In Production Magazine Fall 2017 by Dodge College

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CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS

TAKING THE LEAP INTO TELEVISION

New M.F.A. in Television Writing & Producing prepares students to tackle the changing landscape of television

Staying Nimble, and Moving Up Nobody knows the future, but we need to prepare for it nevertheless. In an educational institution, where things sometimes move at a glacial pace, that can be tough to do. Among the many challenges of leading a film school is the need to try to predict where the film industry is headed. We need to serve students who are preparing for careers that may not yet exist. Television is changing rapidly. Platforms and distribution channels are emerging, merging or, in some cases, dying. Theater owners are worried in the age of cable-cutting. And the possibilities of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tease us with yet unimagined future uses. Dodge College of Film and Media Arts was recently ranked #6 in the nation—up from #7 over the last three years—by The Hollywood Reporter. This exceptional achievement has been made possible by the hard work of our faculty and staff, the talent of our students and alumni, and the incredible support of our industry friends. And it is also a reflection of our educational philosophy—that we need to be looking ahead and move quickly to meet the changes we see coming. The stories in this issue are a reminder of the long tradition in Dodge College of offering curricula and opportunities that will serve our students both today and tomorrow. Chief among these is our new M.F.A. in Television Writing and Producing, offering a hands-on graduate program that uniquely combines both writing and production. As more and more students want to jump into the changing landscape of television, this new program, starting fall 2018, will prepare them for that future. For many years, we have been a leader in teaching our students about “the business of the business,” not only how entertainment properties are made, but how they are marketed and produced. The story on our entertainment marketing program will show you how this focus leads our students to exciting jobs. Of course, in many ways, our students also lead us, and so what you will read here about their success in content marketing—marrying the skills of storytelling for the screen with the demands of brands—will give you a good idea of the opportunities that are out there. Finally, just to make sure our students have every possible competitive edge as they move out into the world of work, we are launching a new College to Career program, to help prepare them in the very best ways possible. Their future, and that of Dodge College, continues to emerge—and we plan to meet it head on.

what’s inside other stuff 13

News Briefs – New Minor in Virtual and Augmented Reality; Filmmaker/Documentarian Michael Apted Is the 2017 Marion Knott Distinguished Artist; Go Behind-The-Scenes At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards; Experiencing Virtual Reality; Dodge College Is a Model for Growing Film Schools Summer Travel Courses - Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom

Advertising Team Takes Home Another Win

Success with Branded Content

Career Spotlight

Festival Highlights

Alumni Notes

Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor Ricard Endlund (Star Wars, Ghostbusters) joins Dodge College as spring 2018 Pankey Distinguished Artist p. 17

features 2

Join the TV Revolution: The Changing World of Television Offers New Opportunities

Summer Film Academy from Chapman to China

Women in Focus: Views from the Director’s Chair

12 Stranger Things Have Happened: Chapman Celebrates The Duffer Brothers

21 Erin Lau 2017 Sundance Lab Fellow

On the cover: Introducing our new M.F.A. in Television Writing and Producing, starting fall 2018. Credit: Courtney Connelly

22 Program Spotlight: Entertainment Marketing: The unique marriage of show and business

29 PRA Students Produce a Commercial Success

In Production: Editor, Janell Shearer; Assistant Editor, Meagan O’Shea; Writers: Meg Greene, Kevin Harman, and Marissa Maynor

33 College to Career - Building a Life After Film School

JOIN THE TV REVOLUTION

Professor Arnie Sirlin. “Production is where art meets industry. It’s one thing to write a great script, it’s another to understand the complexities of producing it. Does the writer understand how to help production ‘make the day?’” he asks.

THE CHANGING WORLD OF TELEVISION OFFERS NEW OPPORTUNITIES BY JANELL SHEARER

Calculations (2015)

hat’s crazy about television today? Ask Matt and Ross Duffer (BFA/FP ’07). Just 10 years out of school, they find themselves sitting in rooms at awards ceremonies with Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Christopher Nolan and Alejandro Iñárritu. Named Outstanding Producers of Episodic Television: Drama for 2017, along with their partners Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Iain Paterson by the Producers Guild of America, the Duffers are emblematic of the opportunities available in television today. (Their Netflix show, Stranger Things, was also nominated for awards from the Directors Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, among others and

received 18 Emmy nominations and five wins.) So what’s crazy? The opportunities. Opportunities for young people. Creative and aesthetic opportunities. And, the practical opportunities, or, as Chapman Professor James Deck, puts it, “Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.”

Writer Meredith Spalding (BFA/TWP’ 17) (left) and producer Karoline Ribak’18 on the set of the 2017 pilot Washed Up, a comedy following former child star Andy McArthur after he is arrested and forced to serve community service at a local theater.

Professor Deck reports the nearly 200% increase in scripted shows between 2010 and 2015—from 216 to 419—with The Hollywood Reporter citing a record 455 in 2016, with the streaming originals category seeing a 1,450 percent increase since 2011. Dubbed “the platinum age,” TV has clearly gone beyond the golden age of other media. The reasons are many.

“Film is the literature of the 21st century,” says Dodge College Dean Bob Bassett—an observation that is perhaps even more true in the world of episodic television, where a novelistic approach with stories and character arcs that stretch over many hours allow the kind of deep examination of the human condition that has traditionally been the province of long-form literature such as the novel. Seeing these incredible opportunities, more and more students are seeking careers in television. As its undergraduate degree in Television Writing and Production continues to grow, Dodge College has also responded with the launch of a new M.F.A. in Television Writing and Producing, beginning in fall 2018. The new program is unique in that “it combines both writing and production,” says Director of Television Studies Professor James Gardner. “Most

programs around the country focus only on writing,” he says, “but you can’t really write for the fast-paced world of TV unless you know how what you write can be brought to the screen.” “If you want to build a career as a showrunner,” adds television Professor Bill Rosenthal, “you have to know both writing and production.” “Today in the TV world, as happened in the film world, the labels and job titles – producer, co-producer, show-runner, executive producer – are becoming more and more nebulous or imprecise,” says Deck. “The bottom line is that today’s producer or show-runner must be a total filmmaker. They must know ‘story’ just as much as they know ‘production.’ In our industry the two are joined at the hip. A good story that is not producible doesn’t get made.” The twin challenges of writing and producing are indeed inseparable, agrees television

edy and an Emmy-winning writer from the early days of Saturday Night Live.

Thus, “It’s important to learn how the collaborative process operates. Episodic television is probably the most demanding in that there is very limited time and budget. Everybody needs to be on the same page – literally and figuratively,” Sirlin says.

Watching her 15-year-old daughter and her friends consume media, Beatts finds “virtually no difference for them between film and TV except the size of the screen where they consume it. Of course, they like to be able to say they have seen the latest blockbuster like Wonder Woman in the movie theater as soon as it comes out. But beyond that, if it is not easily accessible via HBO or Netflix it barely exists.”

Those demands are the reasons why the new MFA focuses on teaching collaborative skills, with classes such as The Writer’s Room and The Writer as Showrunner, says Rosenthal.

Or, perhaps even screen size is irrelevant. As television critic Emily Nussbaum wrote in The New Yorker (June 26, 2017), “On the small screen—do we still call it that?...”

“Working on a show is a lot more complex than just sitting in a room throwing out ideas or gags,” he says. “Everyone has to work together to support the vision of the show while also allowing new ideas and new directions to be freely expressed. Real collaboration is critical to success.”

Binge watching, enabled by streaming, has not only enlarged audiences and the ongoing social media conversation about popular shows, but it has also changed how stories are told and what stories are told. In a medium hungry for content, new platforms for distribution and a global market

“IF YOU WANT TO BUILD A CAREER AS A SHOWRUNNER, YOU HAVE TO KNOW BOTH WRITING AND PRODUCTION.” What’s driving the change? “It’s almost a cliché to say that the lines between film and television have become blurred — in fact I would say they are almost erased,” says television Professor Anne Beatts, one of the pioneers of television com-

opening up (Netflix has 104 million members in more than 190 countries today) mean that stories need not appeal to mass audiences to be successful. The tentpole model does not have to apply to television, although it can.

FOR STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY On the set of the 2013 pilot Called to Serve.

On location with the 2014 pilot Sharp Left Turn.

“If you want to tell long-form stories with complex themes and arcing characters whose relationships develop over years of viewership rather than ninety minutes of screen time, you work in television,” says television Professor Jim Hope. “If you want to help people laugh for a couple minutes or over the course of 30 years, you work in television. If you want to spin yarns that don’t require explosions, super-powered behemoths, romantic tropes, or an endless procession of stereotypical and scatalogical comedy, you work in television. If you want to make shows that have all those things, television has them, too. Television is a broad, constantly growing landscape, where you can create almost any kind of narrative you want and at virtually any length. It’s hard to imagine anything more exciting.”

A changing medium changes storytelling How and when we watch is changing how stories for televi4

sion are told. Binge watching, says Deck, is “becoming a distinct genre all its own. Story structure and specific aesthetics are evolving. Writing for the cliffhanger or the multi-act structure for commercial breaks are changing.” The idea of the “pilot” is shifting with streaming as well, says Deck. Plot points, character arcs and individual narratives no longer have to be stuffed into the first episode/pilot. “If done well, they can be stretched and developed in a more fluid way, allowing the story-teller more time.” Beatts sees the traditional barrier between half-hour comedy and one-hour drama coming down, “though it is not fully breached as yet. “The old multi-camera threeact sitcom template no longer applies to most of what is on the air now,” she says. Instead, most shows are now shot, filmstyle, on single-camera film or

On the set of the 2017 sci-fi thriller Veil, about a young woman in a dystopian future investigating the mysterious and supernatural disappearance of her twin sister.

In Narrative Television Workshop, students gain intensive directing experience working with a company of actors in various genres of studio television production.

video, and “the laugh track is, thankfully, an artifact of the past,” she adds. The structure of TV comedy now is also much more fluid, with shows such as Broad City barely acknowledging the threeact structure and delivering their more rambling stories in bitesize pieces, according to Beatts. One caveat, she adds: this is not to say that students can skip developing a strong grasp of threeact structure, “since you first need to know the rules in order to break them.”

There’s been an explosion of shows featuring more ethnically diverse characters, says Beatts, citing Master of None, Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat, etc. “It’s important for students to think in these terms,” she says,noting the success of Chapman grad Justin Simien’s Dear White People as an example in this arena. Gender diversity isanother area where innovation is already happening, with shows like Transparent, and there is a demand for more material that showcases women and LGBT actors.

