Daniel Drummond (BFA/DA’14) Wins Student Academy Award First Award of its kind for Chapman University

September 18, 2015

Orange, CA (September 18, 2015) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored 15 student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony held September 17 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills where Daniel Drummond became the first Chapman student to win a Student Academy Award.

Drummond, class of 2014, won the top prize in the Alternative Film category for his inventive film Chiaroscuro. The awards were announced and presented by actors Michelle Rodriguez and Jason Mitchell, filmmaker John Lassater, and the Big Hero 6 team of Roy Conti, Don Hall and Chris Williams.

Chiaroscuro is set in a desolate place, where a discovery by a mysterious entity sets in motion a chase through abstract space. As two organisms compete for the one light amid the darkness, their story reveals the volatile nature of power. Chiaroscuro is an exercise in minimalist aesthetics and visual storytelling – an open narrative, where it is up to the audience to connect the dots.

Daniel Drummond is from São Luís, Brazil. In 2010 he received a scholarship through the Institute of International Education, and moved to California to attend Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, recognized as one of the premier film schools in the United States.

During his time in the U.S., Daniel delved into all things cinema, studying film, animation, photography and graduating with a B.F.A. in Digital Arts with a concentration in Visual Effects. He had the chance to work on award-winning projects such as Into The Silent Sea (dir. Andrej Landin), shown in Official Selection at the Telluride Film Festival, winner of the BAFTA LA Award and widely praised for its visual effects work.

Through his studies in composition, color and movement, Daniel developed a passion for honest storytelling through striking visuals. He currently works as a freelance artist, looking for exciting projects where he can apply his knowledge of digital arts to his never-ending love for visual storytelling.

“Daniel’s win is evidence of how talented our students are and also of the fine leadership of Bill Kroyer and his faculty in developing our Digital Arts program,” says Dodge College Dean Bob Bassett.

This was a banner year for Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts as the school had several Student Academy Award Semi-Finalists and Finalists.

SEMI-FINLIASTS:

Narrative:

UNSPOKEN (2014)
Eric Otten / 2014 BFA Film Production, Directing

ALISON & JEREMY (2014)
Alyxandra Press / 2015 MFA Film Production, Directing

PRISM (2015)
Directed by Jackson Miller / 2015 BFA Film Production, Directing
David Reynolds
Chris Purse
Matt Rebong

THE LAST WORDS (2015)
Keegan Mullin / 2015 BFA Film Production, Directing

Animation:

WIRE CUTTERS (2014)
Jack Anderson / 2014 BFA Digital Arts

HUM (2015)
Tom Teller / 2016 Film Production

Alternative:

CHIAROSCURO (2014) / Daniel Drummond 2014 Digital Arts

FINALISTS: