Tag Archives: film

Attend the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023

Start an application using the Study Abroad Portal by clicking “Apply Now
on Education Abroad’s TIFF page.
Applications and deposit due April 3rd.

This September 8-13th, join Dr. Jill Craven at The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where directors and stars from all over the world attend the most important film festival in the western hemisphere.

Spielberg at TIFF 2022

Learn more about film and the film industry by attending prestigious film events including film premieres, red carpet events, and post-screening interviews with international directors, stars, and cast members.

These events take place in the beautiful multicultural city of Toronto, where students will travel through the city to attend events at venues like the historic Princess of Wales Theatre. 

The group will stop to experience the majesty of Niagara Falls on their return trip to Millersville.

  • For specific questions about the program details contact Dr. Jill Craven (Jill.Craven@millersville.edu).
  • This trip is open to Millersville alumni as well as non-Millersville participants.
  • For specific questions about studying abroad, contact International Programs and Services at (717)-871-7506 or e-mail Education.Abroad@millersville.edu.

 

Upcoming Literary Events

Check out these upcoming literary events in the Lancaster area! 

Millersville Literary Festival – McNairy Library Reading Room

Thursday, November 7: 4pm Readings/Reception, 7:30pm Keynote

Friday, November 8: 9am Panel Presentations, 12pm Lunch, 3-5pm Readings

More Information Coming Soon

Fulton Theater

Wait Until Dark: Tuesday, October 8, 8pm (pay what you want)

  • A mysterious doll mistakenly smuggled into the country possesses secrets that puts a young couple in serious danger, especially the blind homemaker. This cult classic will have you on the edge of your seat, minute after pulsating minute. Left home alone and to her own devices, Susan is forced to defend herself against con men, who are after the doll and its goods. A clever cat-and-mouse game of deception becomes more dangerous when the doll disappears! The game takes a drastic turn when the lights go out!

Everyman Theater in Baltimore

August Wilson’s Radio Golf: Sunday in Late October TBD

  • Successful real estate developer Harmond Wilks is on a mission to become Pittsburgh’s first black mayor by doing whatever it takes to transform his childhood neighborhood from blighted to bustling. But when he learns the truth about his family’s legacy, he is forced to decide whether he will finish what he started or fight to preserve his community’s history. This fast-paced, crackling conclusion to August Wilson’s unparalleled 10-play The American Century Cycle examining the African-American experience in the 20th century is “surprising, suspenseful and crowd-pleasing” (The New York Times), and draws striking parallels to the issues we still face today.

 


Midtown Scholar Bookstore

Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel: Every Thursday 7-9pm

  • The Cartel is a weekly reading series founded in 1999, has featured many talented writers, poets, and artists as well as an exciting and growing list of guest readers and headliners. All are welcome–bring your own poetry, poetry you love, or just an open ear.

 

 

 

An Evening with John Leland: Saturday, September 21, 6-8pm

  • This September, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to welcome bestselling author John Leland to Harrisburg as he presents his new book, Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old. This event is free and open to the public.

 

 

 

Harrisburg Book Festival: Thursday, October 3, 7pm – Sunday, October 6, 7pm

  • Now in its seventh year, the Harrisburg Book Festival is proudly hosted by the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Featuring an annual tent sale, award-winning authors, children’s illustrators, emerging novelists, acclaimed historians — surrounded by hundreds of thousands of books at one of the nation’s most celebrated independent bookstores — the Harrisburg Book Festival aims to amplify and celebrate diverse literature for all ages. All events are free and open to the public.

Nathaniel Gadsen’s Spoken Word Cafe: Every Other Friday, 7-9pm

  • Join Nathaniel Gadsden’s Spoken Word Café for a time of poetry and storytelling. This event is free and open to the public.

LGBT Book Club: Every Third Sunday of the Month, 4:30-5:30pm

  • Join the LGBT Book Club every third Sunday of the month for a discussion on this month’s book!

Eleanor Gordon-Smith: Wednesday, October 23, 7-9pm

  • This October, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to welcome author Eleanor Gordon-Smith to Harrisburg as she presents her new book, Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really Change Our Minds. This event is free and open to the public.