More content opens the door to more diverse stories

“Producers and networks encourage boundary pushing,” 4

adds television Professor Ellen Sandler. “They are actively looking for original voices and fresh points of view. They know the audience wants shows about women, race, gender issues and more and they are looking for those voices. You can write about things that really mean something to you and have a chance that it will appeal to the cable network market. You can have more personal interest as creator,” she says. Television Professor Chris Moore agrees. “So much of our industry in film is about

Born on

•

Issa Rae’s HBO series Insecure started as a five-minute web series, Awkward Black Girl, that she wrote and produced

• Amazon’s Catastrophe was developed from comic Rob Delaney’s popular Twitter feed •

Comedy Central’s Broad City was a direct result of the improv performers, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, self-produced web series

•

Fleabag was a one-woman show in an avant-garde theater festival and it turned into one of Amazon’s most talked about projects

•

The fictional YouTube character Miranda Sings, developed by Colleen Ballinger, stars in the Netflix series Haters Back Off 5

what’s marketable to wide audiences domestically and internationally, but television has now allowed the best and most respected writers to have a platform to write and produce stories that are personal and thought-provoking.”

You don’t need a network to build an audience YouTube has changed the game for content creators, advertisers and audiences worldwide. “DIY TV can now be a real route to broader audiences, says Beatts. “Fresh young talent can get their work recognized in

a way that was impossible only a few years ago.” No one is a bigger proponent of the larger opportunities offered by YouTube than Professor Frank Chindamo, who teaches The Art and Business of Web Video and runs his own company, funlittlemovies.com. “Every week, we see articles in the trades about how independent web video filmmakers and ‘YouTubers’ are scoring series deals with the new networks like Netflix and Hulu, the cable networks and even the traditional networks,” he says.

MFA CURRICULUM Sharp Left Turn (2014).

Becoming a television writer: TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH,” SAYS SANDLER. “YOU MUST ALSO LEARN YOUR CRAFT. YOUNG TALENT, AND YOUR FRESH, ORIGINAL IDEAS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME AND MUCH IN DEMAND, BUT WITHOUT CRAFT AND DISCIPLINE TO ACTUALLY DELIVER THOSE IDEAS ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AND ON DEADLINE, YOU CANNOT EXPECT TO MAKE A CAREER. What do you need to know? According to Beatts, students need to know: • How to create real, believable, sympathetic characters that can hold the attention of an audience, whether heroes or anti-heroes • How to construct a story and how to build a world that will sustain interest throughout all episodes of a series • The nuts and bolts of production so they will be able to write producible scripts and coordinate with all departments to make sure all aspects of the production fulfill their unique vision • The business aspect of show business, so that they can learn to be savvy negotiators in their own behalf

How do you do that? Faculty say: • Read more scripts. Analyze them. Break them down. • Read television scripts. A lot--to learn the real writing skills of story structure and character development. • Take classes and read books about writing, but actually write scripts—many. You don’t wind up pitching in the World Series by watching a lot of baseball games, you have to actually play the game. You have to put in hours of practice, with tough, demanding coaches, and play a whole lot of minor league games before you make it to the majors. Being a professional writer is the same. TV is the major leagues and writing on a hit show is playing on a team that wins the pennant. • Get your work seen. When you are early in your career, that usually means you will be instrumental in doing the producing: either on the web, in small theaters or comedy clubs, film contests and festivals, or blogs. Something. • Do it all—write and produce. 6 •

Know how the business works.

FIRST YEAR: FALL (12 UNITS) SW 527 Fundamentals of Screenwriting TWP 502 The Narrative Form TWP 550 Global Media Market TWP 510 New Era of Television

FIRST YEAR: SPRING (12 UNITS) SW 628 Seminar in TV Writing Drama SW 630 Seminar in TV Writing Comedy TWP 540 Business of Television LEAD 505 Foundations of Effective Leadership Development

SUMMER (OPTIONAL) Travel Course to explore TV production at an international site

SECOND YEAR: FALL (12 UNITS) TWP 697 Thesis in Television Writing I (6 units) TWP 501 Actor-Producer Workshop TWP 514 TV Series Development

INTERTERM (3 UNITS) FTP 534A Production and Set Management for Film Production (Producers)

SECOND YEAR: SPRING (12 UNITS) TWP 695 The Writer as Showrunner FTV 690 Independent Internship TWP 698 Thesis in Television Writing II TWP 696 The Writer’s Room

LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Demonstrate the mastery of narrative television storytelling skills including construction of an original, clear and cogent central dramatic concept, employment of effective dramatic structure, and creation of authentic characters vividly drawn through their dialogue and action. 2. Demonstrate mastery of producing and leadership skills including effective oral and written communication, strong ability to organize and prioritize tasks, and collaborative skills. 3. Demonstrate the ability to analyze current TV market conditions and business models and then evaluate the marketability and viability of their skills and creative work within the available markets. 4. Experience close, mentoring relationships with faculty delivered via coursework in and out of the classroom. This personalized learning experience will help enable students to demonstrate their ability to work in a professional, collaborative environment appropriate to narrative television. 7

•

Chinese students knew very little about the actual process of filmmaking, they had “no difficulty understanding what was needed visually; they understood film language,” says professor and Summer Film Academy director Harry Cheney, and just needed to master the production steps to tell their stories. Originality matters: Students in both programs struggled with telling an original story, so faculty employ specific exercises to develop their storytelling capabilities. In China, instructor Roy Finch created an exercise based on a six-line prompt originally created by director Ridley Scott for a short film competition: “We broke the class into four filmmaking crews and gave them each the same six lines of dialogue and a prop. The challenge is to create a five-minute film using only those six lines in the exact order given without adding, subtracting or changing a single word. It’s a great discipline for the students and also helps limit the dialogue in the film and focus on revealing character and story through behavior.” And don’t forget sound: Students also need to be mindful of sound and its importance in the process, adds Chapman graduate student and SFA China teaching assistant Bo Pang (MFA/FP’19). Persistence leads to success: For students thinking of applying to future camps, China student Wincy Wang encourages “persistency” with oneself and with “the pursuit of filmmaking.”

Beyond the payoff in lessons learned and films created, the students found another, very personal reward. Working together as a team 14 hours a day “is an exciting and fulfilling experience,” says Cheney. “When we are done, the SFA kids and the staff are family”—whether across the world or in their own backyard.

SUMMER FILM ACADEMY FROM CHAPMAN TO CHINA

“One of my favorite aspects was watching the students learn to work together and make creative decisions. I think that teaching collaboration is a unique aspect of Dodge’s film education, and something that truly benefits filmmakers when they graduate. My favorite day was when we made vision boards. The students had so much fun picking out colors and images that they felt best represented them. Their boards were funky, deconstructed images that told a compelling story. I could tell that they had never been asked to express themselves in this fashion.” - Professor and SFA China instructor

Christine Fugate

Top Left: Instructors Christine Fugate and Roy Finch (back, center) with students of the 2017 Summer Film Academy in Shenzhen, China. Lower Left: Summer camp students in Orange learn the importance of sound on the Foley Stage in Marion Knott Studios and receive a crash course in all the roles and elements involved in producing a live show (bottom).

When students want to test out a career, they intern. But what about trying out a college? In Dodge College’s Summer Film Academy (SFA) on Chapman’s campus in Orange, high school students test out film school through complete immersion. For two weeks straight they live, breathe and eat filmmaking around the clock by partaking in class discussions, film screenings, guest speakers, field trips, and of course, filmmaking. The same can be said of their high school counterparts in Shenzhen, China. Whether on campus or on another continent, Shenzhen instructor and Dodge College professor Roy Finch sums up the experience succinctly: “This style of complete immersion into filmmaking is an effective way to learn the basics and apply them to short films.”

Here are some takeaways from both programs this past summer: •

•

Collaboration counts: Students in Shenzhen learned that filmmaking is a cooperative/team-oriented process, and involved more than “sitting in a director’s chair calling orders,” says Chinese student Eric Li. You need to understand film language: Many students who attend the SFA in Orange have filmmaking experience – even premiering in and winning at festivals. Yet, while the 8

From left, Harriet Sandhu, Eve Kornyei Ruffatto, Diana Martin and Twyla Martin.

WOMEN IN FOCUS

DODGE COLLEGE

Credit Michael Munson

The women employed a variety of strategies to prove themselves. Al-Mansour talked about the need to explain what she wanted very clearly, knowing that some people believe an assertive woman is trying to prove something rather than seeing her behavior as a needed directorial skill. “The more you give your crew, the more they give back,” she also noted, citing as an example, “if the painters spend all night painting a wall, make sure you get it in the shot—that gives the crew a sense of ownership.” The directors agreed on the necessity for thorough preparation and for surrounding themselves “with people better than you (at their specific jobs).” Then, as Craig put it, you need to show up on set totally prepared, “but prepared to throw that out,” as better ideas arise and circumstances demand flexibility.

MYTH: Things are looking great for females behind the camera.

FACT: Females behind the camera fall far behind their male contemporaries and are at a distinct disadvantage in the entertainment industry. Only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female. With such a dearth of female representation in front of and behind the camera, it’s a struggle to champion female stories and voices. The Institute’s research proves that female involvement in the creative process is imperative for creating greater gender balance before production even begins. There is a causal relationship between positive female portrayals and female content creators involved in production. In fact, when even one woman writer works on a film, there is a 10.4% difference in screen time for female characters. Sadly, men outnumber women in key production roles by nearly 5 to 1. 10

Source: From Gender in Media: The Myths & Facts, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Seejane.org

VIEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

t the 18th annual Women in Focus conference, five women filmmakers offered views from the perspective of the discipline in which women are least represented—directing. Although industry initiatives and conversation continue to push the need to hire women at all levels of the filmmaking process, the progress of women as directors has been particularly slow. Joining moderator producer Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Where the Heart Is) were Academy Award®-nominated director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country, The Zookeeper’s Wife); acclaimed director Sydney Freeland (Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, Drunktown’s Finest, Her Story); award-winning screenwriter and film director Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen); critically-acclaimed director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen); and the first female Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda, Mary Shelley). Although all the women had stories about the obstacles and challenges they faced in pursuing their careers, the experiences of Saudi Arabian director Al-Mansour were without compare. Working in a country where women are forbidden to drive and where men and women are not supposed to mix in public, Al-Mansour could not be outside with her actors. She directed her film from inside a van, communicating with her actors via walkie-talkie. The film she made, Wadjda, was not only the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first ever made by a woman director in that country, but it was also the first Saudi film submitted for the Foreign Language Oscar. While the challenges faced by the other women on the panel were less clear-cut, they were nevertheless both real and daunting—perhaps even more so for their subtlety. The difficult road into the film business—challenged even more by the lack of support for women who traverse it—was characterized by the journey of Hardwicke who wrangled motorcycles for Roger Corman, performed stunts, and worked as an armorer, second AD and acting coach. “Everything they asked, I did,” she said. Yet after she directed the multi-million-dollar blockbuster Twilight, she had to take a 57% pay cut on her next film.

