Augie’s film production home sets stage for student success

Augustana College not only cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art film home in Sorensen Hall for its still-fledgling film program, it also announced Friday, Feb. 16, that its Department of Theatre Arts has been renamed the Department of Theatre and Film. The name change reflects the Rock Island-based leading liberal arts college’s commitment to […]

Augustana College not only cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art film home in Sorensen Hall for its still-fledgling film program, it also announced Friday, Feb. 16, that its Department of Theatre Arts has been renamed the Department of Theatre and Film. The name change reflects the Rock Island-based leading liberal arts college’s commitment to a degree program, which began as a film certificate program in 2016, and was announced as a film major and minor in December 2022.

A little more than a year later, the school unveiled the new production facilities. They're located on the first floor of the recently remodeled building at 639 38th St. on its Rock Island campus. The space now includes a top-of-the-line 20-seat iMac lab, recording studio, a new shooting studio featuring a dynamic set of backgrounds including green and white screens, an LED lighting grid, a private editing suite, and professional grip equipment that can achieve high-quality professional standards in sound and vision.  The facilities, the students, and their new, updated equipment occupy space that was once home to Augustana’s Information Technology Services department. ITS was relocated to the basement to make room for the program's film students in the renovated building.

Program interest growing

“The growth and interest in our film program is very exciting and I’m proud to say Augustana students remain committed to telling powerful stories and it's hard to overemphasize the power of film in telling those stories,” Augustana Provost Dianna Shandy told the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting last week. “These students will gain the skills to prepare them to be leaders in their careers and their communities. The jobs they take may lead them to Hollywood or to put down roots right here in Illinois or the Quad Cities,” she said.

Matthew Chezum is a member of the inaugural class of film students who has set his sights on a future in film.  The New Windsor, Illinois, native said he entered Augustana College as a chemistry major. Then he took a class in film history during the college’s J-term, an intensive three-week program every January, in which, students take a three-hour-a-day, five-day-a-week class.  “I fell in love with it,” he said. He told himself, “I could do this for a living or just as a hobby even.” When he found out Augustana was getting a film major, he quickly applied. These days he’s looking forward to finding out just how far filmmaking will take him. So is Associate Professor Stacy Barton, who oversaw the creation of the state-of-the-art film production facilities and leads the program and the 20 talented students enrolled. They include Mr. Chezum whose recent short-film is getting attention.

'S'mores' getting hot

His stop-action “S'mores" was shot on his kitchen table and features marshmallows navigating the Salem Witch Trials. The work took people’s choice and best narrative awards at the Augustana Student Film Showcase in October 2023, which Ms. Barton launched. The juried event included short videos created in film courses during the previous academic year. Last year’s event featured 18 student films in the genres of documentary, narrative fiction, experimental, and public service announcement.  Mr. Chezum told the QCBJ, he’s also excited that his “S’mores” will be featured at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, film festival later this year.   These days, Ms. Barton said, Mr. Chezum is editing his next film for a new student showcase slated for May at The Last Picture Show in downtown Davenport. The event is open and free to the public. Winners will be announced at the showing and those films will re-screen on campus during Augustana’s Symposium Day in October. Ms. Barton is herself a film artist who shot her first video in 1999. Her body of work includes short and feature narrative fiction films, TV magazine, 16mm experimental, video art and multimedia sculpture. She has taught in higher education since 2004 including building two programs at the University of Colorado-Denver. At Friday’s ribbon-cutting she celebrated the program’s new production facilities that were more than a year in the making and the work those students have and will do in the program and with the help of the community. “We look forward to a future full of local partnerships as more film majors are attracted to Augustana as well as the Quad Cities,” she said. “I especially can’t wait to see the motion pictures that our dedicated and talented Augie film students create.”