 

 

 

An Evening with John Witherow: Thursday, October 24, 7-9pm

  • The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to welcome local author John Witherow to Harrisburg as he presents his new novel, The Gap: Fort Indiantown. This event is free and open to the public. The Gap is a coming-of-age story that poses questions about the wisdom of the current drug war while employing themes from another lost war.

 

 

 

An Evening with Stephen Fried: Wednesday, November 6, 7-9pm

  • The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to welcome bestselling author Stephen Fried to Harrisburg as he discusses his new book, Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father. This event is free and open to the public. Book signing to follow discussion.

 

 

Henry Hemming: Saturday, November 9, 5-7pm

  • The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to welcome bestselling espionage author Henry Hemming to Harrisburg as he presents his new book, Agents of Influence: A British Campaign, a Canadian Spy, and the Secret Plot to Bring America into World War II. This event is free and open to the public. Book signing to follow discussion.

 

 

 


Philadelphia Alumni Writer’s House @ F&M

Faculty Writers: Eve Bratman: Tuesday, September 24, 4:30-5:30pm

  • Eve Bratman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment. She is a political ecologist who has a PhD in international relations from American University. Her book, Governing the Rainforest, is based on ten years of research concerning development policies, infrastructure, conservation, and human rights in the Brazilian Amazon. This event is free and open to the public.

 

 

Hausman Lecture Craft Talk: Alice McDermott: Tuesday, October 1, 4:30-5:30pm

  • Alice McDermott’s eighth novel, The Ninth Hour, was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in September 2017. She has received the Whiting Writers Award, the Carington Award for Literary Excellence, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for American Literature. Established through an endowment by Richard Hausman ’50, P’85 and Edna Hausman P’85, the Hausman Lecture has brought prominent writers to campus for lectures, readings and workshops since 1982.

 

 

Will to Read: Shakespeare Aloud: Thursday, October 3, 7-9pm (Monthly)

  • Do you enjoy Shakespeare? If so, join this monthly reading/viewing/discussion group on Thursday evenings 7-9pm at the Writers House. We will simply read selected scenes, watch recorded stage and screen performances of those scenes, and talk about it all. No preparation, experience, or expertise required–only enthusiasm! The second play is Henry IV. This event is free and open to the public.

A Reading with Jamie Beth Cohen: Tuesday, October 15, 7:30-8:30pm

  • Jamie Beth Cohen is a writer who works in higher education. She writes about difficult things, but her friends think she’s funny. Her non-fiction has appeared in TeenVogue.com, The Washington Post/On Parenting, Salon, and several other outlets. Her debut novel, Wasted Pretty, was published in April 2019.

 

 

 

Playwriting in a Plotless World: Thursday, November 21, 11:30-12:30pm

  • Paula Vogel is Franklin & Marshall College’s tenth annual Lapine Family Visiting Theatre Artist. She has written How I Learned to Drive (Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics Award, Obie Award, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and many more) and many more plays.

 

 

 


The Ware Center

The Interpreters – On Screen/In Person: Thursday, September 26, 7pm

  • Local interpreters were key to recent US war efforts, but now many face danger in their countries because of their affiliation.  This is the moving story of how they are rebuilding their lives, told through an Iraqi who was able to make it to the US with the help of an American soldier he befriended, an Afghan who is still working as an interpreter in Kabul despite threats to his life, and another who fled with his family as refugees to Turkey.  Run Time: 75 minutes. The evening begins in Steinman Hall with a pre-showing activity or community panel at 6:15 PM, and a post-show Q+A with the film’s director.