With a crew of “old school” male grips working in England, Hardwicke showed up on set before they did and “when they saw that I knew what I was doing, that I was able to pivot,” all went well. At the same time, the directors felt substantial challenges in managing careers and family. New mother Carro described feeling guilty “when I was with the baby and not working and vice versa” before she finally came to accept “it was okay to be wherever I was….It’s good for kids to see their mother out in the world working.” Yet in spite of modest gains for women employed in the film industry, tremendous challenges remain. “Sexism is not only coming from men,” Al-Mansour said, “we all have gender-bias.” And, the problem is self-perpetuating, as Hardwicke confirmed. “I was a women studio head for six years and I never hired a woman director? Why didn’t I? You always hire the guy with the track record,” something female directors, in a true Catch-22 situation, rarely have. What can men who are advocates for women do about this problem, asked moderator Susan Cartsonis? “Studio chiefs, agents, producers need to commit to 50/50 in hiring,” said Hardwicke, instead of putting two women on a list of 50 directors under consideration. And “individuate women,” said Cartsonis, “we’re all different.” And “don’t just think of women for ‘female’ projects,” added Craig. Challenges aside, the directors are passionate about what they do. Their advice to film students? Craig: “Write what’s radically honest—what’s true and dangerous.” Or, as Al-Mansour summed up how all of the women have moved in their careers, obstacles or no: “Just march. Go forward.”

SAVE THE DATE ANNUAL WOMEN IN FOCUS

FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2018 | 1:30 P.M. chapman.edu/womeninfocus

WOMEN

SUPPORTING WOMEN The opportunity for Dodge College students to learn from some of the most experienced filmmakers in the business has been made possible over the years by Orange County women who believe in women helping women. Many underwriters, such as Twyla Reed Martin, have been with the conference almost since its inception. Martin fondly remembers her first Women in Focus in 2002 when professional screenwriters sat at a makeshift stage in a classroom in Argyros Forum. “I was so interested in what they had to say that I had to be a part of it,” says Martin. Each year, she is impressed that panelists “tell interesting stories to all future filmmakers at Dodge College, no matter their gender.” Similarly, longtime sponsors Eve Kornyei Ruffatto and Harriet Sandhu support the conference to ensure the success of our students after they graduate. “Dodge College students learn practical skills to be the next great director, editor, or producer,” says Ruffatto. Adds Sandhu, “The arts, whether it be movies, television, music, or theater can make any day better. Every student should have every opportunity to learn these arts so they can share their talents.” “We are so very grateful to our sponsors who have made this terrific opportunity available for our students over the years,” says Dean Bob Bassett, “particularly Twyla Martin and Eve Ruffatto who have been with us for more than a decade. We are also deeply appreciative of the support of so many other women in the Orange County community, including Harriet Sandhu, Bonny Schumacher, Laurie Rodnick, Diana Martin, Nancy Baldwin, Adrienne Brandes, Joyce Tucker, Tricia Berns, Nancy Wynne, Sally Crockett, Deborah Bridges, and Zee Allred. They have made such a difference in helping prepare our students for their careers.”

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED: CHAPMAN CELEBRATES THE DUFFER BROTHERS

rothers Matt and Ross Duffer ’07 were the guests of honor at this year’s Chapman Celebrates, a song-and-dance stage show produced by Chapman University students and faculty held in early November. Festivities included a gala, alumni reception, and the pièce de résistance - a Master Class in Folino Theater with the Duffers themselves, which had students lined up around the block for the opportunity.

3. Have realistic expectations and have a thick skin (not everyone will think your creation is good as you do)

4. Know your audience (don’t spend time on something that no one is interested in)

(it is a driving internal force that helps commit you)

8. Have fortitude and perseverance and a strong support system

sumer tastes and business needs/models constantly evolve)

11. Create your own luck

6. Find and know your purpose

1. Consume varieties of content & from different time periods

NEWS

BRIEFS NEW MINOR IN VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY BECOMES EDUCATIONAL REALITY sciences,” says Janell Shearer, professor

s the media continues to buzz about the commercial and artistic opportunities made possible by new virtual and augmented reality technologies, students are looking for ways to get a head start in this emerging field. By adding a minor in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR and AR) available in fall 2018, students can explore the uses of immersive media for storytelling across a wide range of fields as part of their curriculum.

stay true to your passion)

ing it)

2. Understand your trade (con-

to this)

5. Adapt but don’t compromise too much (find the right balance and

The brothers shared 11 lessons and an Easter egg, summarized by moderator and COO of Lionsgate Home Entertainment Akin Ceylan ’90, thus:

(TV shows and feature films. Always something to learn)

10. Know you have to constantly earn respect (you are not entitled

DODGE COLLEGE

7. Find inspiration (and keep find-

(you are going to need it)

differentiator and a reflection of you. Spend more time up front on getting details correct)

he award-winning director, writer and producer Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Midst, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The World is Not Enough, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Trader) is the fall Marion Knott Distinguished Artist. Apted meets weekly with ten scholars to mentor them on their work in development as well as screening his own work and talking each week with students over dinner and in the Industry Insiders class. Winning multiple British Academy awards for his television work, Apted made his directorial feature film debut with the tense war era drama Triple Echo, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed before moving his work to America, where Coal Miner’s Daughter

12 Akin Ceylan ’90, COO of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, moderated the discussion with Ross Duffer (center) and Matt Duffer.

“VR content is used for purposes as diverse as treating PTSD, helping children with autism develop social skills, designing safer cars, training surgeons, and creating interactive lessons in the humanities, the social sciences, and the

and Chair of the Media Arts Division. “It offers a wide range of interdisciplinary opportunities.” The minor was developed by faculty in Dodge’s Institute for Creative Reality (ICR) in consultation with industry experts, particularly Roy Taylor, Corporate Vice President of AMD/Radeon Technologies, a company that develops high-speed graphics processing units (GPUs) for use in virtual reality and video game creation.

RENOWNED FILMMAKER/DOCUMENTARIAN MICHAEL APTED IS THE 2017 MARION KNOTT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST

9. Make attention to detail core to your creative output (this is a

Classes will explore the forms of immersive media as a storytelling tool along with the history and development of the new medium and teach students how to plan and create immersive media projects.

(1980) marked his first directing project in this country. The movie garnered seven nominations including Best Picture and won an Oscar for Sissy Spacek’s moving portrayal of country-western singer Loretta Lynn. Most prominently, Apted is known for his Up series, which follows the twists and turns of the lives of 14 British schoolchildren every seven years since 1963. For his work on this series, he has been honored with multiple awards including the British Academy Award, International Emmy, as well as the International Documentary award.

Michael Apted

Apted currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer for the Directors Guild of America (DGA), which he has previously served as president for three terms.

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

DODGE COLLEGE

NEWS

BRIEFS DODGE STUDENTS GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT THE 69TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

DODGE COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS A MODEL FOR GROWING FILM SCHOOLS

tudents in this fall’s Advanced Multi-cam TV Production class were treated to a behind-the-scenes Emmy experience when they accompanied Professor Steve Hirsen to the program’s rehearsal the day before the event.

The students watched presenters including Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Law & Order: True Crime), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls, The Handmaid’s Tale), Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Norman Lear and 92-year-old Cicely Tyson rehearse their appearances. Sitting directly behind director and co-executive producer Glenn Weiss, they saw how he called the shots directly from the floor and had the chance to ask him questions about the challenges of directing a live show. They also toured backstage and saw how TV trucks are used as the control room and to produce and manage the special effects, graphics, and feeds to the live screens for the show.

t is not uncommon to hear guests describe the facilities and technology at Dodge College as more sophisticated and advanced than tools available to working industry professionals. As such, Dodge has earned a reputation as a leader in film education, not only serving as a model for other film schools but also providing direct advice on what to buy and how to configure facilities and equipment. The advice typically comes from Professor, Associate Dean, and Chief Tech-

Professor Steve Hirsen, center, takes his students to Hollywood each year to let them see how the pros meet the challenges of directing a live show.

nology Officer Dan Leonard. Serving as a sort of tech mentor to up-and-coming programs, Leonard has consulted with the University of Tampa, the film school at Ringling School of the Arts, as well as the University of New Haven on a new facility. Currently, he is consulting with the University of West Oahu on the creation of their Creative Media Arts facility. Dodge’s reputation has transcended domestic boundaries as well – through its membership in the International Asso-

NEW WAYS OF SEEING: EXPERIENCING VIRTUAL REALITY

WOMEN OF CHAPMAN AWARD $50K TO STUDENT FILMMAKERS

As part of Chapman’s Discover Research & Arts Week (DRAW), Dodge College student Luke Snedecor (BFA/DA ‘20) offered members of the Chapman community a tour of his virtual reality project At Sea, where users experience the struggles of a man on a raft trying to lure fish with the last of his food. Unlike a good deal of VR, the experience is plot driven, developed by Snedecor and his team over the last year.

Game Festival and VR on the Lot. Once finished, the team behind At Sea plans on releasing the game on Steam and Oculus.

he Women of Chapman committee awarded four upcoming Dodge College thesis films with production funds at its annual pitch lunch held in late spring. The Women of Chapman has provided over $2-million in funding to Dodge College since 2006 and over $200,000 in funding to undergraduate thesis film projects since 2012. This year’s recipients are:

For more info on At Sea visit lukesnedecor.com/virtual-reality

Director Nour Oubeid, producer Rachel Griswold, $12,000 for Amal, about

“I believe other schools come to us because we have the best facilities in the nation for teaching film production in higher education,” says Leonard. “Between Marion Knott Studios, Digital Media Arts Center, and now Chapman Studios West, Dodge College’s world class infrastructure sets it program apart.”

a young Syrian refugee living in America who begins to question her cultural identity and her family’s safety when she witnesses her mother being discriminated against. Director Nick Markham, producer Hannah Riddle, $10,000 for Reverie, about a paranoid-schizophrenic woman who must convince her college-bound daughter not to leave her behind in solitary confinement.

Director Adam McClaughry, producer Bailey Helvie, $16,000 for McCarthy, the story of Hollywood’s new “it-girl”, who is crumbling under the pressures of the entertainment industry.

This passion project, funded through Kickstarter and Chapman’s Institute for Creative Reality (see chapman. edu/ICR), was presented in October at the Indiecade Independent 14

Director Lucas Bugbee, producer Daniel Dabach, $12,000 for The Piano Room, where a father and daughter come to terms with the mother’s passing despite a lack of clear communication.

ciation of Film and Television Schools (CILECT) faculty from international institutions often visit Chapman to tour the facilities and get advice.

Award recipients with Dean Bob Bassett (center). From left: Hannah Riddle, Nick Markham, Adam McClaughry, Bailey Helvie, Nour Oubeid, Rachel Griswold, and Daniel Dabach.

