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Critically acclaimed filmmaker Rik Swartzwelder’s interim course, “Advanced Film Directing,” drew rave reviews from students and offered a glimpse at how the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences (CAS) is fulfilling its Reformed mission to prepare students to enter the media as agents of renewal.
Swartzwelder’s
class, aimed at students interested in both production and acting, offered
first-hand experience in creating and producing film. But it also dealt
with the issues of virtue, ethics and excellence.The course provided students
with important tools necessary for a career in filmmaking. Students watched
many films and e-mailed personal comments to the directors. They also
had the opportunity to put their creative juices to the test, developing
their own storyboards and producing their own short films.
Some students served as actors, giving directors a chance to work with talent. Junior Brendan Schoone-Jongen says, “This class gave many of us our first taste at directing actors, and hopefully we can now go on to hone in on the skills Rik had us practice. I can’t wait to go out and use what I learned in the class and see if I can do it better.”
Students also learned valuable lessons about the film industry and its impact on Christians. Junior Rachel Dik says, “The film industry is a tough one. It’s not always going to be fun and games, and it definitely isn’t always going to be what most people dream of. It’s going to be a lot of work, but Lord willing, it’ll be work that will bring with it a feeling that it is all worth it, that all our hard efforts paid off.”
In spite of the difficulty of breaking into the film industry, Swartzwelder sees a promising future for the kinds of students who took his class. “They have remarkable skills, no doubt, but more importantly, they have something to say. That speaks well of the institution they’re attending, and well for the films that many of them will go on to create, God willing.”
The new interim course was a unique experience for Swartzwelder, too, who had never taught in a classroom. Swartzwelder says he “discovered that filmmaking and teaching have a much closer connection than I would have predicted. Both are rather intense, high-energy endeavors that require a lot of collaboration amongst a varied group of creative types that don’t always agree. There’s also a coaching element in teaching that I feel is very similar to the directing process as well. Both are demanding, communal, and rewarding.”
Students found the course rewarding as well. Schoone-Jongen says the workshop was “the best class I have had at Calvin. For people who want to direct, this class was pure joy.” Dik enthusiastically agrees, “I have never taken a class before that was so much fun to the point that I actually looked forward to doing the homework.”
Swartzwelder’s stimulating combination of Christian perspective and industry experience were highly praised by students. Junior Nate Vreeman says, “It was refreshing to have someone with no teaching experience come and instruct us. I am thankful that Rik Swartzwelder came, and I hope for his return for others.” Schoone-Jongen adds that Swartzwelder “was a very real and likable guy who did not have a big head about his accomplishments. Instead, he was constantly encouraging students in their future video endeavors.”
According to CAS Chair Professor Mark Fackler, the department is talking with Schwartzwelder about returning to Calvin regularly to work with students and staff on various projects. “The DeVos Communication Center and our increasingly well-known faculty are opening up some incredible opportunities to take our Reformed vision into the media,” he says. “By God’s grace, Calvin is becoming a center for Christian thought and practice in communication.”
—Kaitlyn Bohlin
