Film Production Commons^™

Ai And Creativity, Herbert Midgley

Faculty Publications

This article argues that artificial intelligence is best understood as a tool in continuity with earlier technologies like digital cameras, non-linear editing, MIDI, and desktop publishing, rather than as a magical threat that will erase creativity or employment. Drawing on historical shifts from film to digital video, manual paste‑up to graphic design software, and acoustic instruments to synthesizers, the author shows that new tools disrupt workflows and certain jobs, yet ultimately broaden access and generate new creative opportunities. Concerns about AI’s resource use are contextualized by comparing its water footprint to bottled water, agriculture, beef production, and textiles, concluding that …

Butterflies & You: Considerations Of Human Relationships With The Natural World, M. E. Colby

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Science communication only accounts for approximately 2% of the entire scientific output of 2017-2022 (Parejo-Cuéllar et. al, 2024). It is an under-researched and under-valued field, especially in an age that has devalued science as a whole. The delicate art of explaining complicated ideas to people who are unfamiliar with scientific jargon is vital to humans’ understanding of the world. Butterflies & You is a documentary film exploring the relationship between humans and the many different butterfly species that call Illinois home. Video-based science communication is important to research and practice because of its impact on environmental advocacy and the growing …

Opening The Door Of The Celluloid Closet, Melissa Hernandez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

While watching the documentary, The Celluloid Closet, I was instantly intrigued by how queer people and cinema mixed. Going as far back to the black and white, silent films era, queer people have been used as comedic relief, but not in an appealing way. Constantly being the butt of the joke, disregard for queer people became so normalized that certain tropes started popping up in cinema. One trope that we can still see be used frequently in today’s films is the “bury your gays” trope (also known as the “dead lesbians syndrome”) where queer characters in cinema are not …

Chain Continuity & Multi-Master Keyframe Coverage- Two Methods For Edit-Ready Ai Filmmaking, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

Current AI video models generate short clips with inconsistent visual details across shots, preventing traditional film editing. A character may change clothing, lighting may shift, and spatial relationships may drift between angles—all of which break cinematic continuity (Bordwell, Thompson, & Smith, 2020). This paper formalizes Chain Continuity, a reproducible four-step method that eliminates these discontinuities by separating camera construction from performance generation. The method requires locking a single Master Key Frame taken from the first frame of the Master Shot, building all other camera angles as static Setup Frames derived only from that first-frame key, and then generating performances solely …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Papernest Media: A Collaborative Multimedia Research Project, Susie V. Mabry

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Papernest Media is a collaborative multimedia research project that contextualizes the history and contemporary status of insect commodities as traditional food, tourist fare, and natural dye in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our interdisciplinary team of Anne E. Pfister, PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology, Alex Kledzik, BA in Sociology and Susie Mabry, UNF International Studies, came together in 2024 to produce a short film accompanying the exploratory phase of a larger ethnographic investigation. In July 2024, we traveled to Oaxaca during a peak season and the annual Guelaguetza festival to investigate the touted sustainability of edible insects in a region known for its …

Rethinking Wireless Microphone Fidelity: Evidence, Outcomes, And Implications, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

This paper challenges long-standing assumptions about tradeo↵s between duplexing and microphone fidelity in consumer wireless audio systems. Through controlled experiments and comparative evaluations on modern consumer hardware, we demonstrate that (1) measurable improvements in recorded microphone fidelity are achievable in real-world scenarios previously considered infeasible, (2) objective metrics show statistically significant gains under the tested configurations, and (3) these gains enable practical workflows for field production and archival capture. For reasons of responsible disclosure and ongoing intellectual property protection, implementation details are withheld; instead we report experimental design at a high level, evaluation methodology, numeric results, and implications for practitioners …

Bluetooth Microphone Audio Activation, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

Bluetooth technology enables reliable wireless microphone activation for hands- free applications across a variety of industries. This paper surveys key considerations and general trends impacting audio activation, user experience, and ongoing improvements in wireless communication. No specific technical approach, implementation, or proprietary process is discussed.

