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{"id":14774,"date":"2019-02-21T20:57:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T20:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golive.clarku.edu\/news\/2019\/02\/21\/clark-screen-studies-students-receive-expert-direction-in-workshop\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T14:25:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:25:34","slug":"clark-screen-studies-students-receive-expert-direction-in-workshop","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2019\/02\/21\/clark-screen-studies-students-receive-expert-direction-in-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark screen studies students receive expert direction in workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n

Award-winning filmmaker provides tips and perspectives<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Despite what a recent hit movie might suggest, stars are not born. Most successful film careers are the result of years of skill-building, scrambling for opportunities, and enduring plenty of rejection.<\/p>\n

Clark University screen studies<\/a> students recently learned about life in the cinema from self-taught film director Kristopher Avedisian<\/a>, who offered them tips on how to make, and even star in, their own movies.<\/p>\n

Avedisian is the director, screenwriter, and star of the 2016 film “Donald Cried<\/a>.” Shot in only 15 days with a limited budget, the film won a variety of awards<\/a> including the American Independents Audience Award at the American Film Institute AFI Fest<\/a>, and the Special Jury Award for Excellence in Directing at the Florida Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The film was an expression of my own guilt from high school,” says Avedisian. “I wanted to create something that others could bring their own experiences to.”<\/p>\n

“Donald Cried,” which is available on Netflix, tells the story of a man who returns to his hometown and reconnects with an old friend, opening the door to a shared past. The film was screened at Clark on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n

“I really enjoyed it,” said Sam Mescon ’21. “It was funny, but also natural and raw.”<\/p>\n

Max Marcotte ’19 added, “I particularly like the way that Kris doesn’t tell us everything about a character immediately, and we find out new things throughout the course of the film. I think that these details are given to us in a really skillful way.”<\/p>\n

Avedisian later attended the Advanced Digital Production: Narrative Fiction course taught by screen studies lecturer Soren Sorensen<\/a>. The class is a Problems of Practice<\/a> course, which enables students to work side by side with faculty and industry experts on projects that build knowledge and skills beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

Throughout the three-hour session, the students filled all the roles required to create a film, including directing and acting (see video, below), with Avedisian advising them on best practices and recalling his own experiences behind and in front of the camera.<\/p>\n

“I’ve acted in student films before and have had really good directing experiences, but it’s completely different to have a professional who has been directing for years tell you what to do,” says Marcotte.<\/p>\n

The students learned skills from Avedisian that they can take with them beyond Clark.<\/p>\n

“The biggest thing I learned is character development — finding inspiration in a character, the story that character wants to tell, and how the character is connecting with the audience,” said Krishna Naithani ’19.<\/p>\n

Clark University’s Screen Studies Program, part of the Visual and Performing Arts Department<\/a>, frequently invites filmmakers and actors to work with students. Among other visitors who have done hands-on teaching at Clark are actresses Lauren Adams<\/a> (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) and Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo<\/a> (“The Fighter”).<\/p>\n

“It’s really amazing when Clark brings in actors or directors,” said Danny Rothenberg ’19. “Hearing their experiences helps make students feel that we really can make a dent in the film industry.”<\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"