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.
小蝌蚪APP淚 admired the fact that UL Lafayette had more intimate student-teacher ratios 小蝌蚪APP I liked the idea of my professors knowing my name and my face as opposed to simply being another student number as I would小蝌蚪APP檝e been at a larger university,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Reagan knew exactly what career path she wanted to pursue when she entered her freshman year.
小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to produce media and video content while entertaining others and expressing my creative freedom,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP and I was confident that I would find that within the Moving Image Arts program.小蝌蚪APP
Learning by Doing
Within the moving image arts program, Reagan loves the diverse range of classes available.
小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 Pre-Production, Production, or Post-Production,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Reagan has also enjoyed the fact that the department is small, allowing for more personalized interactions with fellow students and faculty.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP Reagan said. 小蝌蚪APP淚 have adapted skills ranging from producing and scriptwriting to editing and finalizing.小蝌蚪APP
Some of Reagan小蝌蚪APP檚 favorite classes were with instructor and professional filmmaker Geoffery Marschall.
Since Reagan小蝌蚪APP檚 desired career path is post-production, one of the classes that stuck out was Digital Video Editing I (MIA 350).
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP淭his class allowed me to become more educated on Adobe Premiere, which is the industry standard 小蝌蚪APP a super helpful talent that I am now able to put on my resume.
小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Reagan enjoyed the creative freedom allowed in the class projects as well as the feedback she received from professor Marschall.
小蝌蚪APP淭hrough his critiques, he wouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 simply shut down and dismiss your idea 小蝌蚪APP he would give honest and helpful feedback and explain why that particular editing style didn小蝌蚪APP檛 work while suggesting other ideas that maybe would work better,小蝌蚪APP Reagan said.
Another one of professor Marschall小蝌蚪APP檚 classes Reagan enjoyed was Digital Video Production II (MIA 356).
小蝌蚪APP淭his class has allowed me to gain hands-on experience with critical aspects of filmmaking such as cinematography, lighting, sound design, and scriptwriting,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Throughout the semester, students wrote, produced, and planned their student-made films.
小蝌蚪APP淭his class has given me crucial experience that will benefit me once I enter the film industry and I小蝌蚪APP檓 so thankful for that,小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP淭hroughout these organizations and mentorship positions, I have gained the skills to be a confident leader,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Reagan finds it difficult to pinpoint her favorite thing about attending UL Lafayette.
小蝌蚪APP淚 love the opportunities for growth here at UL Lafayette, both in the classrooms and outside the classrooms,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP淚 love the rich, bold culture that comes along with the 小蝌蚪APP and Lafayette as a whole. I couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 imagine myself at any other university.小蝌蚪APP