UnionFIlmFestival2018

Student Films Showcased at Union Film Festival

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After the initial screening and directors talk was held Monday night, the secondary screening and awards ceremony for the Union Film Festival was held on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Barefoots Joe.

The ceremony was hosted by assistant professor of communication arts Chris Blair and Cam Tracy. There were 17 different award categories that students from all different backgrounds competed for. There were eight films screened in total, six of which were competing for best short-form film, two which were competing for best long-form film and three which were competing for the SAC students’ choice award.

The SAC student’s choice, best short-form and best long-form awards had cash prize awards of $75, $125 and $150 respectively. With the exception of the SAC sponsored category, the awards were decided by Union alumni.

As the winners of the awards were announced, students stood on the stage to speak, or not. Many films won multiple awards, leading several to just shrug their shoulders as they passed the microphone on their way offstage. One director, sophomore digital media communications major Campbell Padgett, who submitted three short films to the festival, swept up 10 of the awards, including best long-form film. However, he was very humble about his winnings.

“I submitted half the films, so just statistically I was bound to get a lot of awards,” Padgett said. “It was pretty weird going up on that stage over and over. It made me look a lot more productive than I actually am.”

“Dirty Laundry” by junior digital media communications major Alex Russel won best short-form film. Not such a clear-cut victory, however, was the SAC students’ choice award, which tied between the films “The Stranger” and “The Runner.” Hosts Blair and Tracy said it was a first for the festival, as they gave awards to both films.

“The film festival is something I wish we had when I was a student,” Blair said. “There are so many things like that – I wish that we had when I was a student, and I’m glad that we have it now.”

The full list of winners is available on the Union events film festival page.

This article originally appeared on the Cardinal and Cream website.

Drake Faculty of the Year

Drake named Faculty of the Year

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Union University presented more than 70 awards to students, faculty and staff at the annual Awards Day chapel service. The Carla D. Sanderson Faculty of the Year Award went to Web Drake, professor of communication arts.

Drake serves as department chair, coordinates the Speech major, and coaches the Union Debate Team.

In his 8 years at Union, Drake has guided the debate team to 3 season-long national championships and 3 championship tournament titles. He has also had multiple tournament and season-long individual award winners. He also chartered the Union Toastmaster’s Club and began the Joseph H. Eaton Speech Competition.

Drake Faculty of the Year

Ashley Fitch Blair, 2015 Faculty of the Year, hands the university mace to Web Drake, 2016 Faculty of the Year

Cam Tracy, Union’s Web-Master, was awarded with the Gary L. Carter Staff of the Year Award. In addition to his work with University Communications, Heit has also served as an adjunct instructor in Communication Arts, teaching classes in the Digital Media Communications program.

The Awards Day chapel, held May 1 in George M. Savage Memorial Chapel, commemorated seniors, students and professors that have shown academic excellence in their studies and teaching.

An academic excellence medal is given to one student from each academic discipline. In order for a student to be eligible for the academic excellence award, the student must have at least a 3.5 GPA in their major courses and must have earned a minimum of 15 hours in their major here at Union, Hopper said.

Communication Arts Academic Excellence Awards:

BROADCAST JOURNALISM: Allison Pulliam

DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION: David Parks

JOURNALISM: Danica Smithwick

MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS: Rian Trotter

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Elise Watkins

THEATRE: Elizabel Riggs

The Kina S. Mallard Communication Arts Student of the Year Award was presented to Anna Alicia Sails, senior broadcast journalism major and theater minor.

Communication professors attend California film conference

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Union University communication arts professors Chris Blair and David Burke recently attended the Cinema Studies Conference hosted by the Los Angeles Film Studies Center in Los Angeles.

The conference theme was “The Business of The Business,” and it featured executives from Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Wind Dancer Films, as well as Anthony Zuiker, creator of the CSI franchise.

“David and I went to see the current state of the entertainment industry, so we could bring these ideas and trends back to our film studies courses at Union,” Blair said. “We also had a chance to eat lunch at Warner Bros. with a communication arts alum, John Crook, who works in their Worldwide Theatrical Distribution division.”

The conference offered a behind-the-scenes look at the RED Studios in Hollywood where “I Love Lucy” was filmed in the 1950s and “Seinfeld” was filmed in the 1990s.

Blair also made a presentation to the faculty attending the conference, entitled, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as a Teaching Tool in Cinema Studies.”

According to the LAFSC website, the conference was aimed at the “overlooked essentials” of show business:  marketing, finance and distribution.

The Los Angeles Film Studies Center offers a semester-long, immersive filmmaking program, where students learn the art and craft of filmmaking in a Christian environment. Numerous Union students attend LAFSC as part of the Film Studies minor.