Film Production Commons^™

Lights, Camera, Acting! A Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Approach To Basic Filmmaking, Jessica Maloney, Chris Nelson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

No film studio? No problem! This activity is designed to introduce basic concepts of filmmaking across disciplines such as theatre and communications, but could be used by either. It includes an emphasis on acting as well as the technical processes and procedures on set. We have geared this activity specifically towards use in a cross-listed class in Communication and Theatre Arts.

Welcome Tilly Norwood: Forecasting Hollywood’S Ai Policy Futures, Samuel P. Rooker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

In late 2025, weekly trade publication Variety Magazine reported on the announcement of a new acting talent in Hollywood: Tilly Norwood. Norwood is an industry outsider and the pet project of Eline Van der Velden, who unveiled the actress’ existence to the world at the Zurich Film Festival. The announcement quickly gained media coverage while Van der Velden has since faced cyclical backlash from Hollywood trade unions, which does not seem entirely without reason. Tilly Norwood is a digital persona, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) program, designed by Van der Velden’s novel AI talent studio, Xicoia, to become the next …

Co-Active Therapeutic Filmmaking: A Methodology Pilot Project, Blair Webber

Expressive Therapies Theses

This pilot project examined the intersection of drama therapy and filmmaking. Drawing on the Co-Active Therapeutic Theater model from drama therapy and digital storytelling and participatory video methods from social work research, this methodology designed and delivered a co-created filmmaking intervention at a residential treatment center for adult men with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder. Four participants made a seven-minute-long short fictional film based on their definition of active recovery and a theme of recovery they wished to share with an audience. It was screened at the treatment center for staff and their fellow residents. Data collection was …

What Is This Thing Called Film?, Strutts Psyridis

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This article looks back at my experience of the transition from traditional motion picture film to modern digital filmmaking. It explains the physical and chemical processes behind film, and how we worked with as creatives, and contrasts them with digital recording methods, I reflect on how technological changes transformed production practices, costs, and industry infrastructure. I also highlight the discipline and technical skills required when shooting on film, arguing that the limitations of older methods encouraged careful planning, collaboration, and strong visual storytelling techniques.

Framing The Heart: A Director Of Photography’S Role In Crafting Cinematic Emotion, Mitchell D. Partlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will explain the process of being the Director of Photography on the film Echoes from the Dock by Bella-Jace Moreno. I will discuss my process during Pre-Production, Principal Photography (Production,) and Post-Production, and walk you through the process of being the Director of Photography on a feature length production. Echoes from the Dock was one of the hardest tasks I have taken on, but through trials and tribulations, it is not about the journey, but the product. Pushing me to my creative limit, here is my journey through the Director of Photography’s Making of Echoes from the Dock …

A Guide To Environmentally Sustainable Filmmaking In South Carolina, Christina Vera Dobrowolski

Senior Theses

The entertainment industry has a massive environmental impact. This information is not new in the filmmaking world, as multiple mainstream efforts exist to curb the material-intensive production of live action films and TV. One of these efforts is the use of voluntary sustainable guidelines, which serve as tools that outline sustainable best practices and resources that can help achieve them. However, current guidelines often lack practicality— focusing more on altruism rather than core economic factors that ultimately drive filmmaking. This project aims to address that gap for filmmakers in South Carolina by offering a website featuring attainable, state-specific resources for …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Imagining In “Youth Taking Action:” Documenting Immigrating And Settling Through A Hybrid Youth Participatory Action Research Project, Natacha Monestel Mora, Julia Iriarte, Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur, Sediqa Temori, Mathias Abraha

Occasional Paper Series

This paper is a memoir of our experiences with Youth Taking Action (YTA), a YPAR program that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. YTA, a collaborative effort organized by a non-profit based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, provided a space for 6 newcomer youths and 4 immigrant adults to engage in active dialogue. Through these conversations, we explored stories of immigration and settlement, identified barriers that limit opportunities for young newcomers and discussed possible actions to address these issues. The youth also learned documentary filmmaking techniques, which helped them collect data and generate more dialogue. This process revealed that linguistic …

My Journey Through Cinematic Camera Movement, Tim Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explains my journey to becoming a cinematographer and finding my cinematic style through both trial and error and classroom instruction at Stephen F. Austin State University, learning advanced camera and lighting techniques, and working on the 2022 summer feature as a Director of Photography (DP). I will begin with a little bit of history and then move into my influences, experiences, and preferences as it pertains to cinematography and camera movement.

Slacking, Dazed And Rocking: A Study Of Richard Linklater, Parker D. Otto

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this capstone is to examine a filmmaker’s work to better understand the artist as well as look at an underappreciated filmmaker. Richard Linklater is that filmmaker. Several of his films are popular, others less so. By exploring his filmography, it can be determined whether he’s a true artist deserving of more attention from the filmmaking community as well as general audiences. After examining Linklater’s films, not only were there recurring thematic elements that cemented his artistic dominance, but there’s a feeling of evolution as he ages. The research of this project was conducted through watching Linklater’s films …

The Language Of Filmmaking And The Troubles Of Modern Illiteracy, Gabriel A. Blank

Honors Projects

An examination of cinematic language and its development over the last century of filmmaking. This paper discusses the effect of cinematic "illiteracy" and the divide between critics and mass audiences.

