On Campus News

From recent grads to industry veterans, College of Motion Picture Arts alums made their mark on a number of the films that are being celebrated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year.

Most noteworthy is Jonathan King, a 1992 grad of the Film School, who is now executive vice president of Production at Participant Media. He is the executive producer for Lincoln, the top Oscar nominee for 2013. King also executive-produced No, a Chilean motion picture nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Dustin Cawood ('03) was the sound effects editor for Lincoln. He was also the sound designer for the documentary Chasing Ice, which was nominated for Best Song.

Matt Ryan ('11) was a set production assistant for Lincoln, and was able to bring in Jim Ed Wills ('11), Gef Gove ('11), Rich Wills ('11), Jonathan Bennett ('10), and Tricia Mears ('11) as production assistants in the AD department. Jim Ed and Rich ended up working as extras too. Jim Ed showed up more than 10 times in the film, and Rich had a speaking role and credit.

Moving around the world, Eunice Cheng ('09) was a rigging grip production assistant and translator for Life of Pi, another of the high profile Oscar nominated films (it garnered 11 nominations). Eunice is still in Asia, working as an executive assistant to the managing director of 20th Century Fox’s Taiwan branch.

Michelle Eisenreich ('99) was a visual-effects producer on Prometheus, which was nominated in the Visual Effects category.  Madeline Eberhard ('10) was a camera production assistant on Silver Linings Playbook. And Ali Bell ('99) was the executive producer of Hitchcock.

Each alum followed his or her own unique path to a role with these Oscar-nominated films, but thanks to a new initiative of the Dean's Council of Alumni—a select group of successful alumni who advise the dean and provide yearly feedback on student capstone projects—we may see more alums working together on award-winning films in the near future. The council is working with the college to institute a series of bimonthly salons in Los Angeles, exclusively for alumni. The salons will bring in experts to share important industry practices and ideas, thus offering alums an opportunity for continuing education. These events will also allow newer graduates to network informally with alumni who have already found their way in the industry.

FSU's College of Motion Picture Arts offers career-centered graduate and undergraduate programs that challenge students to master the art, craft and business of storytelling. The college is home to one of the largest studio facilities in the country dedicated exclusively to motion picture education.

Florida State has the only motion picture college that funds the production costs for its students' films, creating a level playing field so students can focus on art, craft and imagination. The college's graduates have been associated with numerous Oscar-nominated movies in the past.

Resources: film.fsu.edu

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