Black Bird Media Lab

Black Bird Media Lab: A New Platform for Student Cinema

AU’s major in cinema and media arts has launched a production and distribution platform known as Black Bird Media Lab.

“This is our new brand for student-driven projects focused on storytelling in film, television, and online media,” said Jack Lugar, associate professor of cinema and media arts.

Luga, who has been leading the film major since joining the Department of Communication and Design Arts faculty in 2016, spent about 12years in Hollywood as a producer and screenwriter before returning home to Indiana.

Lugar noted that the Black Bird nomenclature also is being used for the program’s film festival, which takes place every spring. It features the short films of current AU students while also putting a spotlight on an alum filmmaker. The department also sponsors a summer filmmakers camp for high school students.

David Baird, department chair, said “This represents a new chapter in the tradition of Covenant Productions. Although the Covenant brand is being phased out, we’ll build on its model, which served us so very well for 30 years.”

Lugar expressed optimism about the future of the program. “Our numbers are on the upswing, and we’re excited about the prospects for growth,” he said. “We’re probably some distance away from getting this done, but we’re trying to lay the groundwork for a new studio facility.”

Also teaching in the film sequence is longtime department member David Armstrong, who has assumed greater responsibilities on the faculty side.

Alumni who wish to learn more can email jrlugar@anderson.edu or visit blackbirdmedialab.com.