Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures | Photo by Emily Linker | The Wright State Guardian
Motion pictures students at Wright State University (WSU) forge their own paths when it comes to their future careers, which include different paths such as the owner of a production company or a movie director.
By the numbers
A program review of liberal arts in 2015 states the motion pictures program grew with 82 students enrolling in B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) for motion pictures and 13 for the bachelor’s program for the Fall of 2013, respectively. The number of graduates in total for both programs in 2013 was 19 students.
For the year 2021, the number of graduates for the B.F.A. program was 15 students, not counting those in just the bachelor’s program. With consideration to the previous program review, the number of graduates has remained approximately the same from 2013 to 2021.
B.F.A. students study motion pictures history, video production, theory and more.
Student futures
Jude Powell is a motion pictures B.F.A. student in his second semester at WSU. In high school, Powell joined a career technical education program where he found that he enjoyed the art of motion pictures. Powell chose WSU due to the available scholarships and variety of programs. In his first year, Powell is focused on exploring his interests.
“I have a general interest directly embedded inside right now. But I'm excited to expand more as teachers show more and I'm able to get more hands-on experience,” Powell said.
Powell hopes to get involved in the short film circuit after graduation and make a name for himself in the Dayton film community.
Sophomore Bryson Schultz, another motion pictures B.F.A. student, hopes to further his acting endeavors and create a production company. Schultz’s focus as a motion pictures student is on writing and directing, skills he uses to work on his independent projects.
“Right now, I’m working on getting more equipment and once I graduate I want to start more planning on that feature [project],” Schultz said.
Schultz plans on possibly moving to Chicago for both acting and film production but has not yet decided in regard. Currently, he is working on comedy sketches and other film projects.
It is not yet confirmed how the possible restructuring of the liberal arts department will affect the motion picture program.