DODGE COLLEGE

NEWS

BRIEFS THE UNDERGRAD FILM APP REVISED

NETFLIX CCO DISCUSSES THE NEW ERA OF ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

etflix can make any kind of content, and does so with purpose. With a healthy mix of cerebral dramas and stress-free comedies, it seeks to make and license shows for everybody and every mood. “We don’t want every show to define our brand or our brand to define a show,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted

Sarandos explained to students in the New Era of Television class, when he visited earlier this semester. Sarandos screened a yet-to-be streamed episode of the original series Black Mirror and spoke about the company’s first steps into original programming and its current approach. When asked by a student if releasing an original series

was intimidating, Sarandos explained “We had a lot of confidence in what we were doing. There is so much content on Netflix that if you don’t watch one thing, it doesn’t affect much,” as Netflix does not rely on ratings to gauge success. “All of your watching is valuable to us,” he concluded.

STORYTELLING ADVICE FROM BRAVE DIRECTOR

“T

o have someone feel like they’ve experienced the same thing as you, that’s what we’re doing as filmmakers,” Oscar-winning director Mark Andrews (Brave) told to a room of aspiring storytellers in Profes-

sor Bill Kroyer’s History and Aesthetics of Digital Arts class in October. The Pixar director provided a live storyboarding demonstration, presenting a concept storyboard for Disney•Pixar’s The Incredibles and his own storyboard

exercises as he spoke about what he had learned in the field. His advice covered lessons he learned in writing for episodes of Samurai Jack, storyboarding on Disney’s Iron Giant, and creating Colossus, his own graphic novel.

Considered the “father of the new age” of visual effects for his industry-changing work on the first Star Wars in 1977, Edlund has supervised VFX work on dozens of films including Raiders of the 16

Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, 2010, Die Hard, Ghost, and Multiplicity. Each week, Edlund will meet one-onone with selected student scholars to mentor through the creative development of a specific project and will interact with the larger Dodge community at weekly dinners open to students as well as examining various types of visual effects challenges each week in Professor Bill Kroyer’s Digital Arts Industry Insiders class.

“We have had our ‘self-introductory’ video prompt for many years, so we felt it was time to update our requirements to make sure we are getting the material that is most helpful to evaluate applicants for this program,” says Kacura. “When evaluating applicants, it is important for us to see how well the

student can tell a story. These two new requirements will allow us to see an applicant’s storytelling ability in both written and visual form.” Here are the specific instructions for each piece: Writing Sample - In no more than one page, write a true story about something that has happened to you or someone you know. Use this story to show your unique storytelling skills as well as illustrate your creativity in telling a story. Stories should be typed, single-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, oneinch margins on all sides.

Visual Sample - Without the use of dialogue or voice over, make a film that is less than two minutes long about a character making a difficult and dramatic decision. Show that the character is pulled in two different directions at an emotional level, visualize their process of consideration, and show that they make a decision. Kacura advises applicants to “think outside the box” and have fun thinking about the stories they want to tell, while paying close attention to structure, voice, and clarity.

COCO DIRECTOR FINDS UNMATCHED EMOTION

VFX LEGEND IS PANKEY DISTINGUISHED ARTIST ichard Edlund, the multiple-Oscar winning visual effects supervisor, will share the creative thinking and processes behind some of the most significant developments in visual effects over the three decades as the Pankey Distinguished Artist this spring.

tudents applying for B.F.A. Film Production for fall 2018 will now be asked to provide both a written and visual sample, instead of the previous video prompt, says Director of Admission Lauren Kacura (BA/ PRA ’09).

“Not only will our students gain invaluable insight and perspective on how effects are used to tell a story,” says Kroyer, “they will also receive an essential primer on how they may use visual effects in their productions from a true master of the craft.” With film clips, “making of” materials, and guest speakers, the class will tackle separate visual effects topics each week, such as in-camera effects, animated characters, compositing, and “famous fixes” of bad effects.

his fall Dodge College students were treated to an exclusive screening of Disney• Pixar’s latest film Coco with director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3). The film tells the story of aspiring musician Miguel who, when confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to work out the mystery. Following the screening, Unkrich participated in a Q&A with Professor Bill Kroyer to discuss the

project’s creative development as well as his career trajectory. On the experience, Unkrich reflected: “I don’t think I’ve felt an energy or emotion from an audience to match the students at Chapman University.”

• Television director/producer Pamela Fryman (Frasier, Just Shoot Me and every episode of How I Met Your Mother)

Additional guests this semester:

• TV Group Chairman Lionsgate Televsion Kevin Beggs (Mad Men, Nurse Jackie, Weeds, Nashville and Casual)

• Matt Mosko (MFA/FTP ’15), producer and creative executive with Happy Madison Productions

• Internet personality/actor/comedian Peter Shukoff aka Nice Peter (Epic Rap Battles of History)

Lee Unkrich

SUMMER

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Bologna, Italy BY ANDREW PEARSON (MFA/FILM PRODUCTION ’18)

atching films nightly under the stars, Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore full of cinema lovers young and old, from all walks of life and all over the world. Seeing a shooting star streak across the night sky, while on screen, young lovers reunite in Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante. Being swept up in a crowd dancing and clapping to D.A. Pennebaker’s Monterey Pop as if Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, and Janis Joplin were there performing live in front of us. Bathing in the rich colors of Douglas Sirk melodramas projected on beautiful 35mm Technicolor prints courtesy of The Academy

COURSES This past summer, students explored storytelling with a global perspective provided by travel courses that took them from a world famous film festival in Italy to the animation studios of Japan. Through these unique experiences these students gained fresh perspectives on the art and craft of storytelling.

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of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Discovering a new favorite documentary in Bill Morrison’s Dawson City. Frozen Time., and seeing the director discuss the film in person. Going behind the scenes at the Cineteca Bologna to see firsthand how films are restored. Attending panels with filmmakers such as D.A. Pennebaker, Bill Morrison, and Agnès Varda. And of course, simply being in Bologna, Italy, and all of the wonderful accoutrements that come with travel. Also gelato. Lots and lots of gelato. These are just a few of the incredible experiences that came out of attend-

ing Professor Emily Carman’s Il Cinema Ritrovato film festival class during the summer term in Bologna, Italy. As a film production graduate student, it is a welcome break to take courses that divert from the mechanics of making movies, and explore the rich history that cinema has to offer. This is an aspect of film school that so often gets overlooked in the rush to make movies, where a premium is placed on product and productivity. As such, classes like this one provide a much needed balance to an education in cinema.

Japan

BY JOSH BACA (BFA/DA ’20)

hapman’s Digital Arts (Animation and Visual Effects) program arranged an adventurous trip through Tokyo and Kyoto, where we studied the history and industry of Japanese animation and culture. This being my first time outside of the U.S., I knew I was in for something special.

so progressive in many aspects such as its use of technology, its anime culture, and its efficient and safe public transportation systems.

Walking the serene and beautiful paths of various shrines, surrounded by the sounds of a blissful wind and the murmurs of respectful tourists and locals giving thanks, it seemed so odd to me that these hidden beauties were only train stations away from the bustling city life of Tokyo, Akihabara and Shibuya. In other words, I discovered that even though Japan is a very traditional country, it is also

In my opinion, Japanese animation is currently at a state of deep fascination because it lies in an ever-changing country that is full of both traditional values and modern techMy experience as a Chapman student nology. Some Japanese animators, was completely enhanced by this such as Miyazaki, look to the past for trip, as I feel it has brought me closer inspiration, while others look to the to becoming a global citizen, which future for promise, utilizing modern happens to be part of Chapman’s animation techniques. mission. Because of this trip I know

While we did have free time to explore many areas in Tokyo and Kyoto, much of our learning took place in notable universities and studios, such as Toho Studios, Tokyo University of the Arts, Digital Hollywood University, The Tokyo National Museum, and much more!

Students visit a Japanese Anime Museum

have a better understanding of a foreign culture in addition to having learned about animation in Japan.

Lau and her mentors, directors Andrew Ahn (Spa Night) and Sydney Freeland (Deidra & Laney Rob a Train), discussing rehearsals at the Native Lab workshop.

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The United Kingdom BY ADRIENNE VON WOLFFERSDORFF (MFA/DOCUMENTARY ’19)

the field, as we dealt with the stresses of jet lag and unexpected shooting challenges such as inclement weather. We also had to ensure we were extremely organized - to make sure we were charging batteries and backing up footage constantly, and to make sure we had the specific equipment we needed for each shoot. By spending time with our subjects and their families, we learned how to build trust with the people we were filming, As a team we had to work together closely and really rely on each other in so that we could capture the intimate articipating in the International Travel Documentary class at Chapman was a challenging, exciting experience and has helped me develop professionally. After traveling to the UK to shoot our films profiling members of the international Sikh Indian community, I feel a lot more confident as a documentary shooter.

details of their lives on camera. I think this course (especially the travel portion) gives us the opportunity to work just as professional documentary filmmakers do in the field. This gives us the confidence to pursue jobs on feature documentaries after graduation, because we can trust in our ability to work alongside more seasoned professionals.

ERIN LAU

2017 SUNDANCE INSTITUTE NATIVE FILMMAKERS LAB FELLOW

BY MEG GREENE

eing mentored by recognized filmmakers at the Sundance Institute’s Native Filmmaker’s Lab was “challenging and sometime nerve-wrecking, but also inspiring, eye-opening, and so much fun,” says Dodge College writer-director and native Hawaiian Erin Lau (MFA/Film Production ’18). Each day in the lab sessions that took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May was spent on a different discipline: revising the script, rehearsing with actors, workshopping the shot list and storyboards, shooting, and editing. “We always had at least a couple of the mentors sitting and observing during the different stages. Most of the time, all four were present,” Lau recalls. “At the end of the group sessions, the mentors would meet one-on-one with the participants to share their thoughts on

The documentary Drawn to Life profiles an artist, Raj, who uses his art to help others.

different aspects — script, directing style, visual design ideas, emotional support.” Lau’s mentors include 2017 Women in Focus panelist Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest; Deidra & Laney Rob a Train), and Blackhorse Lowe (Shimasani; 5th World; Chasing the Light), Andrew Ahn (Spa Night), and Bernardo Britto (Yearbook). And over the course of the year, Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari, Pandora’s, Viernes girl) was also assigned to regularly offer Lau “guidance, feedback and overall support” on her Sundance Lab film, The Moon and The Night or Ka Mahina a me Ka Po, a coming-of-age story about a Hawaiian teenage girl who must accept the fact that her ex-con father will never truly be the family she needs. (See http://moonandnightfilm.com/)

Lau and her producer Oliv ia Gray (MFA location scou /FTP ’18) ting in Hawai i.

