The Electronic Media Survey is an introductory course in the E Media Tech program. This allows students to interact with a panel of working professionals in the electronic media field. The panel is moderated by Mike Sanders, and this allows students to ask questions such as “What am I going to be able to do with this degree when I graduate?” I sat in on the Thursday morning class of Nov. 1, and among the guests was Will Benson of Cincinnati Motion Pictures, a small local independent film production company.
Benson is the director of “Tattered Angel,” a film just being released that uses an entirely new format–24p digital. This is the first film to use this technology, and it has several advantages. One is its relatively low cost compared to traditional 35mm film. Another advantage is that it has greater depth of field, which means that the film allows viewers to focus on the actors in the foreground.
Mr. Benson told some amusing stories about soliciting funds for the film production. He literally sold the idea of the film to an acquaintance in a bar, invited him to the set, and then Benson received a $5000 check in the mail.
Benson also explained that to get his career “jump started” in making television commercials, he made several mock-up commercials to show his potential clients. It took him three years to defray the expense of those commercials.
Mr. Benson brought a film clip from the “Tattered Angel.” It was a beautiful tracking shot which followed the hero as he walked through his home and in a series of sentimental vignettes depicted the story of his falling in love with the “Tattered Angel.”
This course does a great job of showing how media technologies are evolving, and how the student can tailor his education at RWC to meet the changing needs of the market place.