by Josh Wilson

Imagine an innovative community of videographers, actors and screenwriters coming together to bring stories to life. Soon, we will have that at Greensboro College with the birth of the filmmaking club.

The mission of this club is to produce films where creative minds like actors, videographers, creative writers or anyone interested in film can meet and work together to create a production.

Greensboro College has a strong English communication media department and theatre department, showing that Greensboro College is filled with creative students. A filmmaking club can give students in these fields a chance to get hands-on experience with screenwriting, acting, video editing and camera operation.

The Global Communications Center, located in the basement of James Addison Jones Library, has cameras, microphones and tungsten lights that can be rented out by students for film creation purposes. With that in mind, students would not need to purchase equipment to join the filmmaking club.

I recently spoke to SGA President and sports media videographer Alex Trepper about his thoughts on a filmmaking club at GC and he said, “I think a filmmaking club has the potential to be the biggest club on campus. I know dozens of students who are passionate about videography, editing and acting. This club can give those students a place to be creative, connect with one another and grow.” As Alex mentioned, this club is an excellent opportunity for students to create a work portfolio for their future careers.

I also had the chance to speak to David Slifer, a freshman student currently in the theatre program, about how he feels this club benefits the theatre department. Slifer replied, “In theatre, we perform on stage and it is live. I think the filmmaking club can be helpful for in-front-of-the-camera and behind-the-camera experience.” Screenplay acting is an important skill to have for aspiring actors. For aspiring videographers, knowing how to operate a camera is essential. Both of these, amongst other things, would be something you could learn in the filmmaking club.

This club can also help students figure out the career they want to pursue or the major they want to study. When I was a first-year student at Greensboro College, I was unsure of what interested me in my English communications and media major until I took a videography course. With videography, I learned how to create a story using moving pictures, which I really fell in love with. The videography course helped me decide the career I wanted to pursue.

A filmmaking club can serve as an environment where students can learn and discover their skills in every aspect of filmmaking and have fun shaping cinematic narratives. Are you ready to start your cinematic journey? Join the filmmaking club, where you can unleash your creativity and make your ideas come to life on screen. If you are interested in joining and want more information, please email me at josh.wilson@greensboro.edu.