While she prepared to shoot the remainder of her film in Oahu late October, Lau and her writing partner were also working on a script that she intends to make her feature directing debut. “I want to continue to make films about the contemporary experiences and challenges faced by Asian Pacific communities...films don’t only have to entertain. They also have the ability to empower people. Whether it is a little girl developing a deeper sense of pride by seeing someone who looks like her on screen or making someone feel as if they are not alone in his or her struggle. I know I won’t be making films only about those experiences, but it is important to me to make sure I always return to those stories.”

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

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT Entertainment Marketing: - T h e u n i q u e m a r r ia ge of show and business

The world of content marketing—what’s that all about?

BY JANELL SHEARER

A marketing plan for the documentary Dzaleka Refugee, a film that tells the story of five young hip-hop dancers who struggle to hold onto their dreams in a refugee camp in Malawi.

aking a student film or TV pilot is a creatively exciting experience—filled with the challenges of production obstacles overcome and the thrill of seeing the final product on screen. But that excitement can quickly be deflated by the realization that very few people, except maybe mom and some friends, will ever see your masterpiece. On the larger playing field, studios can fail and heads may roll when a $175M “blockbuster” such as King Arthur: Legend of the Sword brings in a tepid $14.7 on its opening weekend. Although even the biggest box office disaster can find an extended life on DVD or streaming platforms, the financial losses can doom both directors and actors for years to come. The old saying that “they call it show business for a reason” is often lost on

students, who are deep in the act of creation, as they should be. But teaching students how marketing decisions are made and what role they play in the world of entertainment has long been a central facet of a Dodge College education, where majors in Public Relations and Advertising (PRA) work hand-inhand with film production, creative producing, television writing and production students and many others. “We have always focused on what I call ‘the business of the business,’” says Dean Bob Bassett, noting that “all film programs teach the art and craft of filmmaking, but very few teach students not only what it takes to start a career, but what it takes to build and maintain a career in the very competitive entertainment industry.” Over the years, the Dean says, industry guests time and again are surprised—and

enthusiastic—when they learn about the inclusion of entertainment marketing in a film school. “Why aren’t more people doing this?” is a common response. The entertainment marketing focus is carried out primarily through a unique marriage of Public Relations and Advertising students collaborating with filmmakers and producers in creating marketing plans for student films. These projects begin with market research leading to the identification of target audience segments; the creation of pitches, log lines, and key messages; the development of media, distribution and festival strategies along with promotional and publicity plans, and the execution of creative collateral. In the process of developing these projects, PR and Ad students meet with the student filmmakers, challenging them to define the themes of their projects

and to what audiences they would appeal. They create media kits including bios on cast and crew and design posters and a wide range of promotional materials, from special events to festival or corporate tie-ins. The process forces students on both sides to learn the language of another discipline says Professor Jim Fredrick, who brings his experience working on more than 150 film advertising campaigns for films such as the Harry Potter franchise, The Shawshank Redemption, A Few Good Men, City Slickers, The Perfect Storm, and 300 to teaching the Entertainment Marketing and Promotion course. “Production students come to see their film as something more than an artistic vision,” he says.

Marketing can drive a green-light Understanding that necessity is vital because it can determine whether or not an entertainment project gets the greenlight says creative producing Professor Barbara Doyle. “Marketers are involved in the entire process. They are the objective voices looking at whether or not anyone will want to see a project, who specifically the target audience will be, and ultimately, whether a project can be financially feasible”— key questions for anyone who wants a career in the business. The benefits of the marriage of entertainment marketing and production are pervasive, regardless of the platform or scope of an entertainment property. “Every project, be it web, television or movie, necessitates a degree of familiarity with advertising, marketing and

Content marketing—that’s the buzzword you hear everywhere today. But what is it really? Just advertising disguised, or something else entirely? As Professor Russell Schwartz explains, “Branded content has emerged as the storytelling medium of our time. Beginning with the iconic BMW commercials of the late 90s to this year when Walgreens hired a number of name directors to shoot one to two-minute pieces that were broadcast during the Super Bowl, the idea of telling a story without direct emphasis on a brand has become a very effective form of advertising. “Why? Because it draws a subtle relationship between the story and brand, without making it sound and feel like a direct pitch for a product.” Or as Professor Jim Fredrick says, “The printed word has its place in marketing (tweet tweet) but in the age of Instagram and Snapchat, pictures do the talking. Teaching our PR students a visual language is ground zero for our program--which is why Intro to Visual Storytelling is a core class for all majors at Dodge.”

“Content marketing at its best creates messages that audiences want to share on social media, thereby magnifying the value at no extra cost.” The search for a story that makes an emotional connection, or one that has a compelling character or is funny is what builds a relationship between a brand and its audience. Even better, content marketing at its best creates messages that audiences want to share on social media, thereby magnifying the value of a message at no extra cost to the advertiser. Professor Ed Collins is a partner in Amusement Park, a Santa Ana “manufacturer of creative content…the kind of advertising people want to experience, witness, hear, feel, promote and even pay for.” Collins compares the size of television audiences to those of social media platforms to make the point: the 2017 Super Bowl, the most watched program of 2016, drew 112 million viewers. In second place, was the Academy Awards, with 34 million. Monthly global users on social media, however, saw 2-billion people on Facebook, 1.5-billion on YouTube, 700-million on Instagram, and the list goes on. Digital ad spending will overtake television ad spending in 2017 for the first time in history with the projected digital ad spend at over $72 billion, according to eMarketer, Collins reports. Although television ad spending continues to rise, it’s just being outpaced by mobile and video. “One doesn’t need a degree in social psychology to see that virtually everyone past the age of about 13 has a smart phone and continuously has his or her face planted directly into their screen,” he says. “Sometimes people are texting, some are even emailing, but most are viewing video.” For everyone in Dodge College, the core requirement of Introduction to Visual Storytelling lays the foundation for the work ahead.

publicity,” says creative producing Professor Russell Schwartz, whose 25-plusyear career in entertainment marketing has included working for New Line Cinema, Relativity Media and Gramercy Pictures. “There is no way any student can navigate the world of production, pitching, storytelling and the like, without a firm grounding in these three disciplines.” The impact on students’ future careers is huge. “Many programs never ask the question, ‘Is there an audience for this’ or ‘Who is the audience for this,’” says Doyle, with the result that “young filmmakers are easily disillusioned in part because they are not taught to consider the reality of what it will take for them to actually continue to create content (and earn a living at it) once they leave school. “Marketing can teach filmmakers how to frame their story and how to find and convince potential sources of fund-

ing to get on board,” she says. “Passion for the material PLUS an understanding of the fundamentals of marketing can help them find a way to communicate with people who don’t necessarily speak their ‘language.’”

Working on the business side of entertainment The flip side of the equation is that the program attracts students who want to work in the entertainment arena, on the business side. A recent survey of PR and Ad students revealed that nearly half saw entertainment marketing as their career of choice. “Other programs may offer a course dealing with entertainment marketing but I have seen nothing as in depth as the practical hands-on education the PRA students receive at Dodge from experienced industry professionals,” says Doyle. “The PRA students do things rather than just study them.”

The results are clear, and direct. “Many alums have made the unusual jump from graduation to landing their first job above the often necessary entry-level position,” reports Fredrick.

It works both ways This career viability reaches in multiple directions—both for PRA students who aspire to work in agency, corporate or non-profit settings using visual media for PR campaigns and advertising, and for production students who see a minor in PR or advertising as a career back-up or simply an additional career avenue. The career prospects of Tom Teller (MBA/MFA/FTP ’18) and Julian Conner (BFA/FP ’17) won nationwide visibility when the commercial they produced in the Coca-Cola Regal Films contest took first place. Screening in Regal theaters nationwide, their spot “Crunch Time” brought together filmmaking prowess and an understanding of a what it takes to deliver a commer-

cial message. Having formed their own production company, Frame48, the pair have engaged a number of other Chapman grads and students and were recently hired by a local advertising agency, Amusement Park, to produce a short film for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. (See story on page 31) “Many production students opt for the PR or ad minor as an insurance policy against their chosen major,” says Fredrick. “Often, their parents insist on it,” he adds, noting that “few student filmmakers land producing or directing gigs right out of school.” “I have placed more PRA minors in full-time entertainment marketing jobs in 2016-17 than in any previous year,” says Fredrick. “Coming out of Dodge with the right technical skills is extremely important. Trailer vendors want graduates with editing skills on multiple platforms; poster companies require students to have major Photoshop and/or InDesign chops.”

As evidence, he cites Kyle Decker (’17), who graduated with a minor in advertising and is now editing trailers for major studio releases out of Big Picture in Culver City and Julia Lambright (design major, Ad minor) who is designing movie posters for Canyon Design. “Both took my Producing Commercials course last year and showed real promise on their creative assignments.”

So, is the marriage of entertainment marketing and production a happy one? Not always. Not in school or in the real world (see King Arthur). Different objectives and different language can divide and confuse people working on different sides of the equation. But knowing the parameters of the conversation can only help keep Chapman graduates at the table, no matter what they’re selling.

Campaigns include strategic marketing recommendations for creative advertising opportunities such as outdoor billboards and bus shelters, above, and for traditional media advertising spots, below.

Many students find the fact that the PR and Advertising program is at home in the film school fortuitous in many ways, particularly if they want to pursue a career in the marketing of film and entertainment properties. Here are the stories of four alumni who entered the promotional side of the entertainment industry when they graduated from Dodge College.

Marketing the world of wizarding As Digital Marketing Manager, Harry Potter Global Franchise Development for Warner Bros. Studios, Colin Sommer (BA/PRA’ 14), feels likes his career has taken a magical turn. After a number of years at another “dream job” with Disney Interactive, Sommer now works on franchise planning, positioning, and branding for J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, “serving as the connective tissue between the digital

I’M 100% SURE I WOULD NOT HAVE THIS CAREER WITHOUT MY EXPERIENCE IN THE FILM SCHOOL... EMILY BRANDON (BA/PRA ’07)

team and stakeholders around the world.” Sommer came to Chapman wanting to work in entertainment since “I was five years old.” But it was at Chapman that he learned “that a film is so much more than just expensive special effects shots and a great soundtrack. It’s the result of countless business transactions, intellectual property disputes, technology, data, art, and so much more. It really does take a village! “A great story is fantastic,” he says,” but “one of the biggest lessons I had to learn at Chapman is that what’s even more important is learning how to communicate it to the right folks, at the right time, using the right communication strategy.”

