Pieces of BGSU

I may be biased when I say this, but being a film production student is one of the most legit majors on BGSU’s campus.

Early years include classes, such as Introduction to Film and the History of Narrative Film. These classes teach students about film theory and why film works the way it does.

In later years, classes, such as Cinematography and Digital Tech, get students more into the hands-on work with the cameras and editing.

There are also a large range of film electives that can be taken. Some of them vary from semester to semester and don’t always fall under the Theatre and Film Department but will still broaden a student’s film knowledge.

My favorite film elective was probably Italian Cinema taught by Professor Carlo Celli. The funniest thing about the class was the fact that our professor was the author of the required reading for the class. During the day-to-day lessons he would sometimes quote the page word for word since he wrote it. I found that quite entertaining to see how closely he would quote the book.

Also, there are a lot of film opportunities outside of class. Film students are always exploring new ideas and ready/willing to put it to video. There are also two great film clubs; BG Reel & UFO (University Film Organization.) They have joint meetings Thursdays at 9 p.m. in South Hall 115. These are two very easy ways to meet other film students and begin to build for portfolio. I would highly recommend attending these club meetings and filming as much as possible (whether a film major or someone who is interested in filmmaking.)

Film is a performance-based major. Eventually, visual depictions of your work will be the main thing to help further your career. I am now in the spring semester of my senior year and my career as a college student is unfortunately coming to an end, but my career as a professional filmmaker is only beginning.

I am hoping to get the Canon 60D DSLR camera as a graduation gift. At which point I will be doing as much filming as I can. Also, I plan to move away from the Midwest to a new city. I am a bit sad to leave college life, but I am excited for my career as a filmmaker. It is truly a mixed emotion.

I loved my time at BGSU. I loved being a ilm student. Filmmaking is something I love to do and really gets my juices flowing. I welcome any film students to BGSU. Follow these suggests and don’t be afraid to explore and you will have a phenomenal time at BGSU just as I have.

Good Luck and Best Wishes,

Ryan Sims

Film Production, Class of 2012