Emmy-winning alum among artists to virtually visit TU film classes
Visiting artist program adapts to remote learning with virtual masterclasses, screenings
By Rebecca Kirkman on July 1, 2020
For Towson University’s Department of Electronic Media and Film (EMF), the switch to remote learning in March required creative solutions to new challenges.
But an unexpected upside? The chance for students to meet and learn from industry leaders who dropped into class webinars as part of the department’s longstanding visiting artist program.
These opportunities are made possible by the Visiting Artist Committee, a group of four EMF faculty members that brings industry professionals, including alumni, to speak with current students.
On April 13, Emmy-winning cinematographer John Benam ’97 spoke via Webex with students in adjunct professor Gabe Dinsmoor’s electronic field production class.
The TU alumnus and Baltimore resident served as director of photography on the 2017 Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary series “The Keepers” and on the 2018 PBS documentary “Charm City.” His latest documentary “Assassins” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
In addition to the session with Benam, Dinsmoor held a Q&A with alumnus and Brooklyn-based cinematographer Kyle Deitz ’14 on April 20.
Also in April, assistant professor Joseph Kraemer’s directing class learned about holding table reads during a discussion with Hollywood director Jack Sholder. Video artist, animator and filmmaker Marnie Ellen Hertzler joined assistant professor Lynn Tomlinson’s class to discuss Hertzler’s career.
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In a joint event with the TU Alumni Association on April 28, visiting instructor Jena Burchick moderated a video panel discussion, “Inside the World of Filmmaking,” with Shelly Strong ’90 of Amblin Partners, Debbie Donaldson Dorsey ’82 of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, director Frank Ferro ’88 (“House of Cards,” “Treme”) and Wade Tyree ’08, international representative for the entertainment industry union International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
The committee has previously hosted artists from around the world who have shared their experience and knowledge with students through workshops, screenings, Q&As and more.
In October 2019, Black Maria Film Festival curator Jane Steuerwald visited campus to give students a backstage look at running festivals.
“In addition to sitting in on my classes, Jane led a workshop where students served as judges for several short films in consideration for the festival,” says Tomlinson, part of the Visiting Artist Committee. “She walked them through the judging process and took their evaluation sheets as prescreening selections.”
In spring 2019, Portuguese animator and film producer Mário Gajo De Carvalho shared his career experiences with students and screened his work in Van Bokkelen Auditorium.
“He talked about his process and did a demonstration where he showed how he worked,” Tomlinson says. “He talked about the world of international film festivals and about how funding for short films is different in the E.U.”
Often, interactions with visiting artists lead to important career connections for students. Maria Olney ’20 landed an internship at Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Partners after getting to know Shelly Strong ’90, a frequent visiting artist and head of physical production at the studio.
“When Shelly came [to speak at TU], she said that she wanted to help students get more opportunities because it's hard to get a job unless you know somebody already,” Olney says. “[During the internship,] Shelly was really big on having me meet as many people as possible and get as much experience as possible.”
But whenever possible, the committee highlights professionals working in the local region. “We try as often as we can to work with local filmmakers so the students can get a sense of the possibilities working locally, and so they don’t assume they have to move to Los Angeles or New York,” says assistant professor Lorrie Palmer, chair of the Visiting Artists Committee.
“It’s important to let the students know that being local is a good place to be, to learn and to get their feet into the industry and have professional contacts here because there are a surprisingly large amount of people working here in the industry.”