walled city of Bologna, enjoying world famous cuisine, marveling at historic medieval architecture, and enjoying great films in contemporary theaters and at outdoor evening screenings in the charming Piazza Maggiore.

Cross Cultural Filmmaking: Seoul, South Korea Travel Dates: June 9-July 8 Commencement Ceremony – Saturday, May 21, 4 p.m.

Wilson Field Commencement featuring commencement speaker Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences

After Party – Dodge College, 5:30 p.m.

This cross-cultural filmmaking travel course is designed to give students the opportunity to work collaboratively with a group of students from the Seoul Institute of the Arts on two school-sponsored short film projects, one in South Korea and the other in Orange.