Dodge College Starts Filmmaker in Residence Screenings

Hi! My name is Lauren Hertel and I work for the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts here at Chapman University. With our semester in full swing this week, I thought I would share one of my favorite classes/opportunities we offer every semester for our students.

Here at Dodge, we have two industry professionals that come and screen movies they have worked on for our students once-a-week. It is class our students can take as an elective, or just come in and watch each week.

On Tuesday night, our students had their first encounter with Tony Bill, one of our Filmmakers-In-Residence this Fall. Tony Bill is an an acclaimed writer, director, producer, actor (you name it, he has done it). This first film he chose to show was My Bodyguard, a film that he directed. It was a very interesting movie that gave a unique perspective of bodyguards and their relationship with the people they work to protect. The Q&A session after the screening was very insightful as to the challenges directors face on a daily basis working on a set.

These screenings also include a dinner that students can sign up to attend. This gives current students the chance to have a more intimate conversation with the filmmaker, and really get a chance to learn about the industry from someone that has been in it for years. Many times our filmmakers-in-residence will also bring a guest that also worked on the films.

Our Filmmakers-In-Residence (FIR) also mentor 20 students during the semester. Students are chosen based on an application process, and they meet with the FIR every other week about a current project. Often times this relationship extends past the semester, and many students form close ties to the professional they worked with (yes students have gotten jobs from this program!).

This is just one example of special opportunities our students have here at Dodge. It is really fun to watch our students actually get to meet people that they have admired for years, and it helps them to learn how the world of film works from the experts.

If you are local, you are welcome to come to these screenings! Check our website for specific times/dates. (ftv.chapman.edu).

Kudos to Chapman/WCHSS

Hello, my name is Laura Silva and I work in the Dean’s Office of Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences (WCHSS). Just recently WCHSS Dean Patrick Quinn received an email/letter from a student that truly explained what a remarkable school Chapman University is and how it gives students amazing opportunities in all areas campus-wide.

Here is what that student, a sophomore film productions major, had to say about a liberal arts class he took in the Communications Department of Wilkinson College.

“As a sophomore, I have been fortunate enough to have experienced some of the most amazing programs and classes at Chapman. I am extremely grateful, however, for having the opportunity to take a course called Intercultural Communications with Nicole Simons. This class focused on race, class, and gender issues in modern day culture. This course was without question the best taught class I have EVER attended. Nicole created an environment where everyone felt comfortable speaking and she was able to really have students think critically about material. It was a true example of kids working, not for a grade, but because she made us want to learn. Every student in that class was passionate about the material and they were all clear leaders and exceptional individuals. Every day my mind was opened to new ideas and I have grown as a person because of her class and the students who attended it.”

This particular student also spent his first two weeks of summer in Cameroon filming a documentary about an organization called CED, “a truly life changing experience,” he says.

It’s the faculty, courses and programs, like traveling to Cameroon filming a documentary, is what makes Chapman so unique.