Taking Disney into the digital age For many recent grads, their first

entertainment marketing jobs may begin in social media, giving them a platform on which to build a career. Emily Brandon (BA/PRA ’07), for example, has been at Disney since 2010 and is now the Senior Manager of Digital and Partnership Marketing at Freeform. Her work includes social media strategy and creative, as well working inside and outside of Disney on partnerships that “further our message.” Previously, she one of the founders and editor-in-chief of Oh My Disney, the studio’s young adult-focused media brand and “the most-shared site online, per article, beating competitors like Buzzfeed and The Onion,” she reports. Her PR and Advertising education played a big role as she entered the world of work. “My very first week at Disney, I was asked to put together a social media strategy for the Blu-ray

Colin Sommer

release of a classic animated film,” she says. “I literally referenced my entertainment marketing project and used pieces of it as a template to create my plan. Something that could have been incredibly intimidating as an entry-level hire was made much easier, thanks to that class. “I’m 100% sure I would not have this career without my experience in the film school,” she says. “Social media has become an increasingly visual medium — our best bet at reaching someone is in the first few seconds of a video (without sound!). During my time at Disney, I’ve had to pitch video ideas, help produce those videos, and then figure out the marketing campaign to get somebody to actually watch them. I was lucky to go to a school where I learned how to come up with original ideas and then see them all the way through the process.”

Creating campaigns online and off to drive people into theaters As Director of Publicity and Promotions for BH Tilt/Blumhouse Productions, Shane Hegeman (BA/PRA ’13) is challenged to create publicity campaigns and special events for a wide range of audiences.

Preparing for the release of Lowriders, a coming-of-age car drama targeting the Hispanic audience, Hegeman executed a grassroots social campaign designed to motivate car owners to share pictures of their modified cars “to generate excitement and foster a sense of community.” In addition, the company partnered with car clubs across the country for group screening events and leveraged the profile of the film’s stars, Eva Longoria and Demian Bichir, by booking them as presenters at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards. The Belko Experiment, a horror written by James Gunn, demanded very different experiences created across multiple verticals, including “a VR game, a claymation series from famed artist Lee Hardcastle, and a simulcast sneak peek fan screening with filmmakers and talent across 25 key markets for the film.” The results, says Hegeman, were increased visibility leading to a successful opening weekend and strong overall box office. (Editor: As this issue went to press, Hegeman took a new job with MGM in the Orion Pictures Division as Director of Publicity and Promotions.)

Building ticket sales for Bad Moms Amanda Pham (BA/PRA ’13) came to Dodge having “always wanted to work in entertainment, but I never necessarily felt like I belonged near the camera.” Rather, she “appreciated the art form” and grew up as a “typical, passionate fangirl about TV and film.”

Shane Hegeman 28

But when it came time for college, she saw herself in “entertainment first and marketing second so I didn’t feel completely right going to business school or a communications school. All I wanted to do is help creators create and spread their projects. When I saw that Chapman offered this focus in the film school, I immediately jumped to apply.”

Amanda Pham She found courses like Visual Storytelling gave her a “first taste of becoming filmmakers ourselves, pushing us to create our own stories on camera.” Today, she brings that understanding to her job as Social Media Strategy Supervisor at Horizon Media for STX Entertainment, leading the paid social strategy for STX films such as Bad Moms, The Bye Bye Man, Valerian, and The Edge of Seventeen, seeking out online advertising opportunities to drive awareness and ticket sales. “As advertisers and publicists, it may not feel like we are involved in the traditional process of production,” she says, “but now more than ever creators need us to tell their story to the right audiences because we understand the digital ecosystem better than anyone.”

PRA STUDENTS PRODUCE A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

he student Emmy won by Noah Rashba (PRA ‘17) and Kyle Decker (TBJ ‘17) for the commercial they produced for The Aussie Bean, a business just blocks from the Chapman campus, marked a first for any Dodge student in the commercial category. It also reinforces the value of the marriage of film and public relations and advertising as another path to business and career success. Rashba, who just recently started a dream position as a coordinator in the strategy department at Twentieth Century Fox - Theatrical Marketing, finds the lessons he learned making the spot come into play daily. “In the strategy department, positioning is one of the areas we think about constantly – what is the film about – at its core,” he says of his job. “Then how

do we communicate this to the public. We think about the challenges to overcome and the assets that we can take advantage of. “These are all things that we thought about and had to apply during the pre-production of The Aussie Bean spot,” he adds, “and that was probably one of my favorite parts about the process. So it’s great to be doing that constantly for work!” The students produced the spot for Professor Jim Fredrick’s Producing Commercials class, where they research targeting audiences, effective messaging, branding, and as Professor Fredrick puts it “the importance of emotion in commercials.” The assignment asks students to produce a 30-second commercial for a product or company they are passionate

about. The resulting spot “plays on the nostalgic emotion of grabbing coffee in a place where you can relax and catch up with friends,” says Fredrick. “The voiceover was spectacular—naturally casual and familiar, like a friend talking to you—it was the perfect soft-sell, which is the style today.” The no-budget project necessitated arriving at the coffee shop three times a week at 6 a.m., before the store opens at 7. But the result—in addition to winning an Emmy!—became the first commercial for Rashba and Decker’s own company, Digital Method Advertising, that makes web commercials for local startups. Or, as Rashba puts it, “It was a perfect way to get our next client and get some class credit for it.” For more information on Digital Method Advertising, visit http://digitalmethodadvertising.com/ 29

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT ADVERTISING TEAM TAKES HOME ANOTHER WIN

rom cosmetics to insurance to frozen Asian entrees, Chapman advertising teams have taken on immense research, logistical and creative challenges in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). And, once again—for the fifth time, in fact—they have taken first place in their competition district, beating teams from UCLA, USC, UCSD, Cal St. Fullerton and UNLV to name a few. Working with the 31 students on the team nights and weekends for the many months leading up to the District Finals was advertising Professor John Most, who participated in the competition when he was a student himself. Most brings his own experience working on some of the world’s most famous brands including Coca-Cola, Nabisco, Taco Bell, Nissan and Toyota, among many others, in New York and San Francisco and owning his own agency for over a decade to guiding the students through what he estimates was an effort comprised of 2,200 hours from September to May.

“really excel is on research and storytelling.” The storytelling skills particularly come into play during the final, live presentation to the district judges, when the students boil down the results of their months’ of work into a 20-minute presentation. This year’s competition presented an additional challenge, as the students came to believe that Tai Pei was “more of a cautious client,” says Taller, challenging a student team that “has always tried to be daring and to push the limits.” The challenge of finding “a balance between what we know is good work, and what the client wouldn’t think is too ‘out there,’” was further complicated by the theoretical nature of the competition.

But solid research, sharp consumer insights and some media and creative experiential executions - such as a barrel freezer filled with Tai Pei entrees located in the produce aisle to capture the attention of shoppers who typically avoid the frozen food aisle, awarded a first-ever Best Experiential Award for the district - carried the day, and once again, the Chapman NSAC team took home the win.

Account Director Tammy Taller (BA/ PRA’17), one of three leading the team, believes where the Chapman teams Professor Most, back row, left, and the winning Chapman NSAC team.

Scene from Patched

—OR MILAN! —WITH BRANDED CONTENT

s the world of advertising continues to evolve, film students are finding a whole new domain in which to apply their storytelling skills. Telling a story that will engage audiences—and serve a brand—can open new doors for young filmmakers. Tom Teller (MBA/MFA/FTP ’18) and Julian Conner (BFA/FP ’17) won national acclaim in winning the Coca-Cola/Regal Films contest last spring with their 30-second spot on a movie theater standee/robot who joins the audience settling in for a movie with popcorn and a Coke. Teller and Conner are building on their success with their own production company, Frame 48, started a little over a year ago. Their next project explored a longer version of branded content, producing a six-minute film for Childrens Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in partnership with a class on Advertising Campaign Production led by Professor Ed Collins of local marketing agency, Amusement Park. The film, Patched, tells the story of Ashley Blalock, who was born prematurely and spent four

Most cites a number of factors in Chapman’s continuing win streak, including “unparalleled dedication, great leadership, the ability to trust one another, amazing creativity and the ability to produce their ideas.”

“In the real world, the partnership between agency and client is much more collaborative,” Taller says. “You’re checking in frequently to approve work and see that you’re on the same page. In NSAC, you create this entire campaign blind, and never get to meet the judges or the client until the end, so it’s often a game of chance.”

ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Patrick Hall, who was the model in the film, with filmmakers Iain Gayley, Jonathan Grace, and Cole Borgstadt at the Fashion Film Festival in Milan.

months in intensive care at CHOC, later to become a child life specialist at the hospital, and her daughter, Kennedy, who was born with a congenital heart defect requiring multiple surgeries. Their story of three generations served by the caring environment at CHOC is emblematic of its impact on people’s lives. The purpose of the film, says Teller, is to convey the values of a brand “through an impactful and beautiful short cinematic piece.” Creating content such as Patched is “an example of the work that we hope to continue producing: powerful content for companies and organizations that are dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives.” For many students, branded content films are a key way to get their work seen. Many start their own production companies while they’re still in school or produce content to help pay the bills. For Jonathan Grace (BFA/ FP ’19), Cole Borgstadt (BFA/FP ’19) and Iain Gayley (BFA/CRPR ’19), a branded content project even took them to Europe, when their film This is Chaos was chosen as an official selection

of the Fashion Film Festival in Milan. The project came about when an LAbased production company, Global Perspectives, offered the job to Grace, who had been producing Instagram spots for the company, owned by friends. The company wanted to try something larger and so, with a production budget of $300, Grace brought on Borgstadt to co-direct and Gayley to produce. When their film was selected for the festival, the three traveled to Milan with funding from Chapman Student Government Association, and found fashion film “still developing as a genre,” says Gayley. “It’s still kind of anyone’s game, new brands or established. We found that we enjoyed some of the films made by new directors and new brands more than films made by bigger brands like Georgio Armani or Hermes.” This is Chaos has also been accepted in the Chicago, London and Istanbul fashion film festivals and is waiting to hear back from others. 31

COLLEGE TO CAREER

Career Spotlight From agencies to studios, streaming media platforms, major networks, production houses and even at NASA, Dodge College students find internships not only a great way to get real world experience fast, but sometimes, as 2017 graduate Adam Ginell learned, they can lead to your first career opportunity before the ink even dries on your diploma.

ADAM GINELL (BFA/DIGITAL ARTS’17)

How did you find/land your job? Over the course of a few semesters, I networked as much as possible and got in touch with an NBCU recruiter. He helped connect me with internship representatives, and after a few interviews, I got asked to come in as a design intern for Home Entertainment.

What types of tasks and or projects do you work on? A typical day usually entails a wide variety of interesting projects. In the morning, the coordinators/managers will have projects assigned for the design team (three of us) to work on throughout the day. Many of our projects entail taking current or catalog film key art and resizing it for various media lockers like iTunes or Amazon, or creating marketing related materials that can be posted at screenings, in retail stores, or anywhere our films will be shown or sold. I’ve gotten to work with a wide range of art from early Universal films to more current films like the Fast and Furious franchise and Despicable Me. I’ve also had opportunities to create motion 32

graphics for NBCUniversal that are displayed in company buildings around the world. Seeing my work out in the world is extremely satisfying!

