For the third installment of Chapman University alumni directing for PlayStation Emerging Filmmaker Program we have Taylor Maxwell (MFA/DR ’13). “It was a rollercoaster,” says Taylor about the experience, and adds that, “it was really exciting.” Taylor shares that he had been let down in the past, having been so close to shooting on a
Ashton Avila completed her MFA in 2017 and through a series of fortunate events was hired for the PlayStation Emerging Filmmakers program to direct a pilot show, Two Roads. Avila made sure to network at her previous employments and through a relationship was contacted for an opening for director. Over the next two weeks her
Sarah Wilson Thacker (MFA/DR ’13) and Jamie Clevenger (MFA/FTP ’12) directed and produced, respectively, The Many Lives of Ayn Winters pilot for PlayStation’s Emerging Filmmakers Program. The program called for original stories through a competition with creators, and once five ideas were selected, Sarah was hired on to develop the screenplay. Sarah was the first
When making a biographical film, it can be a struggle to artfully balance authenticity and movie magic. Location can make or break this balancing act and takes hours or pre-production time to achieve the overarching look and feel. “It’s not showing off, it was preparing [the set] to be as beautiful as the acting was,”
Netflix can make any kind of content, and does so with purpose. With a healthy mix of cerebral dramas and stress-free comedies, it seeks to make and license shows for everybody and every mood they are in. There are shows that are for children and shows that cater to a senior demographic. “We don’t want
A note from the editor: Chapman University invites you to join us as we honor the Duffer Brothers at Chapman Celebrates, a song-and-dance stage show produced by Chapman University students and faculty, on Friday, November 3. Festivities include a gala, alumni reception, and a Master Class with the Duffers themselves. Tickets and information available here. The Netflix
We keep hearing about movie actors making the leap to TV, from Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Kevin Spacey, Jane Fonda, Matthew McConaughey, Susan Sarandon and a host of others. And so many film directors have made the move as well; David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Guillermo del Toro, Baz Luhrmann and Spike Lee, etc., are also working
Every so often, we’ll be spotlighting alumni and what they are up to these days. These Q&A sessions will give you a bit of insight into where the world has taken them since graduation. This week, the spotlight is on Brian Ducoffe (BA/Screenwriting ’13), who went from majoring in screenwriting to creating commercials for Detroit’s
Last month, members of the Dodge College community descended on Las Vegas for the annual National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB). With nearly 1,000,000 net-square-feet in exhibit space and over 1,700 exhibiting companies to explore, NAB is “the world’s largest annual convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertainment and technology.” For Dodge students the annual
From the page to the screen and everything in-between, Prime Time Production is more than just an interterm class; it’s an opportunity for students to get an immersive, hands-on experience working on full length television pilots. Each year, two original pilot scripts are chosen and paired with student producers to help bring the stories to
Al Raitt, BFA/TBJ ’10, puts in hours of work before the puck ever hits the ice. But when it does, Raitt and the five current Chapman students he’s hired are ready — to capture key plays, highlight crowd craziness, and help the Ontario Reign, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, create
Vines, memes, tweets, 2 hours of a presidential debate condensed to 90 seconds. The way viewers consume news is consistently challenging traditional journalism methods, including broadcast journalism. To better prepare students for the unknown, Professor Pete Weitzner created the course Journalism in the 21st century, calling on his connections amassed over thirty years in the