We the People: Celebrating Rita: Friday, October 4, 7pm
  • An onstage celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El featuring the best of Lancaster’s African-American performing arts community including such artists as the Imani-Edutainers, Maria and Kiana Corley, CoCo Coleman, Gerri MrGritty, Tyrell, and others, all performing brief tributes to Rita in the respective genres – dance, vocal and instrumental music, spoken-word, and more! Free and open to the public.
  • Badger Creek is a portrait of Native-American resilience as seen through a year in the life of three generations of a Blackfeet family living on the reservation in Montana.The Thick Dark Fog is the story of Walter Littlemoon who attended a federal Indian boarding school in South Dakota sixty years ago. The mission of many of these schools in 1950, was still to “kill the Indian and save the man.” The children were not allowed to speak their language or express their cultural identity in any way. Total Run Time: 84 minutes. The evening begins in Steinman Hall with a pre-showing activity or community panel at 6:15 PM, and a post-show Q+A with the film’s director.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: November 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 at 8:00pm | November 3, 10 at 2:00pm
  • Gods mix with mortals, a feuding king and queen unleash magical practical jokes on one another, spells yield improbable love affairs and a band of comical wanderers enter into an enchanted woods and are transformed in the most unlikely ways in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s most popular and enduring comedy. Discounted MU Student tickets available at a ticket office location with a valid ID; limit 2 per ID. Early reservations are strongly encouraged because Rafters Theatre has limited seating.
  • DETROIT 48202 examines the rise, demise, and contested resurgence of Detroit through the lens of an utterly charming African-American mail carrier, Wendell Watkins, and the community of committed residents he faithfully served for thirty years. We take a journey with Wendell along his route, winding through the center of what was, once upon a time, a vital and thriving city. Run Time: 80 minutes. The evening begins in Steinman Hall with a pre-showing activity or community panel at 6:15 PM, and a post-show Q+A with the film’s director.

Creative Works of Lancaster

The 24 Hour Plays: Saturday, October 5, 7pm

  • Six writers, six directors, twenty-five actors, and one production team will write, rehearse, and perform six short plays in a 24 hour period. The process begins Friday evening, October 4, with writers choosing actors from a pool of talent. The six writers work through the night and hand their work to directors early Saturday morning, October 5, the day of the performance. After negotiating for their choice of play, directors, along with their play’s actors and a crew of stage technicians, prepare for the 7 pm performance. All tickets are free to reserve, and there is no obligation, or suggested minimum, to pay. Tickets can be reserved through Eventbrite.

The Turning Wheel

Poetry Readings: Every Second Thursday, 7-8:30pm

  • Each month The Turning Wheel welcomes a featured writer from around the region to share their work with our community. After the featured reading, there will be our usual, all-genre open mic. Bring your poems and short prose pieces to share!

 

 


Zoetropolis (specific movie times on website, student tickets $8)

The Nightingale: Friday, September 20 and Saturday, September 21

  • Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

 

 

 

Manhattan Short Film Festival: September 27 – October 6

  • Manhattan Short is not a touring festival; rather, it is an instantaneous celebration that occurs simultaneously across the globe, bringing great films to great venues and allowing the audiences to select their favorites. If the Film Festival experience truly is about getting great works in front of as many eyes as possible, Manhattan Short offers the ultimate platform — one that sees its films screened in Sydney, Mumbai, Moscow, Kathmandu, Vienna, Cape Town to cinemas in all fifty states of the United States and beyond.

 

 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Sunday,October 6, 7pm

  • 50th Anniversary Event! Monty Python and the Holy Grail loosely follows the legend of King Arthur. Arthur along with his squire, Patsy, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as “it is a silly place”.

 

 

ACLU-PA Presents, Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook: Monday, October 7, 7:30pm

  • Narrated by Jeffrey Wright, and shot during the chaotic 2016 election, the film identifies and unpacks a shrewd ten-part strategy to suppress the vote, from creating new barriers to voter registration, to purging American citizens from the voting rolls without notice, to new and deliberate impediments to casting a vote. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Alex Domingos, Organizer, Campaign for Smart Justice. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so an RSVP is requested. Email your name and quantity of tickets needed to: hbginfo@aclupa.org

 

