Department Chair, Adam Moore Shares Updates about The Film & Electronic Arts Department from Fall 2022
Greetings FEA Community,
At the start of the Fall semester, faculty, staff, and over 100 of our newest students gathered in the University Theater for our first in-person New Student Mixer since 2019. We welcomed them to our family and reminded them that what matters most to us – providing a platform to tell their stories; not recycled stories we’ve heard a million times. Unique stories. Stories that need to be told.
This incoming class is one of the largest and most diverse we’ve ever had, growing our FEA family to over 800 students – the most in the history of this department. But at a time when college enrollment is down nationwide, why is our department seeing such steady numbers?
My opinion? It’s because of our core values. We believe a world-class film education shouldn’t saddle you with six-figure debt. We believe that a commitment to the craft of cinematic storytelling is more important than fancy gadgets. And we believe that our strength is in our diversity – our stories are better because each voice in our department is unique.
As we come to the end of the semester, ten senior films have wrapped production. Funded in part by generous donations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, these films now move into post-production, where the final draft of the story will be written. In addition, dozens of short documentary exercises and experimental films were produced in our Creative Nonfiction Track and our new Experimental Film Production course. Hundreds of students passed through Intro to Production, getting their first hands-on experience at The Beach. And thousands of screenplay and teleplay pages were written… and rewritten… and rewritten again.
Our students are truly inspirational. I know if each of you were here to see them in action, you would feel the inspiration from their tireless work ethic and eagerness to tell their unique stories and make an impact in the world. They are the reason this department exists. Their passion and boundless energy is contagious, and it gives us all hope for the future of the entertainment industry.
We’ve had a busy and successful Fall 2022, I’d like to share with you some of the highlights of this semester:
In September, we welcomed screenwriter Joe Robert Cole (co-writer of Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). He screened his directorial debut, All Day and a Night, at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center as part of their Voices for Justice & Equity series. Afterwards, FEA faculty member Tasha Hunter hosted a lively, thought-provoking question and answer session with our students.
In October, we teamed up with the School of Art’s Animation Program for our second-annual GEMS event, where students, alums, and community members enjoyed a screening of select animation, documentary, and narrative films made by our students. The event took place under the stars on the upper quad, complete with food trucks and some amazing Halloween costumes that you can see on our Instagram feed.
And in November, we were proud to present an advance screening of CSULB Alum Steven Spielberg’s latest film, The Fabelmans. Thanks to our partners at Universal Studios and the Carpenter Center, we were able to offer free admission to a sold-out crowd.
You can head to our website to read more about our guest speakers and events.
This Fall, our students continued to haul in the accolades. When the 2022 CSU Media Arts Festival nominees were announced this semester, CSULB films represented HALF of all the Finalists. And later in the semester, eleven FEA Films were selected to screen at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival. Our latest crop of award-winning works are still in production or postproduction, so stay tuned for more awards news in later updates.
Finally, I’d like to take a minute to highlight the work of Surfside Productions, our independent media production course that takes on paid work from real-world clients. This course, taught by faculty member Charlie Myers, gives students professional experience that few other programs offer. This semester, they were hired to create three PSA’s for the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation, an organization whose mission is to help homeless veterans get off the street and back on their feet. This type of professional project mixed with community service is a perfect example of the impact our students can have in our community, and I hope that the experience inspires our students to seek out ways to continue making a difference with their art.
We are incredibly proud of what our department is achieving each and every day and the legacy our alums are creating in the industry. We hope you’ll come visit us sometime on campus and wish everyone in our CSULB family an enjoyable holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Adam Moore
Chair
Department of Film & Electronic Arts