Introduction To Video Technology, Ent 1190, Course Outline, Steven Olswang

Open Educational Resources

An introduction to the basic components and practices of preproduction and production methodologies for content creation in commercial video and film production. Through lectures, reading assignments, screenings and practice, students will learn the basics of all stages of production and working together, creating effective production aesthetics in pre-production, production and post-production, script-writing and story-boarding, cinematography aesthetics (lighting and camera), and design and graphics functions in editing.

You Were There : An Exploration And Analysis Of The Filmmaking Process, Regan Emfinger

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the process of writing, shooting, and editing my short film You Were There. My process involved scriptwriting with several revisions, shooting with a cast and crew, and editing the raw footage. This paper will not only serve as a timeline leading up to the final product of the film but also will explain the function of each artistic choice. This paper will also outline the biggest lessons I learned about fictional narratives, and discuss the successes and failures of the film as a whole. I also plan on discussing how those lessons will further my academic and …

Mom's Money: A Dark Comedy, Buddy Ketelle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will recount the making of the feature film Mom’s Money which I produced, edited, wrote and directed. My influences on the story and visual style of the film will be discussed as well as my prior work and the way those combined forces drew me to make this film. Breaking this into the three stages of filmmaking- Production, Pre-Production and Post Production- I will explore the film from its conception to its completion. The collaborative nature of filmmaking and the way the particular collaborators I had on this film gave me an advantage (while still providing an occasional …

Don't Worry: A Personal Documentary Of My Grandmother And An Exploration Of Themes Of Motherhood, Loneliness, And Later Life, Olivia A. Wilson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent for this thesis is to to explore the ideologies of my grandmother and to learn from them. I do so by filming and editing a documentary with Grandma serving as my subject. She is a woman who has been very present in my life and who has lived and bestowed so much upon me that I still remain wanting more. I wish to know much more of her mind now than I did as a child of simpler times and ponderings. I have spent close to a year shooting and assembling this film that explores the nature of …

Making Summer Feature: A History Of Sfa Student Productions, Dudley Kyle May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will discuss the documentary film Summer Feature: A History of SFA Student Productions, which I filmed, directed and produced. It will discuss how this documentary came into existence and the process I went through to film and edit the interviews featured in the final film. It will also detail the process of discovering the theme of the film, from the initial concept through post-production.

Women In Film: A Personal Account, Carlie Merlo

Honors Projects

My Honors Project addresses the inequalities that exist within the film industry by sitting down with several senior members of the BGSU Film Department to discuss this issue. Research done by Dr. Martha Lauzen through the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film highlights the rampant sexism that currently exists in the entertainment industry. This subject is of particular concern for myself and for my female classmates who are preparing to make careers in the film field. After four years at BGSU, I have realized that the industry-wide sexism constantly discussed in the media does not exist …

Confessions Of A Media Literacy Scholar-Practitioner: Job Market Advantages, Research Agenda Challenges, And Theory-Driven Production, Christopher Boulton

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This essay explores how higher education’s move away from the liberal arts tradition of learning by thinking and towards more vocational “experiential” approaches has implications for media literacy educators’ career options, scholarly identities, and teaching strategies. Specifically, I consider my own negotiation of increasing administrative and student demands for “hands-on” production courses by confessing both my advantages on the job market and my post-hire challenges in articulating a clear research agenda. I then conclude with a case study of how I repurposed my scholar-practitioner identity and used critical theory to drive production by bringing film students into a cultural studies …

Planet Trial And Error: A Student's Guide To Film Preproduction, Zach H. Varnum

Selected Honors Theses

This article highlights the importance of preproduction to the filmmaking process and provides a series of steps and guidelines meant to aid student filmmakers in the preproduction phase of their own films. The research was gathered from various filmmaking textbooks of note and from the personal experiences of the author during the making of his capstone film project.

Crossing Borders: Fatih Akin's Transnational Purpose, Drew Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

To be, is to be mobile. At least, that's what Turkish-German director Fatih Akin would like the world to see. His acclaimed films have nursed a genre of this own - transnational cinema - which imagines our society's desire to freely cross cultural, national, and traditional borders of self-identification, then wrenches it away. The implication of this perspective is that the statue quo isn't there yet, giving rise to intolerance and tragedy in Akin's contemporary society. Regardless of how developed our nations are and how intelligent the human race is, we can't overcome our differences until we overcome ourselves. This …

Filmmakers In Conversation, 1982, William Friedkin, Buck Henry, Melvin Van Peebles, Anthony Loeb

Conversation With...

Several of these conversations were published in monograph form, available on this website. However, three conversations with William Friedkin, Buck Henry, and Melvin Van Peebles appear here for the first time in this 1982 publication.

Other conversations include John Cassavetes, Joan Tewkesbury, Steve Shagan, and Bill Butler. The publication was edited by Anthony Loeb, then chair of the Film Department, Columbia College Chicago. 135 pages.

Possible Solutions To Certain Problems Arising In The Production Of School-Produced Motion Pictures, Harley G. Jones

Graduate Student Research Papers

The basic problem chosen for this study is "Possible Solutions to Certain Problems Arising in the Production of School-Produced Motion Pictures." Specific problems arise in any medium of expression, and it is wise to expect problems to arise when locally produced audio-visual aids in the form of motion pictures are considered by a school. The paper resulting from this study does not supply all of the answers to all of the problems, nor does it necessarily supply the best answers to any specific problem arising. Nevertheless, by posing some available solutions to certain of the problems, it provides assistance in …