GLAS Presents: Animation Next: Friday, October 11 – Sunday, October 13

  • The best-of-the-best from the groundbreaking annual GLAS Animation Festival in Berkeley, CA. Showcasing seven bold new shorts from the newest generation to redefine what’s possible in the medium, ANIMATION NEXT takes you on a prismatic journey ranging from subterranean nightmares to sun-soaked coming of age stories — each exploring themes that most grip the modern world.  For more info, visit glasanimation.com

 

 

Winterbeast: Thursday, October 24, 7:30pm

  • Join us for the 3rd film in the So Bad! So Good! Series. Presented and Introduced by Bradley Lyndon. The finest, and possibly only movie ever made in Newbury, New Hampshire, it’s a head-scratching tour-de-force of incoherent plot twists, continuity errors, bizarre non-sequitors, cheap effects and clunky performances. It’s even got props borrowed from a Dokken music video! It’s a bizarre train wreck of a movie that somehow transcends its own ineptitude to become an endlessly entertaining anti-masterpiece.

 

ACLU-PA Presents: Reversing Roe: Monday, November 4, 7:30pm

  • Forty-five years after it revolutionized abortion law in America, the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade is once again at a crossroads. In their timely new documentary, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg present a deeply illuminating look of the state of abortion and women’s rights in America. The film offers candid and riveting interviews with key figures from both sides of the divide. Intense and unflinching in its commitment to telling the whole story, the film provides a gripping look at what’s happening on the ground in 2018. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Marianne Stein, ACLU-PA Legislative Associate. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so an RSVP is requested. Email your name and quantity of tickets needed to: hbginfo@aclupa.org

Arrival: Thursday, November 21, 6:30pm

  • Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. Film introduced by Dennis Weiss and followed by conversation and cocktails.

 

“Little Stones” On-Screen/In-Person

little stones

On Wednesday, February 28th, there will be a showing of the award-winning documentary “Little Stones” with a pre-screening panel discussion. The film is designed to raise awareness about global women’s rights issues and to celebrate entrepreneurial, creative, and arts-therapy based solutions to the most pressing challenges facing women globally.

“I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone.” -Women’s Rights Activist, Alice Paul

The pre-screening panel discussion will begin at 6:15pm, the movie will begin at 7pm, and the talk-back with Sophia Kruz will begin at 8:30pm.

Director Sophia Kruz will be on campus Feb. 28 – March 1, available to visit classrooms, community groups, etc. and will be conducting a talk-back after the screening.

The pre-screening panel discussion will be led by:

  • Ms. Almaz E. Amante, Keystone Human Resources/CWS volunteer. (Ethiopian native experienced in women’s empowerment and micro-financing.)
  • Dr. Carol Davis, Franklin & Marshall College, Professor of Theatre (founder and artistic director of Nepal Health Project, an educational and charitable theatre company     that has served half a million villagers in rural Nepal.)
  • Ms. Brittany Leffler, YWCA Certified Trauma Practitioner.
  • Dr. Kimberly A. Mahaffy, Millersville University, Professor of Sociology and Director of Latina/o Studies / Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Social Justice
  • Dr. Wanja Ogongi, Millersville University, Professor of Social Work (Interest in Human Rights with focus on women and children.)
  • Ms. Julie Peachey, Director, Innovations for Poverty Action
  • Dr. Elizabeth Powers, Millersville University, Professor of Education (Chair of Commission on Status of Women)

You can watch the trailer here. Tickets are $7 for Adults, $5 for students or free if you contact Barry Kornhauser while available.

little stones

Resilience Film Screening/Panel on April 5

resilienceOn April 5th in the Clair Auditorium (in the Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center), the English Department and the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change will sponsor a screening of the film Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.

Doors open at 5:30pm, the panel will start at 6pm, and the film will begin at 6:45pm.  Meant to make the science of Toxic Stress accessible to everyone, Resilience showcases some of the brave and creative individuals who put that science into action for social change.

