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Passing on a Foxcroft Teacher’s Love of Film
Passing on a Foxcroft Teacher’s Love of Film
By Bethany Stotler
Foxcroft’s video production program started more than 15 years ago when Ginny Riley first started working at the school. The Warrenton native fell in love with the process of making short films with students and decided to pursue filmmaking in graduate school.
Cut to 2019: After several years working in the film industry in Los Angeles, Ginny returned to the place where it all began, passing down her love of film to Foxcroft students. Now in its sixth year, the program has already graduated three students who have continued their film studies in college.
Alexa Cuozzo, Class of 2023 from Leesburg, was one of Ginny’s first students to study film beyond Foxcroft. As a sophomore, she explored the technical side of filmmaking over her three years there, during which she declared a film making academic concentration and received an Inspired Learning Grant to support her endeavors. Her experience led to her enrolling in a conservatory style BFA program at SUNY Purchase in Westchester County, New York.
Ginny and Alexa sat down with Bethany B. Stotler, Foxcroft’s director of communications and marketing, to talk about the school’s film program. The following conversation appeared in the Foxcroft Magazine.
GR: When I worked here in my first iteration, I started making some videos for the school and had so much fun working with the kids. It never occurred to me that this could be my career until I started filming for Foxcroft, and that’s what led me to go to grad school for video production and then to work in the business in Los Angeles. When I came back part time in 2019, I was looking for a full-time teaching job in video production. Luckily things worked out at Foxcroft again. I referenced classes I took in grad school and created the program from scratch.
BBS: What were your expectations for the program?
AC: I didn’t realize how technical film was. There are so many more layers than I can wrap my head around. Before I knew anything about it, I thought it was going to be ‘here’s how to push record; here’s how to turn on a light.’ Foxcroft really expanded what I knew.
GR: I wanted to give kids a solid groundwork and have the confidence to make a movie a step above what you would shoot on your phone and edit in iMovie—something not necessarily professional yet, but on the way. I wanted to refine all those skills and discuss what makes storytelling effective and everything technical behind it.
BBS: If you had to share one highlight of your experience teaching or as a student in the program what would that be?
AC: The ability to make my love for film into an academic concentration helped me a lot. It allowed me to make my thesis film, and that was such a learning process for me. I loved how one-on-one and personal everything was. Whenever I had a question, there was an answer. Having that kind of relationship with your teacher because of how small the classes are made all the difference for me.
GR: Having kids come through the program and decide to pursue it in college afterward is such a big teaching win. As a teacher, any connection you can make with a student, small or big, it’s all those moments that fill your cup so much.
