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The Wichitan page 5 Making the‘A’ list
Scottish actor James McAvoy goes from humble beginnings to big screen fame.
page 7 Playoff Bound
With a second-game rout of NSU, the Lady Mustangs clinch spot in postseason tournament.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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Doctor dabbles in cinematography
Photo by Herschel Self Student filmmakers Sandeepkumar Singh and John Dotson set up a shot for a collaborative work.
Chris Collins For the Wichitan Filmmaker Dr. Sandeepkumar Singh has big plans. When the 27-year-old medical doctor left India three years ago to pursue a master’s degree in health administration, he found something unexpected. He found art. He found passion. He found purpose. Now the doctor who came to the U.S. to chase a career has stumbled upon something just as rewarding: a hobby. Singh, a graduate student at MSU, has produced, directed and co-written about six films since May 2006. He said he’s self-taught. “Making films relieves the pressure of work,” Singh said. “Movie-making just isn’t work to me.” Singh said it’s difficult for filmmakers with tight budgets and limited equipment to keep up with competition. “It’s tough for an independent filmmaker to do one thing,” Singh said. “You have to do everything. You should know how to do everything. We don’t have big cameras but we get it done right.” Singh, who’s nicknamed “Deep,” established Deep Entertainments in February 2006. The production company is currently working on about three projects, including a documentary, a short film and a web series entitled Falls Town. Falls Town, a web series about a real con man in Wich-
ita Falls, was written by Falls Media Production. They specifically asked Singh to direct the project. He describes it as a “Western mafia” film. “I like twists. I want to surprise people. All my movies, especially the short films, have twists. But I like it to be reality-based.” Dramas, westerns and reality-based films are Singh’s favorites, he said. “ W h e n e v e r I first saw Western movies, I was like, ‘Wow, these guys have style!’” Dilemma, one of Singh’s short films, was accepted to the New York Student Film Festival. The film was also shown at the Independent Film Festival for Y’all in North Texas. “Film is my passion,” Singh said. “I love it. When I talk about it, I feel it.” Wichita Falls has been a huge influence in Singh’s films, he said. “I don’t want to go to Hollywood and make a movie,” Singh said. “If I’m going to make a movie, I want to make it here. This town has everything that Hollywood has.” John Dotson, an MSU sophomore, said Singh encouraged him to start making movies. “Deep’s a great filmmaker. He pushed me to write my first screenplay,” Dotson said. Dotson and Singh are currently working a short film entitled One Last Fight. “He’s a growing artist. I’m
Free lunch? ‘Complimentary’ pizza offer
comes with unexpected price Laura Hull Patrick Johnston For the Wichitan It was not the typical day at the local Domino’s Pizza on Maplewood Avenue, as students from MSU lined up April 7, waiting for their “free pizza and drink,” the promise of a lime green flyer passed out around campus. But was it really as simple as showing up and getting free food? Many expected it to be that easy, with “no purchase necessary,” but they immediately learned that wasn’t the case. The students were promptly greeted by a representative from Citibank asking for their MSU Student ID. A Citibank representative led
them to a computer to begin the process of signing up for a credit card. The offer at this particular event was for a Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa Card, created specifically for college students. The students didn’t know it, but both Citibank and Domino’s violated MSU policy, according to Dail Neely, dean of students. There is a strict no solicitation policy on campus, especially with credit card companies, unless it is approved by the Clark Student Center. “Until we can provide some programs so people understand how to financially manage themselves, we just don’t want folks getting into trouble,” Neely said. “It is bad enough that students have to borrow a lot of money
See “Pizza” pg. 4
Required exam tests writing skills Lindsay Lemon For the Wichitan
The MSU Writing Proficiency Exam (formerly the English Usage Exam) has been moved from the English department to the Office of the Provost. According to WPE Coordinator, Dana Barnett, the test is now under the Provost’s office because it is a university policy rather than an English department policy. The WPE, according to the MSU Web site, is an essay exam that “tests the ability of juniors to write a college-level persuasive essay.” Either the WPE or English 2113 is required for any student at MSU seeking a Bachelor’s Degree who has over 60 credit hours and who has passed both English 1113 and 1123.
The WPE is an MSU policy that has been approved by the Board of Regents and has been in place since 1983. The WPE, as well as English 2113, are offered in every semester: fall, spring, summer I and summer II according to the WPE’s MSU Web site. According to Barnett topics for the exam are chosen at random. “We have a test bank of about 70 topics, and two are chosen at random for each test,” Barnett said. According to Barnett, the average failure rate for the WPE is around 22 percent, though the number varies from semester to semester. The papers are graded by at least two full-time English faculty members, according to the
See “Exam” pg. 4
Population control filmmaker finds inspiration in disability crucial, expert says See “Deep” pg. 3
ing and production. “My handicap has also inspired future projects,” he said as student passed by saying “What’s’ up D He speeds down the hallways Rock?” of the Clark Student Center at “Just Rollin!” he responded. 20 miles an hour on his Quickie In April of 2007, Dotson had P222, a camera in his lap. the chance to meet a film direc Meet 22-year old John “Dtor, Wes Craven, who made an Rock” Dotson, business marketappearance at MSU for the Artists ing major with ambitions to beLecture Series. “I got a chance to come a great film director. get his autograph on one of my Dotson, better known to fellow scripts. I just talked to him for a students as “D-Rock,” was born second, but he wished me luck in with cerebral palsy. The condithe future.” tion affects body movement and In April of 2007, Dotson made muscle coordination and is caused Photo by Sandeepkumar Singh ground on his first short film. “Pulby abnormalities in the brain that John ‘D-Rock’ Dotson poses with director Wes Craven. verize: the Kung Fu Catastrophe,” control muscle movements. an action-comedy starring fellow Dotson, a former student at The Art Institute of Dallas, was given no words of inspiration when he MSU friends. The filming only took one day. After the final cut it informed them of his dream. The faculty told him he had no chance, was 12 minutes in length. because he would not be able to properly operate cameras. Since that day, he’s come to use that negative attitude as inspiration for his writSee “D-Rock” pg. 3 Sean Hasling For The Wichitan
Ryan Hatcher For the Wichitan
Mankind must learn to manage world resources in order to cope with rising global population, an expert said Tuesday night. Werner Fornos, president for the Population Institute, and a former Maryland state legislator, spoke to MSU students, faculty and the Wichita Falls community. “I hope that our politicians come to grip with problems that are current, instead of dealing with issues like religious phenomenon and scientific discoveries,” Fornos said. According to Fornos, the world overuses and abuses natural resources in numerous ways. Within the last 10 years, more
than 600,000 miles of tropical rainforest have been destroyed. “If you ever fly over the Indonesian Islands at night looking down looks like the islands are having a boy scout jamboree with the burning fires lighting the night,” he said. Fornos pointed out that one of the major problems is urbanization of lands rich in resources. “Rio de Janeiro and Copacabana has behind it a climbing region of vegetation. Because of marginal farming and urbanization when it rains now, a large portion of the life will wash away,” Fornos said. According to Fornos, 26,000 miles of topsoil were eradicated for urbanization last year. “Half of our world’s population live in urbanized cities, and
See “Speaker” pg. 4