The panel members will include members of the Millersville University faculty, including:

  • Dr. Andrew Bland – Psychology Department
  • Dr. Marc Felizzi – School of Social Work
  • Dr. Alex Redcay – School of Social Work
  • Dr. Carrie Smith – Sociology Department

The effects and solutions for Toxic Stress and Adverse Childhood Events (ACE’s) are the main focus of this hour-long documentary. Director James Redford explains,

Director James Redford
Director James Redford

“In the United States, we spend trillions of dollars every year treating preventable diseases, rather than intervening before a patient is sick and suffering. We have a zero-tolerance, ‘suck it up’ culture that judges and punishes bad behavior, rather than trying to understand and treat the root cause of that behavior. But now, with this new body of scientific knowledge available, we are learning there are better ways of dealing with these seemingly intractable problems.”

The original research was controversial, but the analysis of that research revealed this generation’s most important public health findings. Toxic Stress and ACEs are now linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, along with other ailments such as substance abuse and depression. Stressful childhood experiences can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior.

According to the experts profiled in Resilience, however, what’s predictable is preventable. These educators, physicians, social workers and communities are talking about the effects of divorce, abuse, and neglect so the next generation can break the cycles of adversity and disease.

Free tickets for this event can be found at the SMC Ticket Window of in the Winter VPAC Ticket Window before the event.

How about an MDST in Film Studies?

Individual students can propose a Bachelors of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies focused on Film Studies to prepare  for working in the growing film and media industries. The combined resources in English, Communications, and Art can  provide a regional resource for students who aspire to be engaged in creating, contributing to, or critiquing visual media.

Film is historically an interdisciplinary art, combining the skills of visual artists, composers and musicians, screenwriters, business entrepreneurs, directors and actors with technicians and skilled laborers. On our campus, the understanding one would need to get involved in making film or video requires courses in at least five departments (English, Communication & Theatre. Art & Design, Music, and Entrepreneurship).  An MDST major enables students to get a degree in Film Studies through a thoughtful degree program that provides students with foundational skills in these areas.

Significantly, these skills are not only needed for Hollywood. This MDST program will challenge students to develop competencies in theoretical, critical, and historical approaches to films as well as the component parts to films, like photography and audio. The multiple disciplinary skills will be grounded in a foundational knowledge in communicating information effectively through film and visual media. The program will develop and expand film knowledge, writing, and technical skills required of film professionals.

Students who have an MDST In Film Studies are currently (Fall 2019) interning at Lancaster’s new Red Rose Film Festival, rating films and interviewing directors for podcasts.

Contact Dr. Jill Craven for more information!

Regional Market Demand

Like the MDST in Entertainment Technologies, this new MDST program will address the needs of the growing media industries.

In his article, “U.S. Film and TV Production Drives Economic Growth in Every Corner of America” Neil Fried, SVP, Government and Regulatory Affairs, notes that

In the process of producing video content for today’s audiences, the American motion picture and TV industry contributes approximately $40 billion per year in payments to more than 330,000 local businesses across the country, according to the latest economic impact figures. In all, the industry’s nationwide economic activity supports 1.9 million workers and generates $47 billion in wages. (Source: MPAA)

These figures state that the “industry is comprised of more than 94,000 businesses in total, located in every state in the country. These are mainly small businesses; 85% employ fewer than 10 people.” Sharon Pinkenson, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, states “The advent of a film market in Philadelphia is a tangible sign that the film industry in S.E. Pennsylvania has matured and emerged as a leader in the business of film as well as the production of content.”

Major Requirement Guidance for Individual MDST’s
39 credit hours (plus 9 credit hours of related course work)

This suggested Multidisciplinary Studies Major (MDST) includes individualized concentrations distributed in three areas: Core 1/Film, Core 2/Art and Film Technology, and the Capstone Experience.  Individual students may individualize their curriculum to address their learning focus.  Your individual MDST will need to be approved by the MDST committee as well as faculty in the departments you choose to work in.  The configuration below is but one configuration option.

An MDST concentration in Film Studies trains students to create visual media in a variety of genres while giving them an understanding of the role of media in society. Building career credentials through knowledge and practice will be emphasized through experiential learning opportunities.

Core 1/Film

Core 1 emphasizes the narrative and cultural aspects of film. Through courses in the English Department, Film Studies students will learn about the global history of the medium, its technical and artistic elements, its social and political impacts and sensitivities, and ways to create ideas/write for the medium.

