鈥淭he ethos of our Cinematic Arts program,鈥� says Joshua Sikora, director of HCU鈥檚 Narrative Arts department, 鈥渉as always been to provide real-world experiences for students at the highest level of professionalism and scale.鈥�
The film industry is difficult to break into, so it is an important part of the Cinematic Arts program鈥檚 mission to provide students not only with theoretical knowledge and practical skills, but also the opportunity to display their skill sets in front of other industry professionals. Students learn best when they are 鈥渢hrown into the fire,鈥� as Professor Bearden Coleman, Associate Director of Cinematic Arts, puts it.
HCU Cinematic Arts students have been involved in productions both internal and external, the biggest of which for a time was 鈥淭he Challenger Disaster,鈥� a 2019 independent feature film production that involved a former HCU professor alongside several HCU Cinematic Arts students.
But since then, HCU Professor Chris Hartwell has been on a bit of a filmmaking tear, spearheading three productions of his own across six years, with increasing involvement by his HCU students: an award-winning short film, 鈥淭he Way That I Take,鈥� a 2020 feature-length film, 鈥淒o No Harm,鈥� and a proof-of-concept for a television series, 鈥淗appiest Place,鈥� that is currently in post-production.
Hartwell, inspired from a young age by epic films like 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� and 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings,鈥� has focused on smaller-scale projects due to their lower costs and more manageable shooting schedules. This flexibility allows him to maintain a full course load and involve his students in his productions. 鈥淒o No Harm鈥� served as a particularly involved internship for more than a dozen Cinematic Arts students, and in addition to the hands-on experience of a feature film production, those students were able to make invaluable connections with industry professionals鈥攃onnections which have resulted in even more opportunities.
During the Spring 2024 semester, Hartwell led a preproduction class, where students learned about budgeting, production design, casting and the series of steps needed before entering active production on a film. However, this class was different from other pre-production courses. Students were not just learning about the theory of pre-production or engaging in hypothetical exercises; they were actively preparing a real television proof-of-concept: 鈥淭he Happiest Place,鈥� a show based on Hartwell鈥檚 own experiences working for a theme park.
The following semester, these students, under the direction of Hartwell and Sikora, filmed a proof-of-concept for 鈥淭he Happiest Place,鈥� on HCU鈥檚 campus. While Cinematic Arts students had previously served in auxiliary roles on Hartwell鈥檚 productions, here, they took on primary roles, like first assistant director and production designer.
Both Coleman and Sikora point out that it is rare for a full-time film professor to also be an active filmmaker, given the high financial costs and lengthy production times of even the smallest films. But crucially, Hartwell offers more than just an opportunity for students to get hands-on, professional experience. His faith and character inform how he runs his sets and mentors his students. Having a 鈥渕orally, ethically upright role model is a good thing for our students,鈥� says Coleman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very unique, special thing for students to experience.鈥