Digital Arts to Graphic Design – are they different? Similar? Honestly, without a lot of the skills I learned in my digital arts major, I would have had a tough time adjusting to my current position, so I would say they are definitely similar in many ways, but also very different. As a digital arts major, I mostly worked with animation and visual effects, but here at Universal, I’m able to use a lot of the technical skills I learned over the years in Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and After Effects to tell stories that can be used to convey a film to an audience through design. Without the storytelling skills I learned at Chapman, and my ability to understand how art itself can tell a story, I wouldn’t feel as successful as a designer as I do today.

What course, professors, or skills learned at Chapman have been most helpful in your current position? It’s hard to really specify just one course, but I’d say Storytelling for Digital Arts had one of the larger impacts because it taught me the importance of story in films

BUILDING A LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL

D and I’ve used this as a way to tell stories with the art I work with. In general, every class I took in my major exposed me to different aspects of film that I’ve been able to accumulate in my skills arsenal. All of the projects I worked on at Chapman gave me bits and pieces of knowledge along the way that have helped me grow in my position immensely.

What advice would you offer students looking for jobs? The main piece of advice I can offer students looking for jobs is to continuously network with as many people as possible. I’m sure most people hear this all the time, but I can’t stress its importance enough. Over my last two years at Chapman, I took advantage of as many networking opportunities as I could. Even if it was with someone who worked in a field not specifically related to what I was doing, I still took advantage of networking with them. You can never count on simply applying for a job and getting hired as the way to a successful career. You never know who might help you land your first job, but the more people you know, the more opportunities for networking you’ll have, and the more likely you’ll line up a job in time for graduation.

ean Bob Bassett likes to tell a story about how in the early days of the film school parents of prospective students would beg him to talk their sons and daughters out of choosing film—worried about the career prospects. Today, parents eagerly seek avenues to insure their students’ admittance, as excited as their sons and daughters about pursuing a career in entertainment. While fears about finding a job and building a career may have been mollified by the growing success of Chapman grads, that doesn’t change the fact that there is no single path to a job in the business. Internships, of course, are key, as are the many networking opportunities that Dodge College offers. Now, the college is adding a whole new level of activity and mentorship to help students make that college to career transition. Professor Barbara Doyle, formerly an executive assistant to a Senior Vice President of Production at Tri-Star; a production supervisor on projects for CBS, NBC, Disney, Showtime and others and previously chair of Dodge College’s Film Division, has been tasked with de-

the industry. Among the ideas Doyle is exploring is a Career Advisory Board, with members representing every discipline in Dodge and including professionals at various stages in their careers, from one-to-five years, 10 years and up. She sees the board and others involved in a Close Mentorship program, along the lines of a big brother/big sister model.

veloping a full-on career program. “The process of transitioning to a career can begin very early, and can (should) be an ongoing organic process during the students’ life at Dodge,” she says. “A combination of networking events, meetings, both discipline-specific and all-inclusive seminars and workshops, and an active internship/employment program will help students gain contacts, strengthen their ‘soft’ skills, and become more confident in their ability to compete.” Doyle has a variety of plans to help students “gain a better understanding of how their specific goals fit into the industry. They can discover areas that are not covered in classes.” And, she sees the program helping alums become and stay engaged at a deeper level as they progress through

Additional programming might include seminars on how various aspects of the business function, such as panels on writing coverage, and panels/seminars on international sales and distribution, on careers in the academic world, and on strategies for creating a strong resume or reel. Additional topics might include contracts, unions and guilds, and music supervision. A key piece of the plan still under discussion is establishing a Dodge College presence in Los Angeles. With a dedicated space for Dodge events, students and alumni could interact with industry professionals through events of all sizes— from small discussions over coffee, to round-tables, seminars and conferences. These and other ideas in the works are designed to enlarge on what Doyle calls “the Chapman mafia,” the network of alumni who look out for each other like family—opening doors, making connections and further easing the college-to-career transition.

DODGE COLLEGE PARENTS SPONSOR COLLEGE TO CAREER WORKSHOP SERIES The College to Career Workshop Series will expand our current career efforts to include interdisciplinary topics such as: • Location scouting and permits • Legal filmmaking rights & contracts • Visual effects software • Social media for publicity

• • • •

Feature film scheduling and budgeting Driving lessons for production trucks Public speaking Drone and underwater camera operation

• • • •

Assistant editing Assistant directing Steadicam operation Virtual reality software

These workshops are possible through the support of Dodge College parents, Kim Worsencroft and Dennis McEvoy.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

ASHTON AVILA (MFA/FP’17)

GRANT MOORE (MFA/FP’17)

LA Shorts Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Rhode Island International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Action On Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Skyline Indie Film Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Rahway International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Highland Park Independent Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Ojai Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Glendale International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Laughlin International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

LA Shorts Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Rhode Island International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Gallup Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Breckenridge Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, San Diego International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Edmonton International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Carmel International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, International Student Film & Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy – OFFICIAL SELECTION

PICKLE

I GOT YOU BABE

I Got You Babe

KENDALL GOLDBERG (BFA/FP ’17)

BRIAN ROBAU (MFA/FP’17)

GLORIA TALKS FUNNY

IT’S JUST A GUN Telluride Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Cleveland International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Short Shorts Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, First International Film Festival Xining – OFFICIAL SELECTION, HollyShorts Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Skyline Indie FilmFest – NOMINATION Best Student Film, Breckenridge Film Festival – WINNER Best Student Film, Tacoma Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Woodstock Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Kerry Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Washington West International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Savannah Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Sidewalk Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Austin Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Orlando Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, San Jose International Short Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTIONFilm Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Durango Indpt. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Beaufort Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Taos Shortz Film Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Spokane Intl. Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Green Bay Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION AMANDA LARSH (BFA/TBJ’17), HANNAH BRADFORD (BFA/TBJ’17), NICHOLAS MCDONALD (BFA/TBJ’17), CAROLINE ROFFE (BFA/TBJ’17)

DANCING IN LIMBO

Gloria Talks

TOM TELLER (BFA/FP’16)

ICARUS

Funny

Santa Barbara International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, St. Louis International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Awareness Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Choreoscope International Dance Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Ojai Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, BendFilm Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Tallgrass Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Newport Beach Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Palm Springs International ShortFest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, LA Shorts Fest – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Rhode Island International Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, HollyShorts Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Mill Valley Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Icarus

Broad Strokes

PHILLIP VERNON (BFA/FP’17)

BROAD STROKES Ivy Film Festival – WINNER Best Comedy, Austin Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Orlando Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION, Reeling: Chicago International LGBTQ+ Film Festival – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Dancing in Limbo

Students Take Home

Chapman Cinematographers

GOLD FROM STUDENT EMMYS

t this year’s College Television Awards, affectionately known as the Student Emmys, Dodge students scored a total of eight nominations across five categories showing the diversity and quality of filmmaking produced at Chapman. The May event is put on by the Television Academy Foundation, the organization behind the Emmys, and honors student producers for their work. In Children’s Programming, both Shamola Karkar’s (MFA/FP ‘17) The Monkey King Is In Town and Becky Prolman (BFA/FP ‘16) and Camille Houphouet-Boigny’s (BFA/FP ‘16) A Taylor Story garnered nominations, with A Taylor Story taking home the top prize. In a Chapman first, Noah Rashba

RACK UP ASC NOMINATIONS

(BFA/PRA ‘17) and Kyle Decker (BFA/ TBJ ‘17) took home the top prize in the Commercial category with their piece Aussie Bean 30 Second Spot. Ryan Stratton (BFA/SW ‘17) and Robert Mai (BFA/SW ‘16) were nominated for Music Composition for Icarus and For Old Time’s Sake respectively.

Cinematographers from ten different film schools were chosen and four out of the thirteen nominations were Chapman students, sustaining Dodge’s record of accomplishment of ASC recognition that includes 13 nominations, 6 wins and two honorable mentions since 2007.

Undergraduate Hadley Hillel (BFA/ FP ‘18) took home the prestigious Best Directing prize for his film Ernie, being honored alongside Brian Robau (MFA/ FP ‘17) who was also nominated in the same category for It’s Just a Gun.

Both Justin Moore (MFA/FP ’17) and Michael Phillips (MFA/FP ’17) garnered nominations for the Andrew Lesnie Student Heritage Award – Graduate Category, for the dramas James Joyce’s The

Finally, Matt Gibson (MFA/S ‘16) earned a nomination in Writing for Comedy for Trying to Fuck: A Modern Day Romance.

Students Score Big with

Sisters and Night Call respectively. Dillon McEvoy (BFA/FP ’17) received a nomination for the Andrew Lesnie Student Heritage Award – Undergraduate Category with his work on the science fiction film G.R.E.T.A. Finally, for the Haskell Wexler Student Documentary Award, Elijah Guess (BFA/FP ’17) received a nomination for his work on the Malawi water-focused film entitled Parched. “These students are carrying on a proud tradition of Chapman cinematographers being recognized by the ASC,” says Dean Robert Bassett. “Congratulations also goes to our stellar cinematography faculty, who play a major role in the ongoing success of our students in these prestigious awards.”

Three Semi-Finalists and One Finalist Highlight Strong Chapman Student

CAUCUS FOUNDATION GRANTS

ACADEMY AWARDS SHOWING

he Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation, a leader in the non-profit arts world, recently awarded over $19,000 in grant money to three Chapman filmmakers. Ashton Avila (MFA/ FP ‘17) received a Caucus Foundation Grant for finishing funds for her thesis film I Got You Babe, a charming period piece focusing on a couple deciding to get married before the draft deferment for marriage is outlawed by executive order in 1965. Two more Chapman films received a joint grant from the Caucus Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation including Amanda Renee Knox’s (MFA/FP ‘17) Night Call and Paul Mowry’s (MFA/FP ‘17) Marty & Stacy’s Pixelated Dream Show.

our Dodge College cinematographers received nominations for the American Society of Cinematographers’ 2017 Student Heritage Awards Competition recognizing graduate, undergraduate and documentary student works.

f this year’s 1,586 submissions to the Student Academy Awards, only 85 films advanced to the Semi-Finalist stage, including four Chapman films. Dodge College students placed in the top 5% of all films submitted from the best film schools across the country. Jeremiah Thompson’s (MFA/TBJ ‘17) Beginning of the Road advanced in the Documentary category along with the Community Voices project Dempsey the Diabetic Superhero from filmmakers Kendall Goldberg (BFA/FP ‘17), Greyson Horst (BFA/FP ‘19), Rocky Pajarito (BFA/SW ‘17), and Caroline Roffe (BFA/TBJ ‘17).

