Earlier this year, Miami University students were star struck by the presence of professional actor and film producer George Clooney on campus, but unknown to many students, another sort of film production is here on campus, in the form of a capstone course.
The class, offered by the mass communication department, is Narrative Film Production. Every spring semester, 16 to 20 applicants are chosen to create a completely student produced film and hopefully win an Emmy Award.
This class is instructed by communications professors David Scholle and Sam Ribbler, both of whom have much experience in the field of film.
"We give the students independence up to a point, but we are always available to assist them on set," Sholle said. "We also hire two professionals, a gaffer and an LA pro who advises the students."
This year, both of those professionals are Miami graduates from the communications department. AJ Epstein has been a director of photography for seven Hollywood movies, including Exodus with Andy Garcia and Aidan Quinn. The other is Hollywood electrical expert Jake Hossfeld, who worked on the movie Unstoppable with Denzel Washington, as well as on the recent Clooney movie shot here on campus.
Each student is given a role in producing the movie, from writer to director.
"It's all student decided," said co-producer of the film, senior Andrew Bray. "We decide to produce that film, we raise the budget. We approach it as a professional studio film."
The class begins with the students voting on which script they want to bring to life. This year, they chose senior Evan White's.
"I was going to make the film anyways, but I think it's great that it's something that the whole class can do," White said. "What's been really cool is seeing the script change."
Named The Cure, the script is about a family that has recently moved to the country, and their struggle to adapt to their new surroundings. Then, a mysterious outbreak completely turns things upside down and, as Bray described it, "our main character must survive the spread of madness in search of The Cure."
Unique to other student-produced films, The Cure's cast is completely made up of characters older than college students.
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"One of the goals decided is that we want to make a film without any college age actors," Bray said. "So our main cast has no students in it."
The crew held auditions in Hamilton and Cincinnati.
When the film is finished, the students will look to submit it in regional festivals.
"Past films from this class have won Student Emmys," Sholle said. "Rx won the regional Student Emmy for best student film. Written Off also won the same Emmy and was selected for the Rochester International Film Festival."
Such experience in a professional and successful film setting will no doubt help the future of these students in the film industry.
"So much of working in TV and film is procedural learning," White said. "The only way you can get better at it is practicing."
He added that he will come out of this capstone with not only a newly sharpened skill set, but also a film he can show off in the industry.
The crew is filming March 25 to 27 and April 1 to 3. Because this production is completely student run, including the fundraising, they are encouraging donations to be sent to www.IndieGoGo.com/TheCure.
For interested prospective film aspirers, visit http://www.users.muohio.edu/sholled/Capstone_Pictures/Home.html to view past films and the application.
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