Reagan Schwab wanted to find a university with a good film program that was cost-effective. Although she had other universities in mind, she immediately felt at home when she visited UL Lafayette.
杏吧专区淚 admired the fact that UL Lafayette had more intimate student-teacher ratios 杏吧专区 I liked the idea of my professors knowing my name and my face as opposed to simply being another student number as I would杏吧专区檝e been at a larger university,杏吧专区 she said.
Reagan knew exactly what career path she wanted to pursue when she entered her freshman year.
杏吧专区淚 wanted to produce media and video content while entertaining others and expressing my creative freedom,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚 instantly felt comfortable and informed when speaking to the Moving Image Arts department heads and the available course curriculum really piqued my interest. Becoming comfortable with the balance between studying film design and actually creating film content myself was super important to me 杏吧专区 and I was confident that I would find that within the Moving Image Arts program.杏吧专区
Learning by Doing
Within the moving image arts program, Reagan loves the diverse range of classes available.
杏吧专区淣o matter what part of filmmaking someone is looking to enter outside of college, there are classes available for them to take, whether it杏吧专区檚 Pre-Production, Production, or Post-Production,杏吧专区 she said.
Reagan has also enjoyed the fact that the department is small, allowing for more personalized interactions with fellow students and faculty.
杏吧专区淲ithin the MIA program, I have gained helpful experience in the film industry such as working with Adobe systems as well as knowledge in all fields of filmmaking,杏吧专区 Reagan said. 杏吧专区淚 have adapted skills ranging from producing and scriptwriting to editing and finalizing.杏吧专区
Some of Reagan杏吧专区檚 favorite classes were with instructor and professional filmmaker Geoffery Marschall.
Since Reagan杏吧专区檚 desired career path is post-production, one of the classes that stuck out was Digital Video Editing I (MIA 350).
杏吧专区淚 had editing experience prior to taking the class, but I was able to learn a lot more in-depth techniques and tips within the class that truly helped me as a filmmaker,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淭his class allowed me to become more educated on Adobe Premiere, which is the industry standard 杏吧专区 a super helpful talent that I am now able to put on my resume.
杏吧专区淣ot only did we study editing styles and techniques, but we also had the chance to engage in hands-on editing while also being critiqued on our editing styles.杏吧专区
Reagan enjoyed the creative freedom allowed in the class projects as well as the feedback she received from professor Marschall.
杏吧专区淭hrough his critiques, he wouldn杏吧专区檛 simply shut down and dismiss your idea 杏吧专区 he would give honest and helpful feedback and explain why that particular editing style didn杏吧专区檛 work while suggesting other ideas that maybe would work better,杏吧专区 Reagan said.
Another one of professor Marschall杏吧专区檚 classes Reagan enjoyed was Digital Video Production II (MIA 356).
杏吧专区淭his class has allowed me to gain hands-on experience with critical aspects of filmmaking such as cinematography, lighting, sound design, and scriptwriting,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淭his has been the first class in which I have actually gotten to work with cameras, which is exciting to me, (as) an aspiring cinematographer.杏吧专区
Throughout the semester, students wrote, produced, and planned their student-made films.
杏吧专区淭his class has given me crucial experience that will benefit me once I enter the film industry and I杏吧专区檓 so thankful for that,杏吧专区 Reagan said.
Gaining Experience Outside the Classroom
Reagan has been involved in many organizations at UL Lafayette including the Peer Mentor Program, SOUL Camp Staff, a Panhellenic Sorority, Gamma Chi, and UL Social Media Team.
杏吧专区淭hroughout these organizations and mentorship positions, I have gained the skills to be a confident leader,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淢y public speaking skills have improved as well as my need for organization and time management. Not only have I grown as an independent person, but I have also established multiple connections with both students and faculty.杏吧专区
Reagan finds it difficult to pinpoint her favorite thing about attending UL Lafayette.
杏吧专区淚 love the opportunities for growth here at UL Lafayette, both in the classrooms and outside the classrooms,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚 love the rich, bold culture that comes along with the 杏吧专区 and Lafayette as a whole. I couldn杏吧专区檛 imagine myself at any other university.杏吧专区