Quasi-Feminism And Identity Exploration In The Film Laapata Ladies, Dr. Bharat Dhiman, Nausheen Khan

Journal of Religion & Film

The film Laapata Ladies (2024), directed by Kiran Rao, is a social commentary revolving around misogyny and the socio-cultural barriers faced by women in rural India, serving as a brilliant ode to womanhood and conveying its message effectively without any melodrama, thereby reflecting social realities at a ground level. The film explores the protagonists’ inner dilemmas, constraints, struggles, and hardships, advocating the cause for inclusivity from a quasi-feminist perspective, poignantly urging us to re-examine our perspectives and stirring conversations around the need for women to establish their own identities, away from the standard kaleidoscope of the male gaze.

Greta Gerwig And Pina Bausch: A Comparative Analysis Of Creative Processes, Ashley N. Reisert

Senior Theses

This paper examines the creative processes of film director Greta Gerwig and dance choreographer Pina Bausch. More specifically, it compares the techniques both artists employ to inspire movement and produce a successful end product. Greta Gerwig’s background in theater provides the impetus behind many of her directorial choices. This paper explores three of her values that have contributed to her success: realistic dialogue, actor connection, and capturing reality. Pina Bausch’s process stems from the performers themselves; she often provides them with prompts, such as questions to inspire movement. Through the analysis of these two influential artists, I have found that …

Security And Reliability Considerations In Modern Bluetooth Audio Implementations, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

This paper provides a practical overview of security and reliability considerations relevant to modern Bluetooth audio implementations. Drawing from platform documentation and observed behavior in consumer devices, the report focuses on profile-level characteristics, common architectural constraints, and real-world reliability factors that affect both communication and media playback scenarios. The goal is to offer a clear, outcomes-oriented summary suitable for practitioners, educators, and technical evaluators. No proprietary techniques or implementation-specific methods are discussed.

Idlewild Documentary, Arise Rock

Honors Theses

This honors thesis and documentary, “I Can Breathe, the story of how Idlewild changed my life,” explores my personal journey to Idlewild with the Lee Honors College Study in the States Program. Over the past three years, I have attended every trip to Idlewild, and captured footage showcasing the enduring legacy and spirit of Idlewild, Michigan. This place was a once-thriving African American resort community during the Jim Crow era, and now is home to year-round locals who seek hope and restoration for the community. Through a deeply personal lens, this project seeks to honor Idlewild’s past and also envision …

High-Fidelity Wireless Mobile Audio In Film Production Engineering Practices And On-Set Workflow Design, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

Film production environments demand predictable, stable, and high-fidelity audio capture. Traditional approaches rely on dedicated hardware recorders, wired lavalier systems, and separate RF microphone setups. However, the rapid improvement of mobile processors and modern Bluetooth audio systems has opened new opportunities for filmmakers seeking compact recording workflows.

This paper examines the engineering and production techniques developed in 2025 while building mobile recording systems capable of delivering consistent, clean audio for filmmaking. The analysis focuses on system design, workflow ergonomics, and reliability under field conditions.

The Uses Of Dramaturgical Research In Cinematic Storytelling, Asset Design, And Adaptation In Animation, Delaney L. Walker

All Theses

“The Black Hair” is a creative project that explores the convergence of cinematic adaptation, dramaturgical research, and animation design in retelling a traditional Japanese short folktale from the Heian Era. Rooted in the practice of theatrical dramaturgy, this thesis advocates for a research-driven creative pipeline by developing a culturally respectful and historically grounded approach to developing cinematic storyboards. By thoroughly examining the chronicles of history and the sociocultural context, the project seeks to foster deeper cultural appreciation while reintroducing a lesser-known narrative to modern audiences through a visual medium. The project draws stylistic and narrative inspiration from iconic Japanese filmmakers …

An Exploration Of Elderly Representation & Stereotypes In Animation, Tyler Kidd

All Theses

In the world of animated features, supporting cast members are often reduced down to simple character traits in order to give the audience a simple idea of their personality or role in the story, or to support the creation of a work that is easier to understand for people of all ages. However, this can often result in the application of negative tropes that do not reflect kindly on those being depicted. The elderly are a group that often get caught in these stereotypes, being depicted as wrinkly, clumsy, overweight villains. While you can still find many positive portrayals in …

Artwork From Animation (Ani216 Animation Studio), Adrian Bruch

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

A series of pen and ink and photograph collages inspired by my teaching and the scene I created as part of the ANI216 Animation Studio group project. These were made as a response to the invitation to exhibit 3 artworks in a group exhibition. They were all subsequently sold.