Core 2/Art and Technology

Core 2 emphasizes the visual basics of the medium in its photography classes. It will complement this knowledge with the technical courses to bring these visions into a reality through technology.

The Required Relateds

The Required Relateds cover aspects needed to round out film expertise—music, entrepreneurship, and directing. These are important aspects for pulling together effective films.

Scheduling

Film Students should take Introduction to Film, Introduction to Audio and Video, and History and Aesthetics of Photography in their second semester.

Core One: FILM (18 credit hours)

ENGL 240: Intro to Film
ENGL 481: History of Film
ENGL 482: Film and American Society Or ENGL 347: Studies of Ethnicity in Film
ENGL 483: Politics and Media
ENGL 484: Brave New Worlds: Technology and Media or ENGL 587: Special Topics in Film
ENGL 471: Creative Writing or ENGL 472: Writing Workshop (when focused on writing for film)

                                                          Core Two: ART and MEDIA TECH (18 credit hours)

ART 201: History and Aesthetics of Photography (G1)
ART 376: Intro to Photography: Digital or ART 306: Intro to Darkroom
COMM 326: Media Writing: Fiction
COMM 121: Intro to Audio and Video
COMM 206: Communication and Media Law
COMM 321: Television Production 1 or COMM 337: Documentary Filmmaking I

 

Capstone Experience (3 credit hours)                                          Related Elective Courses (9 credits)

ENGL 400 Internship/co-op OR
ENGL 498: Independent Study (Creative Capstone Project) OR
COMM 437: Documentary II
ENTR 201: Art of Entrepreneurship
THEA 315: Directing or THEA 2XX: Acting 1
A third course of your choice related to film

 

COURSES CORE 1

ENGL 240/240H: 3 s.h.
Introduction to Film (G1, W)

Analysis of film as an art form, including technical and artistic aspects of filmmaking. Genres, auteur theory and other theoretical approaches to cinema. Offered fall, spring. Prereq: ENGL 110.

ENGL 471: 3 s.h.
Creative Writing

Extensive practice in writing varied genres of fiction and poetry. Inquiry into the social functions and purposes of fictional and poetic writing. Prereq: ENGL 110. Offered periodically.

ENGL 472 Writing Workshop: 3 s.h. (when focused on writing for film)

Extensive written work focused on particular topics, a theme in literature or a specific genre in communication. Mini-research papers. Critiques of other student papers. Considerable discussion of other student papers. Offered periodically. Prereq: ENGL 311 or permission of instructor.

ENGL 481: 3 s.h.
History of Film (W)

Analyzes the history of the world’s film industry and influential narrative films, from early silents to recent independents. Technology-intensive course. Offered biannually in fall. Prereq: ENGL 110.

ENGL 482: 3 s.h.
Film and American Society
(G1)

Analyzes significant American films in relation to social and historical context. Offered biannually in spring. Prereq: ENGL 110.

ENGL 483: 3 s.h.
Politics, Film and Electronic Media
(P)

Explores the relationships between media, history, politics and people during the 20th and 21st centuries. Focuses on portrayal of American politics in film. The politics of narrative structure (Eisenstein, Godard), the relationships between narrative and ideology, and political documentaries. Prereq: COMM 100, ENGL 110 and junior status. Offered biannually in fall.

ENGL 484: 3 s.h.
Brave New Worlds: Exploring Technology in Film
(G1, W)

Explores the relationships between film, technology and society as they developed during the 20th century. Includes American and foreign films that focus on technology and/or address issues raised by technology. Special focus on directors Kubrick and Gilliam. Offered biannually in spring. Prereq: COMM 100 and ENGL 110.

ENGL 586-589
Special Topics (3)

In-depth investigation and development of one or more topics of current interest not normally covered in regular courses. Special topics to be covered and methods to be used will vary according to the needs of the students and faculty involved. Offered periodically.

