Grand Valley: The School of Communications Spotlights GVSU The School of Communications Spotlights http://gvsu.edu/soc/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:25:21 EST Grand Valley: The School of Communications Spotlights http://gvsu.edu/images/rsslogo.gif http://gvsu.edu/soc/ 112 33 SoC Launches Cinesthesia Film Journal


The School of Communications has launched a new journal, Cinesthesia, featuring exemplary student essays about film.



The journal invites submissions from all students interested in writing about film. Essays can be entered in three categories: Spotlight on a Theory, Cinema and Discourse, and Current Cinema.



The current issue was edited by Danica Butkovich, Joe Hogan (Editor in-Chief), Nikki Martin and Kelly Meyer. Toni Perrine serves as the advisor.



“This issue of Cinesthesia includes papers originally written for classes in film history and theory,” Perrine said. “Two of the papers were written by alumni of the film/video program. It also includes original artwork created by Mallory Quinn, a junior majoring in illustration. Included in this issue is a preview of work produced for the Film/Video Senior Project class which debuted at the Fall Film/Video Showcase on December 13, 2012.


]]> http://gvsu.edu/soc/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=C089AFAF-FB8B-D57B-9797376FDED86D71 Broadcasting professor and students help FOX 17 on election night


Broadcasting professor Keith Oppenheim, along with 15 broadcasting students, spent election  night 2012 at Fox 17, WXMI in Grand Rapids. The station requested the assistance of students to help process the large amount of incoming information, including late breaking results that come to the station through phone reporting and from websites.  Students gathered the results and posted them on the “ticker,” (the lower third of the television broadcast) as well as on the station’s website. Three more broadcasting students went to other local news outlets, including Dan Spadafora, who works for Newsradio WOOD. He traveled to Democratic Headquarters in Detroit where he gave live reports on-air throughout the evening.



"At first, the numbers crept in slowly, but after 9 pm, it was non-stop work for a couple hours until things calmed closer to 11:30,” said Oppenheim. “It was a great way [for students] to take on a multimedia role on an important night."


]]> http://gvsu.edu/soc/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=C03D97B5-9E92-EBD2-9CB84A5AFF75A059 Alumnus reflects on time at GVSU, offers students advice


Dr. Jeff Brand was selected as the Outstanding Alumnus, 2012, by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Communications. Brand graduated in 1986 with his BA in Journalism with a Broadcasting emphasis.  He later received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University.  He now lives in Australia, and is recognized as an international expert.



Dr. Brand returned to GVSU in October, 2012 to participate in the CLAS Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Program. He offered this advice to students about to graduate with a communications degree:



“There will be jobs. There will be a lot of jobs. They may not come in the first week after graduation. They may not come in the first three weeks, or even three months. But they will come. The most important thing for students is to keep doing whatever it is they learned. If you learned to write articles, keep writing articles, even if you don’t get paid. Give them away. Eventually, you’ll get traction. You’ll find work in the newest form of the news media, or public relations or advertising, or broadcasting. It may be narrow-casting, but it will still be a big audience, because that’s now possible with digital media. Don’t give up. Stay the course. You will succeed.”



More of Dr. Brand's insight about GVSU and beyond is on the School of Communications blog.


]]> http://gvsu.edu/soc/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=BF5795D8-CC53-474C-55F00DC1B7D8B4CC Professor Marie Ullrich's film,


Professor Marie Ullrich's short film, "Faster" has been shown at several film festivals, and took second place at the Mosaic Film Experience in October, 2012.



To add to the film’s success, it will be available on iTunes within six months, and is also scheduled to air on HBO in Central and Eastern Europe.



Faster! has been nominated and awarded with the following:



Best acting, Jenny Strubin (lead), Fargo Film Festival 2012

Best editing, Eric Houtz, Fargo Film Festival 2012

Princess Grace Award Nominee

Weisman Award for Artistic Excellence, post production

Weisman Award for Artistic Excellence, pre-production



Ullrich was also enlisted to create a commercial for Chrome Messenger Bags and won second place at the Telly Awards.


]]> http://gvsu.edu/soc/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=B4B2F095-088D-DEC7-E24FF63A8930346B Yardsticks Public Relations Competition 2012


Yardsticks is an annual advertising competition which is organized by professor Frank Blossom. The competition is not exclusive to Grand Valley students; however, three of the four finalists at this year’s competition were GVSU students. Olga Sarayeva is a foreign exchange student and Austin Langlois and Courtney Petersen are advertising and public relations students, with emphasis in public relations. This year was Langlois and Petersen’s first time competing at Yardsticks, and they learned about the competition from Professor Blossom. They both felt that their PR classes helped them earn positions as finalists.



Read more about their Yardsticks success on dot[COM], the School of Communications blog.


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