Get to know some of our College 51吃瓜 students! Gavin Schroeder is a Class of 2024 media and cinema studies major.
What interested you in pursuing 铿乴mmaking at the College 51吃瓜?
I鈥檓 from Peoria, Illinois. I didn鈥檛 know what my future would be like. Community college was a safe and affordable option for me to explore my interests. At Illinois Central College, I became interested in 铿乴mmaking and video creation. I came in as a sophomore because of my high school credits.
I was a part of Harbinger Student Media and the newspaper The Harbinger. I learned how to work in a team setting and become a leader. My role as head editor of VideoCast required me to produce content every week, like what you see on the news, but with watered-down local stories. There was always something new with that.
I鈥檝e had a lot of family who attended Illinois. My grandparents took me to several sports games, so I had the school spirit. I heard about the College 51吃瓜 through my family as well. Media and cinema studies is a broader major than hard 铿乴m schools and touches on all aspects of the analytical side of 铿乴m and production. I鈥檓 more interested in the production side of MACS than the analytical side because I鈥檓 hard-pressed into 铿乴m after I graduate.
Which RSOs or extracurriculars have you been involved in?
During my 铿乺st year, I joined Illini Film and Video and made an effort to talk to the executive members. I wanted to be connected to other 铿乴mmakers. Because of that, when the Social Chair of IFV went abroad, I was able to land his position. Unfortunately, IFV wasn鈥檛 highly active then. This motivated me to run for president the next semester because I wanted to revive it.
As president, I planned every meeting with workshops or guest speakers, such as an audio workshop, Jeopardy! night, and Professor Bright鈥檚 directing presentation. My main goal was to keep membership retention.
Apart from IFV, I pop in and out of other RSOs. With The Fashion Network, I always sign up for their videography/photography positions when they have expos. I鈥檓 also a photographer for The Catwalk. My work is for social media, like Instagram reels. I send in my work to the photo/video editors, and they do the magic.
If you鈥檇 like to check out any of my work,
Do you have any favorite classes?
My favorite class was MACS 260: Film Production. It鈥檚 like MACS 150: Intro to Digital Media Production but more focused on 铿乴m. I got into amazing discussions with amazing people whom I still talk with. In 铿乴m, you tend to know most of the people the longer you鈥檙e in it. Our 铿乶al project was a short mockumentary called Still Damp. It was the most fun I had on a set because the story wasn鈥檛 the best. It was a detective story about the main character trying to 铿乬ure out who took their laundry out and left the clothes still damp. It鈥檚 a pet peeve of mine.
What kind of work experience do you have?
I have three jobs currently. My 铿乺st and oldest is a videography/editor position through the College of Fine and Applied Arts.
I am also an intern with Fighting Illini Productions. Sports videography is not my cup of tea, but it鈥檚 fun. I shot four or 铿乿e women鈥檚 soccer games this semester. It helps perfect my camera movement in terms of panning and tracking subjects at high speeds.
Lately, I have been interning at Shatterglass Studios鈥攁 creative agency that specializes in video and 铿乴m production. I go in on Tuesdays and Thursdays doing whatever needs to be done in the o铿僣e. Sometimes it’s minuscule work like organizing papers, but I enjoy it. I am always happy to help because it builds rapport and shows my value. I might want to stick around at Shatterglass after I graduate because there is potential for paid gigs there. They鈥檝e been involved in feature 铿乴ms like Black Mold and Revealer, which is a Shudder exclusive.
Have you worked on any personal projects?
Last year, I was an assistant camera/camera operator for a friend鈥檚 short 铿乴m. It was a lengthy shooting process of three months. It showed me how much time goes into 铿乴ming. I touched on many roles by paying attention on set: PA work, sound, cinematographer, and even directing actors. It is where I got into lighting. It was a crash course.
This summer I shot and edited a music video for my friend. It was my 鈥淐ole Bennett鈥� era. I gained so much knowledge on how to make a music video and how time-consuming they are.
I am also working on a short 铿乴m called Stiff. I 铿乶ished the script and started pre-production. It’s going to be a lengthy process, but I want to take it to the 铿乴m festival circuit.
Any advice you would like to share?
Always put yourself out there. You must make time for it. Try to get involved and meet other 铿乴mmakers. If the only thing you鈥檙e doing is taking MACS courses, you鈥檙e not putting yourself in the best position. You need to be on a set shooting as much as possible. The more time you put into something, the more con铿乨ent and better you get at it.
Don鈥檛 try to rush yourself. We work on different clocks; we鈥檙e different people. Don鈥檛 put yourself down if you see someone else progressing faster. I鈥檝e seen people wishing to be at the same level as other 铿乴mmakers, comparing their work. It鈥檚 not a healthy mindset. You鈥檝e got to take your time and focus on yourself. Have con铿乨ence that you鈥檙e gonna get there, but it鈥檚 gonna take time.
What are your favorite movies and 铿乴mmakers?
My favorite movie is The Graduate (1967). It鈥檚 a 铿乴m anyone can enjoy. On the surface, it鈥檚 a comedy-drama, but on a deeper level, it is introspective and depicts the existentialism of life after graduation. I can connect to that because I don鈥檛 know what is next for me in life either.
Stanley Kubrick touches on many themes and genres so well. A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Paths of Glory (1957) are my two favorites. They are great enjoyment and very well-written stories with deep themes.
Off and on, Sam Raimi is another favorite of mine. I enjoy his style and connect with his humor. The way he directs and shoots is so creative and ingenious like in the Evil Dead series. He gets in so many interesting shots. When he is not a director for hire, he is an auteur. His Spider-Man trilogy is my favorite too鈥攅ven the third movie.
鈥擨nterview by Kris Modi, New Voices Intern