COURSES CORE 2

ART 201: 3 s.h.
History and Aesthetics of Photography (G1)

A survey of the history, principles and theory of photography in the 19th and 20th centuries as it is used as an aesthetic medium and for visual communication. Differentiation between photographs made as art vs. snapshots, photojournalism, scientific record and commercial art is emphasized. Offered periodically.

ART 376: 3 s.h.
Intro to Photo: Digital (G1)

Beginning digital course that introduces the basic skills and concepts associated with digital photography as used by contemporary visual artists and communicators. Covers cameras, computer hardware, photo-editing software, printing, file management, criticism, history and analysis. Students must have a digital single-lens reflex camera. Offered annually.

COMM 121: 3 s.h.
Introduction to Audio and Video

Audio and video production fundamentals, techniques and uses. Includes study of the production process and hands-on production assignments

in both audio and video. Laboratory work required. Offered fall, spring.

COMM 206: 3 s.h.
Communication and Media Law

The legal parameters of freedom of expression under the U.S. legal system. Students explore legal and ethical issues related to media systems, organizational communication, public relations and theatre. Offered fall, spring.

COMM 321: 3 s.h.
Television Production I

Theory and application of various phases of studio operation and editing in television production. Laboratory work required. Offered fall, spring.

Prereq: COMM 121.

COMM 326: 3 s.h.
Media Writing; Fiction (W)
Basic news writing and reporting, stressing electronic media. Offered fall. Prereq: ENGL 110 or permission of instructor.

COMM 337: 3 s.h.
Documentary Filmmaking I: Concepts (D)

Focused on the history and theory of documentary films. Through readings, screenings and discussions, students gain a historical and theoretical understanding of documentary filmmaking and become prepared for more advanced production courses. Students also explore their own documentary ideas and develop an outline and treatment. Prereq: COMM 100; ENGL 110; junior standing. Offered periodically.

REQUIRED RELATED COURSES

ENTR 201: 3 s.h.
Art of Entrepreneurship

This course introduces and explores the mind-set and process of entrepreneurism in: (1) social entrepreneurism (solving social issues); (2) business entrepreneurship (starting an innovative enterprise); (3) employee entrepreneurism (as a worker in an existing business) and (4) academic entrepreneurism (the pursuit of a valuable and productive education). Emphasis will be on identifying opportunities and value, developing the art of creative problem solving and effectively expressing those solutions. Prereq: none.

THEA 130: 3 s.h.
Acting I (G1)

Training in the art and craft of acting. Emphasis on developing basic skills and exploring the creative process. Elementary scene and monologue work. Offered fall.

THEA 315: 3 s.h.
Directing

Practical experience in both directing and coaching actors. An overview of directing process and directing style. Offered biannually in spring.

Prereq: THEA 130 or permission of instructor.

CAPSTONES

COMM 437: 3 s.h.

Documentary Filmmaking II

Focused on the practical and technical aspects of documentary filmmaking. Students produce documentaries that incorporate appropriate approaches and styles as well as advanced storytelling techniques. Prereq: COMM 321, 337; junior standing. Offered periodically.

ENGL 489, 498, 499: 1-3 s.h.

Independent study and departmental honors.

 

 

 

 

Film Club takes Toronto and its International Film Festival

This September, seven Millersville students traveled with Dr. Jill Craven to Toronto to join film industry professionals at the Toronto International Film Festival, which ran September 7-17th.

Millersville Students representing at TIFF on King Street in Toronto
Millersville Students representing at TIFF on King Street in Toronto

The group arrived in Toronto on the 8th, and they immediately started to view films and take in the film culture that surrounded them.  Overall, they viewed 12-13 features plus shorts, including