In the narrative category, Tanner Cusumano’s (BFA/FP ‘17) science fiction film G.R.E.T.A. placed alongside Daniel Drummond’s (MFA/FP ‘19) A Foreman. Drummond’s film also advanced to the finalist stage in Narrative, making it one of only seven films to do so. If you were thinking Drummond’s name rings a bell, you would be right. He won the Student Academy Award Gold, Chapman’s first, in the Alternative category in 2015 for his animated film Chiaroscuro.

DODGE COLLEGE Jillian Arnold (MFA/FP ’04) was honored as one of Studio Daily’s Top 50 in the Specialist Category, presented at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference in Las Vegas. Bogart Avila (BA/PRA ’15) is now a Strategist at Giant Spoon, An Everything Agency. Nate Bell (MFA/FS ’13) is a oneyear full-time professor of film Studies at the Cinematic Arts Department at Azusa University for the academic year 2017-2018.

ALUMNI NOTES

International Co-Productions. Brenda Brkusic (FTV ’04) was recently elected as the LA Area Governor on the Board of Governors for the Television Academy. Brkusic also recently won her 7th Emmy Award as Executive Producer of Bill W.: The Creative Force Behind Alcoholic Anonymous, a documentary that aired nationally on PBS, and recently won her 3rd CINE Golden Eagle Award, 2nd Golden Mike Award and 8th Telly Award. Brkusic is currently the Director of Program Development and Executive Producer of National Productions for PBS SoCal.

3 Variety named filmmaker Erika Cohn (BFA/FP ’09) one of “10 Documakers to Watch.” Her documentary The Judge, which provides rare insight into Shari’a law told through the eyes of the first woman judge to be appointed to the Middle East’s religious courts, premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. http://thejudgefilm.com/

1 Miguel Berg (MFA/FTP

’15) was recently named a 2017 Latino Media Market Fellow by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). Through the NALIP, Berg and co-writer Leon Langford (MFA/ SW ’15) were able to pitch Aurora to more than 20 production companies. Aurora focuses on a group of friends who investigate an extra-terrestrial urban legend “that has shrouded their small, rural town in mystery for over a century.” Berg recently worked as an Entertainment Coordinator with NBC’s Department of Movies, Miniseries and

2 Rena Cheng (BFA/DA ’12) is working in film, animation, and tech at the Nimble Collective, a startup founded by ex-PDI/ Dreamworks veterans that is focused on building an animation pipeline in the cloud.

Homecoming

5 Burke Doeren (BFA/TBJ ’12) is directing Facebook livestream projects for Nashville (CMT), Younger (TVLand), and Descendants 2 (Disney Channel) - more on BurkeDoeren.com. In September he married alumna Kellie Henika (BFA/TBJ ’11).

4 4 Happy Hunting, written and di-

rected by Joe Dietsch (BFA/FP ’09) and Louie Gibson (BFA/FP ’11), screened in theaters and is available on VOD. The film follows Warren, an alcoholic drifter who must battle withdrawal and psychotic rednecks after he becomes the target at a deranged sporting event. The Gersh Agency is representing the film domestically. French-based WTFilms is representing the film internationally. Gibson and Dietsch are both repped by Gersh.

Jessica Herman (BFA/CRPR ’14) is now the Manager of Current Unscripted at Thinkfactory Media where she manages all of the company’s unscripted projects from the end of the development stage through delivery to the network. 7 Tasha Hunter (MFA/FTP ’10) is President of the Arts Council for Long Beach and the Executive Director of Uptown Business Improvement District.

Alex Ivany (BFA/ TBJ ’15) was the assistant editor and archival footage researcher for the Academy Award®-nominated 7 Netflix documentary 13th (directed by Ava DuVernay). He also edited the indie feature Skin in the Game (2017).

Daysha Broadway (MFA/FP ’12) was nominated for an Emmy in the outstanding picture editing for unstructured reality program category for her work on A&E’s show Born This Way. 1

Distinguished Alumni Honored at

6 6 Sorrel Geddes (BA/PRA ’05) is now Senior Vice President, US Production and Events for the British Film Commission in Los Angeles.

Brittney Sochowski Hefner (BA/ PRA ’09) is now Senior Account Supervisor, Edelman for Xbox and Global Client Relationship Manager for Microsoft.

Gloria Lam Pellegrino (BFA/ Broadcast Journalism’01) was named a Federal Administrative Judge where she will hear cases for the Social Security Administration. She was previously Assistant District Attorney (Queens County), where she handled economic crimes and counterterrorism. She earned her law degree from the University of Hawai’i. Leon Langford (MFA/SW ’15) and Miguel Berg (MFA/FTP ’15) co-wrote a script that placed as a semi-finalist in Acclaim’s screenwriting contest. Berg is credited with the story and Langford with

Enterprising alumni Maci Peterson (BA/PRA ’09) and Justin Simien (BFA/FP ’05) were presented with a Chapman University Distinguished Alumni Award honoring their remarkable professional success at the Chapman University Family Homecoming Celebration in October. Peterson won first place in the #StartupOasis pitch competition at South by Southwest in 2014 with her text recall app On Second Thought, rocketing her into start-up stardom. As cofounder and CEO of On Second Thought, Peterson made Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30 List” in 2016 and Washington Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 List” in 2015. Her app was mentioned on NBC’s Today Show and she presented a coding workshop for the nonprofit Project Fibonacci. In 2014, Justin Simien’s first feature film Dear White People earned him the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the Sundance Film Festival. With the film’s theatrical release, Simien won Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit awards and was nominated for the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award at the 2014 Gotham Awards. With a spot on Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch” list, he adapted Dear White People for a Netflix series of the same name. The Los Angeles-based rising star is in production on the second season of his show Dear White People and is writing/ directing the upcoming horror satire Bad Hair.

ALUMNI NOTES DODGE COLLEGE 40

writing the screenplay for their script Aurora. 8 Caitlin Manocchio (BA/FS

’16) is the assistant for the public programming department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She also serves as a member of the talent relations team and recently worked the 89th Annual Academy Awards.

Christopher Moore (MFA/SW ’17) placed as one of five finalists in Acclaim Film & TV’s national TV pilot writing competition with his pilot Mixed, about a mixedrace family that navigates social stigmas and identity crises in the San Diego suburbs. Brendan Nahmias (BFA/TBJ ’12) recently started working at 20th Century Fox TV in Current Programming.

10 John Rocco (BFA/FP ’11), Abiel Bruhn (BFA/FP ’10), Tristan Borys (MFA/FP ’12), Scotty G. Field (MFA/FP ’12), Brad Porter (MFA/FP ’12), Rob Himebaugh (MFA/FP ’12), Matt Schwartz (BFA/FP ’10), Kelly Pratt (BFA/FP ‘11), and Cristian Quintero (BFA/FP ’10) worked on an indie horror-comedy, The Night Sitter, produced by their company Roller Disco Massacre.

satire with a universal story that’s ironically human.

9 Evan Noorani (BFA/TBJ ’17)

is a reporter and weather anchor at KREM2 News in Spokane, Washington.

Colin Sommer (BA/PRA ’14) is the US-based Digital Marketing Manager for the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development group at Warner Bros.

Marissa Moffitt (BA/PRA ‘10) is the Director of Promotions and Integrated Marketing at The Weinstein Company. Prarthana Mohan (MFA/FP ‘09) and Kay Tuxford’s (MFA/S ‘08) coming of age comedy The Miseducation of Bindu is a winner of the Hometown Heroes Rally competition, presented by filmmakers The Duplass Brothers and the crowdfunding website Seed&Spark. The Duplass Brothers Productions will executive produce the project.

10 Maya Rodrigo (BFA/TBJ ’17) is an executive assistant at QC Entertainment. 9

Kathleen Remington (BA/PRA ‘05), an agent with ICM Partners, was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Up-and-Coming Execs 35 and Under” list.

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

11 The short film Illegal Aliens, created by Kristin Schaack (BA/ PRA ’04), screened around the country over the last year. The film portrays the immigration debate in a way that’s “out of this world”. Illegal Aliens is a quirky

Morgan Steele (BA/SW ’06) recently served as script coordinator and staff writer of the DreamWorks show – Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh – which premiered on Netflix. Steele wrote three episodes or the third season including “Hard to Gettings” and “A Thuperhero Thory Part 1.” His third episode – and his favorite – will air 2018. He is also the creator, writer and director for three seasons and 24 episodes of the comedy web series Golden California. The series followed the misadventures of TV host Herb Hendricks as he travels California looking for whatever makes the state golden.

12 Bear With Us, a comedy farce directed by alumnus William Stribling (MFA/SW ’14) and co-written and co-produced with fellow alumnus Russ Nickel (MFA/SW ’14), was released on iTunes in August. The movie is about a man who attempts to propose to his girlfriend in the most romantic way possible -- but his plan starts to fall apart when a ravenous bear stumbles upon their cabin in the woods. It won five “best feature” awards and numerous other awards at film festivals across the country before it landed a distribution deal with Comedy Dynamics. It is available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Google Play.

13 13 Game Developer Spencer Stuard (BFA/DA ’10) and his team took home The Aesthetic Award at the 2017 International Festival of Independent Games or IndieCade, for Cat Sorter VR. The game “challenges players to find, fix and have fun sniffing out flawed cats and returning them to normeowl.” Visit catsortervr.com for more information.

Jason Wise (BFA/FP ‘05) and Christina Tucker Wise (BFA/FTV BJ ‘05) released their third feature film Wait for your Laugh profiling comedian/actress/ singer Rose Marie. See rosemariemovie.com/. 14 Jeremy Zelikovic

(BFA/FP ’14) is the assistant to cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on an untitled Spielberg project.

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For more events, visit events.chapman.edu

DOC 345/545 WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FILMMAKING

Spend interterm documenting wildlife! FTV 301/601 FILM ADVERTISING NYC ‘18 TRAVEL COURSE

Students in this course will learn about film distribution, trailers, and agencies in the Big Apple. FTV 329/529 MODERN HORROR WORKSHOP

In this course, students view, analyze, and deconstruct films that use elements of horror. Attention is given to unique, layered films produced in the past two decades and that fall outside of the standard Hollywood horror genre. FTV 353/653 FILM CAPITALS OF THE WORLD: LONDON AND PARIS TRAVEL COURSE

Learn about the business and history of film in Europe by visiting film facilities, locations, exhibits, and meeting film professionals while experiencing all that these great cities have to offer. FTV 361/561 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL TRAVEL COURSE

This course is taught at Dodge College and then on-location at the internationally celebrated Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. 19TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN FOCUS – APRIL 20, 2018

Featuring a panel of the most prominent women in the entertainment industry participating in an open discussion with students and the community regarding their experiences in the business. More info: chapman.edu/womeninfocus CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY PREVIEW DAY – APRIL 21, 2018

Designed to give prospective high school students, transfer students, and parents an in-depth look at what it means to be a Chapman student.

COMMENCEMENT – MAY 19, 2018 Celebrating the class of 2018.