CME Students Visit Film Program at Walla Walla University
On April 16th, lights flickered on, cameras started up, and students in the Careers In Media & Entertainment class (CME) from SEATech got to step knee-deep into a college film studio creating content for a whole day. Years in the making, SEATech and Walla Walla University (WWU) have strengthened their networking relationship, which hopes to bring further connections in local film internships and festivals. “During my first year teaching at SEATech, I was lucky to have the Professor of Film and Visual Arts, Jerry Hartman’s son attend my class at SEATech,” said Andrew Sayers, instructor of CME. “Through connections working with class projects, I would find myself sharing dreams and goals for my program with Jerry and we worked together to plan an exciting training day at the WWU Campus. I hoped the field trip would turn into a content-enriching time for my class, but it leaped us into a great foundation for further learning and career building.”
Jerry Hartman connected the CME class with workshops with Brent Bergherm Professor of Design, Joel Libby Professor of Art, and Lynelle Ellis Professor of Communications. When planning traditional college experiences, students can expect a mixture of walking tours of campus and a few lectures, but this trip would surpass that design. The class spent an hour walking through campus tours and discussing campus activities. The rest of the day was focused on learning design techniques from Brent and Joel in different classroom creative labs. They allowed students to create custom water bottles through their printing studio. Lynelle helped the students to record a live broadcast in the WWU studio and control room. Jerry would connect with the class throughout the day in between his own classes. Jerry shared some exciting student short films with CME students and was always willing to answer a number of questions SEATech students would throw at him. Near the end of the day, the class was able to experience and grow in a basic understanding of what a virtual set would look like connecting real-world footage and acting. The show "The Mandalorian," on Disney Plus, is often filmed in a similar studio space. Walla Walla University has launched the class into new opportunities that they couldn't have previously imagined for the CME program at SEATech.
SEATech CME is on an exciting road to future careers for students in media. If you have any questions about the program feel free to email Andrew Sayers at asayers@wwps.org.