  • Kodachrome, with director Mark Raso and stars Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis, and Elizabeth Olsen
  • Verónica, with director Paco Plaza and 16-year-old star Sandra Escacena
  • I, Tonya with director Craig Gillespie and stars Margot Robbie and Allison Janney
  • I Love You, Daddy with director Louis CK
  • Gala/Premiere for Mary Shelley with director Haifaa Al-Mansour and star Elle Fanning
  • The Premiere for Brad’s Status, with director Mike White, Ben Stiller, and cast
  • Midnight Madness film Mom and Dad, with director Brian Taylor, and Nick Cage with Selma Blair
  • Suburbicon with director George Clooney
  • Woman Walks Ahead with director Susanna White and starJessica Chastain
  • Submergence, with director Wim Wenders
  • Short Cuts with discussions by various directors
  • mother! with director Darren Aronofsky
  • Premiere of 3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri with director Martin McDonagh and stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell
  • Premiere of The Shape of Water with director Guillermo del Toro, and stars Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer

Each film screening had a discussion following where the directors and cast took questions from an interviewer and audience members.  The Millersville group found Aronofsky’s insights about mother! so fascinating that they are looking forward to seeing the film again when it opens this weekend.  Overall, the group found mother!, 3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri, and I, Tonya the most intriguing films of the festival.

In addition to the film screenings, the group attended an industry session featuring 3 female film directors, including Angela Robinson and Brie Larson, both of whom had films at the festival.  English major Rashna Yousef posed a great question to the directors, getting an extended personal response.  See Rashna’s question to Brie Larson and the directors’ responses on YouTube.

TIFF Higher Education’s Jessica Lam also gave the group a tour of TIFF Bell Lightbox and the Film Reference Library, which is available to all film researchers free of charge.

Falls Cruise
Rashna, Kayla, and Hunter after the Honrblower Cruise into the Falls

On the way back, the group stopped at Niagara Falls to take in one of the world’s most impressive natural wonders.  In addition, they checked out the kitschy town.

Overall, the trip was tremendous learning experience.  In addition to expanding our travel experience into neighboring Canada, the group negotiated a complex festival and even got to ask questions of directors like Darren Aronofsky and Brie Larson.

Niagara WalkStudents who attended included senior and Film Club member Hunter Barrick, future English teacher Zach Richardson, Kayla Rishell, Autumn Kandrick, senior Jordan Ettien, English major Rashna Yousaf, and Film Club president Spencer Goodrich.  Trips leaders were Dr. Jill Craven, Film Professor and Chair of English, and Kevin Ghaffari, SUNY Binghamton Fly by Night and Student Association Film Series programmer.

–Jill Craven

 

Lion in Winter free for MU students at Penn Cinema on Tuesday, September 6

Penn Cinema has joined up with Millersville English and the Film Club to present arthouse cinema the first Tuesday of every month.  Millersville students can get in free to these screenings by mentioning they are with the film club at Millersville.

The September 6th film is Lion in Winter, starring Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn.  This is the story of Henry II, with amazing performances by both leads.  Film starts at 7 pm.Lion in Winter photo

Henry II: “Well, what shall we hang… the holly, or each other?” 1183, and it’s Christmas at the Plantagenets: Peter O’Toole’s heavily bearded king has sprung his wife, Katharine Hepburn’s Eleanor of Aquitaine, from ten years of imposed-by-him imprisonment to negotiate the succession among his sons, Geoffrey (John Castle), Richard, later the Lion-Hearted (Anthony Hopkins in his feature debut), and John (Nigel Terry: Excalibur, Caravaggio), with King Philippe of France (future 007 Timothy Dalton in his first film) on hand to kibitz – and then the scheming, backstabbing, turn-coating, shocking revelations, and nonstop barbed quips ensue. Adapted by James Goldman from his own play, Lion won three Oscars, for Hepburn (her third, and back-to-back with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), Goldman, and the music by James Bond composer John Barry, with nominations for Best Picture, Director, Costumes, and for O’Toole, four years after his nomination as Henry in Becket – two of his eight non-winning nominations). Eleanor: “What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?” (Film Forum)

Film Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 4 stars (out of 4) in his review, stating:

One of the joys which movies provide too rarely is the opportunity to see a literate script handled intelligently. “The Lion in Winter” triumphs at that difficult task; not since “A Man for All Seasons” have we had such capable handling of a story about ideas. But “The Lion in Winter” also functions at an emotional level, and is the better film, I think.

Discussion led by Dr. Jill Craven follows the film.