What Can The Active Learning Teacher Learn From Dramatic Arts Practice?, Strutts Psyridis

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This presentation explores how active learning pedagogy can be informed by practices in the dramatic arts, particularly film editing and theatre direction. Drawing on an autobiographical lens, it argues that teaching and creative practice share a performative, interpretive, and collaborative structure. Concepts such as facilitative teaching, embodied cognition, intuition, and kinesthetic empathy are used to reframe the teacher as an active orchestrator rather than a passive facilitator. Through analysis of narrative construction, interpretive space, and audience engagement, the paper highlights parallels between editing and classroom practice. It proposes that effective teaching operates as a dynamic, multi-dimensional, and emotionally responsive creative …

Through The Glass Darkly: Cross-Cultural Collaboration And The Experimental Adaptation Of Shakespeare, James Thompson

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

Through the Glass Darkly is an experimental Australian-Indonesian film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, employing fragmented narratives, hallucinatory imagery, and cross-cultural spiritual frameworks to explore violence, guilt, and moral corruption. The project emerged from a collaboration between Australian and Indonesian film professionals and educators. Drawing on trauma cinema aesthetics and Indonesian mystical traditions (Kebatinan, Rangda masks), the adaptation structures itself around five vignettes: prophecy, murder, hallucination, retribution, and washing. The filmmaker employs a "heuretic" research methodology, prioritizing exploration over interpretation, to create a hybrid cultural text that interrogates Western canonical literature through postcolonial perspectives while navigating censorship through international collaboration.

Reveltion Perth International Film Festival Academic Conference 2025, James Thompson

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

The Revelation International Film Festival conference invites vibrant discussions and debates, exploring creative practice and praxis, and the theoretical surrounds of contemporary cinematic and screen culture.

Revelation stands as Australia’s exclusive international film festival integrating academic discourse within its renowned screening program. Our mission extends beyond screens, sharing compelling discoveries with audiences across the country and beyond. Embracing a pivotal role in fostering film discourse and analysis, Revelation is a cornerstone in Australian cinematic dialogue.

Under the auspices of SAE University College Perth, the academic conference took place at the SAE campus 116-120 Roe St.  Northbridge, Perth, Western Australia.

The …

Cross-Platform Sample-Rate Behavior In Mobile Bluetooth Microphones A Comparative Audio-Production Study Of Android And Ios Systems, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

Bluetooth microphones—especially AirPods and similar wearables—are now used in mobile filmmaking for portable, actor-mounted voice capture. However, sample-rate behavior varies significantly across Android and iOS ecosystems. This paper analyzes cross-platform sample-rate performance using perceptual, non-mechanistic evaluation. The focus is on expressive clarity, tonal identity, continuity across recordings, and film-production workflow reliability under Bluetooth microphone conditions.

Cinematic Dialogue Capture With Mobile Wireless Microphones: A Systems Approach To Blocking, Acoustics, And Set Dynamics, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

This paper presents a systems-engineering analysis of cinematic dialogue capture using mobile wireless microphones. Building on field observations and workstation-based evaluation conducted between June and August 2025, the study models the acoustic, timing, and blocking interactions that shape production-sound outcomes on narrative film sets. A multi-layer framework is proposed that integrates sound recording, cinematography, actor movement, and post-production requirements. Results indicate that mobile microphone systems, when operated within disciplined workflows, can deliver high-quality dialogue coverage with notable advantages in mobility, scene flexibility, and production efficiency.

