Ivy League Cinderella Story
Ben Weiner (’17) and Logan Beerman (’16), came together to form Bazooka Entertainment, LLC a few years ago to film, edit and produce sports-related content. With their main clients being NFL Network and US Soccer, they became immersed in the sports world and decided they wanted to create a story of their own – an
Debut Feature Film for Director Carlos Lopez-Estrada '12
I had the pleasure of watching Blindspotting (2018) at The Landmark in LA on Friday July 20th. As many other publications have said, it is a very timely piece. Unfortunately, as Daveed Diggs said in a post movie Q&A, “It’s nice to have a film that’s relevant, but like, it would’ve been cool if it was
Chapman Filmed Entertainment in Production on Next Feature
Production is in full swing on Chapman Filmed Entertainment‘s (CFE) next feature, Static, written by CD Carpenter and directed by Chapman alumna Miriam Anwari (MFA/FP ’17). The film focuses on Adrian, a young female radio host whose interview for her college radio station goes viral when she uncovers the dark secret of an up and coming musician. Production began on July
Alumni Spotlight: Dani Sánchez-López
Being passionate about what you do means that you will go wherever opportunities present themselves—even if that means traveling over 8000 miles to get there or just jumping into a project for a short time. Spanish cinematographer Dani Sanchez-Lopez (MFA/FP ’09) took his talents to Asia when work was limited in Los Angeles. And he
Friday Focus: Alumni
Makena Costlow (BFA/FP ’17) has been with The Third Floor as an assistant editor since November. The Third Floor is a pre-visualization company that has worked on Star Wars and most Marvel movies among many other features, games, and theme park attraction. Marisol Diaz (BA/SW ’16) & Hadley Dion (BFA/FP ’16) have co-written and are
VFX at Chapman
Many freshmen entering the Animation and Visual Effects program at Dodge College this year were born the year The Matrix was released—in effect, they have been surrounded by stunning visual effects their entire lives. Just as Keanu Reeves (Neo) fights to find his way out of the matrix, today’s aspiring young filmmakers are often fighting
Don't Be Afraid to Start at the Bottom
When I graduated from Chapman, I didn’t know very much about the world. I had no idea what it was going to take for me to break into the entertainment industry. I didn’t know representation was going to teach me everything I needed to know, and that I would be miserable doing it. I never
Stop Motion Marries Visual Effects and Animation to Tell a Warrior’s Story
It’s probably safe to say that patience is not a defining characteristic of most college students. But when Taylor Johnston (BFA/DA ’18) and Austin Piko (BFA/DA ’18) decided to make a stop-motion animated film for their senior thesis, they took the demand for patience to a whole new level. Johnston and Piko are co-directing a
From Film Production to Tabletop Game Design
In most senses, filmmaking and tabletop game design are worlds apart. Ben Kepner graduated from Chapman with a degree in film production in 2013, and at the time didn’t know that tabletop game design was a viable career path. But six years later, after a few lucky encounters and a lot of hard work, landed
Jon Schnitzer: Probing Near Death or Scared to Death Experiences
John Schnitzer (BFA/FTP ’01) is fascinated by things that might stop your heart—literally, or almost. Hence two of his recent projects have an otherworldly connection, one in VR and one a documentary that examines the extreme lengths people go to scare each other on Halloween. His VR experience, Flatline, has been showcased at VR/World New
Internship Spotlight: Nick Walker '18
Recently, Nick Walker (BFA/FP ’18) worked as a Film Intern with Alcon Entertainment. Below he answers questions about his experience. DODGE: How did you find your internship? NICK: I found the internship through Barbara Doyle, who heads up the College to Career initiative here at Dodge. Barbara helped me clean up my resume and cover letter
Women of Chapman Support Students of Dodge
This year’s Women of Chapman recipients have been chosen with funds provided to students producing their thesis films for the 2018-2019 academic year. Funding is generously provided by The Women of Chapman Student Filmmaker Endowment, which has awarded nearly $300,000 to Dodge College students since being established in 2012. Adrienne Brandes, chair of the student film