Bridging the Gap through Film

By Sarah E. Brown ’09

Over the past few years the Vassar Film Department has undergone some exciting changes. Such changes include a brand-new facility, the addition of a number of highly talented faculty members as well as an increased trend in strong connections between alumnae/i and current students through various avenues. Recent alumnae/i film events in Fairfield County, CT and Washington, DC have helped to showcase the hard work of current students, alumnae/i, and faculty members.

Kay Holman Langan ’46 and Professor of Drama and Film and former chair of the Film Department James B. Steerman spoke to Club Brewer about the Fairfield Film Event and the new developments in the Film Department at Vassar.

In September of 2008, the Vassar Club of Fairfield County sponsored the screening of four films directed by current Vassar students as a way of showcasing the excellence of Vassar’s Film Department. The event was co-chaired by Ann (Sunny) Distler Brown ’47 and Kay Holman Langan ’46, who credit Steerman with making the evening successful.

The event was held at the not-for-profit, member supported Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT, an art-house cinema where alumnus Adam Birnbaum ’00 is the Director of Business Development and Film Programming. A wine and cheese reception before the screening allowed the more than fifty attendees to talk informally with Steerman, a newly graduated Vassar student who directed one of the films, as well as Birnbaum.

The Film Department at Vassar continues to grow and offer a wider range of courses. When Steerman began the Film Study Program at Vassar, he taught everything from screen writing to film theory, though his background was then primarily in playwriting. Now, the Film Department has many professors teaching an array of classes such as film history and theory, African and African American Cinema, Asian and South East Asian Cinema, and South American and Central American Cinema just to name a few.

Vassar film graduates have had great success professionally over the past 20 years; much more success, in fact, than numbers might suggest for a small college. Vassar alumnae/i are writers, directors, cinematographers, producers and editors in New York City or California. Much of our graduates’ success is credited to the help and direction from the Vassar Career Development Office, which made strides in contacting and organizing alums around the world.

“We are considered one of the better departments of film among liberal arts colleges, and some people compare us to pre-professional programs, such as those at NYU or USC, though our emphasis is not on pre-professional training, but more about helping students learn how to think film,” says Steerman.

Occasionally, the Film Department offers a class cross-listed with the Drama Department called “Acting for the Camera” which is designed for actors and filmmakers and is taught by Adjunct Professor Mark Wheeler. Wheeler is a friend of director Ron Howard. Last spring, without publicity, Ron Howard showed up to talk to Wheeler’s class, and a few other Film majors. Film major Woodrow Travers ’09 asked if he could speak to Howard, and told him about himself and his interest in filmmaking, and out of that conversation, Howard offered Woodrow a job on his new film. Woodrow took the 2008 fall semester off from Vassar to work on Howard’s production.

“As you can see, interesting things happen, and we hope will continue to happen within our department and alumnae/i. This process has the potential to increase if more alumnae/i get word to us, since Vassar students usually commit themselves totally to an internship or work experience and usually do a fine job,” says Steerman.