What makes Moore’s Film & Digital Cinema major unique?
Moore's program is unique because it is a place uniquely positioned to provide cis and trans women, as well as nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people, a safe and rigorous environment for learning how to tell their stories and find their voices.
What do you want prospective Film students to know about the curriculum?
Our curriculum will teach students every aspect of film. Cinematography, editing, lighting, screen writing—Film & Digital Cinema covers it all. We want students to experience every part of the production pipeline so that they can find their niche or use all the skills to produce content independently. Whether you want to work on the next big-budget Marvel movie or you want to produce content for YouTube, the stories students tell and the content they make is up to them, while the faculty at Moore will be here to help them make it the best it can be.
How does Philadelphia as a location play a role in filmmaking? Both at Moore and beyond?
Philadelphia, with its historical landmarks and buildings, provides a prime filming location to tell all kinds of stories. Philadelphia also has a strong film community. We are also conveniently located a train ride away from natural locations like the Atlantic Ocean, mountains, forests. I feel like we are the New Zealand of the East Coast.
What is your vision for the future of the Film & Digital Cinema major at Moore?
I would like to see the Film & Digital Cinema major at Moore grow into a power house program that helps cis and trans women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming creators go out and become game changers, disruptors and agitators of change in the industry.
What is your biggest piece of advice for prospective Film students?
Watch movies. Big budget films, small indie films, terrible films: watch it all. Then go learn about how they were made, who made them, what went wrong, what went right. You may be able to name your favorite director, but what cinematographers are you studying, what sound designers are you following, who is your favorite editor? The more you know, the more you see, and the more you practice, the stronger your work will be.
What is your favorite movie filmed in Philadelphia? What is your favorite movie that takes place in Philadelphia? (They might not be the same!)
I don't recall if they take place in Philly, but my favorite films that were shot in some locations of Philadelphia are Trading Places (1983) and 12 Monkeys (1995). Also a good “terrible” movie that was shot in Philly in the ’80s was Mannequin (1987). I recommend it for a good chuckle.
Image: Stephen Wood, The Underways, 2021, animated short film. Courtesy of the artist.
Learn more about the Film & Digital Cinema major at Moore, and don’t miss the Art at Lunch lecture with Stephen Wood on Tuesday, October 26 from 11:30–12:30 pm in Fox Commons. He will discuss work created during a recent sabbatical, in which he set out to explore the use of the Unreal 4 game engine as a tool to create 3D animated short films.