Manny The Barber: Transitioning The Neurodivergent From High School To Workplace, Julia Barlas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a documentary short film. The narrative focuses on Manny, a young man on the autism spectrum, who dreams about working in a barber shop. He lives in New York City and attends a specialized public high school. The film empathizes with Manny and with his community at large, illustrating the need for further job training and hiring initiatives acknowledging the potential and value of the neurodivergent. The observational mode of this documentary with some participatory elements serves to present the neurodivergent behavioral nuisances, patterns of speech, and interactions with the surroundings. Pieces of interviews with teachers …

How To Walk On Water: Living Through The Absurd, Esther Du

Masters Theses

Set in a speculative world submerged by water, this thesis constructs a fragmented, nonlinear narrative that reflects on survival, memory, and displacement in the aftermath of catastrophe. Through three interwoven chapters—The Outcast, The Researcher, and The World—the project explores the emotional and psychological landscapes of individuals navigating a post-apocalyptic existence where the past is irretrievable and the future uncertain. Using an interdisciplinary form of visual storytelling, writing, and sound, the work draws from personal experience and collective trauma to examine how people reconstruct identity and meaning after loss. Rather than offering a definitive answer to existential …

Ib-Adat, Anum Naseer

Masters Theses

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Cinema As Praxis: An Integrated Theoretical Framework For Philippine Social Advocacy Cinema, Herwin Benedictos Cabasal

Social Transformations Journal of the Global South

This theoretical paper examines social advocacy cinema in the Philippines as a form of counter-hegemonic cultural practice. Drawing on Third Cinema Theory (Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino), critical theory (Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer), and participatory communication for social change (Paulo Freire and Thomas Tufte), this paper proposes Cinema as Praxis as an integrated theoretical framework for understanding how politically driven advocacy films operate through the convergence of cultural and political production, ideological representation and critique, and participatory communication. It argues that social advocacy cinema functions through interconnected dimensions: (1) production as praxis, in which collective and grassroots filmmaking constitutes …

Review Of Film Noir And The Arts Of Lighting, Casey Walker

Journal of 20th Century Media History

Review of the book Film Noir and the Arts of Lighting (Patrick Keating)

Automatonophobia, Adrian Bruch

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

These artworks were created as a direct result of my teaching the ANI216 Animation Studio. In the process of devising ways to incorporate photographic imagery into an animation, I developed a multi-plane system where I could create layers in Adobe Photoshop and combine them with original cartoon characters in After Effects and then animate them.

These artworks for an exhibition at the Garden Gallery (Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney) are imaginary stills inspired by the actual animation. All three were sold.

Stability Cues And User Interpretation In Mobile Bluetooth Recording Workflows, John Trevino

Theatre Faculty Publications

Mobile Bluetooth recording has become a practical tool for filmmakers, content creators, educators, and journalists. While technical specifications offer clear limits to wireless audio, perceived performance is often shaped more strongly by user interpretation, interface cues, and workflow stability. This paper analyzes the perceptual systems users rely on when operating Bluetooth microphones through mobile applications, focusing on stability cues, sonic anchors, and behavioral patterns that influence recorded outcomes. The goal is to establish an academic framework for understanding perceived wireless performance without discussing internal engineering mechanics.

The Design Of Time: Envisioning The Future Through Science Fiction Production Design In The Alien Franchise, Josephine Spanier, Charles Howard

Honors Thesis

In filmmaking, the production designer works closely with the director and cinematographer to ensure cohesion and uniqueness in the film’s visual design. This collaboration often provides the designer with a strong degree of influence on the film’s final look, thus shaping the thematic and visual impact of a film on the audience. In highly stylized and fantastical genres, such as science fiction, production design plays an especially important role in creating worlds that may be entirely different from the one we currently live in, while still reflecting the real-world context in which the film was made. This phenomena can particularly …

Robotic Rhythm: A Contemporary Look At Ai-Driven Editing Tools’ Efficacy In Understanding And Replicating Creative Rhythm Editing Techniques., Alexander Selby-Lara, Charles Howard

Honors Thesis

It is undeniable that artificial intelligence (AI) has made its way into the film world. From AI-generated imagery and sound design in two 2025 Oscar nominees — The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez (Pulver) — to weekly updates and monthly beta releases of existing and new generative image and video models, AI-driven filmmaking tools are here to stay. But what does this mean for the post-production workflow? Much like camera development, editing technology has come a long way from flatbed film editors to Adobe Premiere Pro v. 25.0. Yet, despite each technological leap from system to system, the delicate task of …