‘J-School Journals’ gives young filmmakers the opportunity to shine

 

FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication is hosting a special screening of four documentaries edited and produced by broadcast journalism students. J-School Journals: “Through the Lens” will showcase controversial topics from the challenges associated with interracial relationships to the devastating results from the largest oil spill in history. The event will include a brief Q&A with the filmmakers.

All topics will be presented through the perspective of the filmmakers, seniors Marsha Buchanan, Monique Mitchell, Marrita Crockett, Dekywan Debose, Dadrian Robinson, Letisha Bush, Kyle Marcil and Alicia McKnight. A reception will immediately follow in the Journalism Building Gallery. Admission is free.

The screening is tonight in the Charles Winter Wood Theatre at 7 p.m. There will also be a matinee showing Saturday at 2 p.m. Kenneth Jones, an associate professor and the event coordinator, has watched the audience grow every year since 2007.

“The new location of Charles Winter Wood Theatre is helping us to broaden our audience and make the screening experience of our documentaries dynamic,” Jones said.

Jones recognized the difficulty in promoting the event during its first year in 2007. Therefore, he expanded a proposal to PR students who are involved in PRodigy, the student-run strategic communications firm, to help promote the event each semester.

“This is my first opportunity to be an account manager,” Brittney Laws, a senior public relations student, said. “I appreciate the challenges that come with the production of J-School Journals and I’m especially excited to be managing the production of this event in its new venue.”

Professor Jones has all the faith that “Through the Lens” will fill the 500 seats that are available in the Charles Winter Wood Theatre.

“Our long term vision is to use the J-School Journals screenings to eventually bring national and international prominence to our student filmmakers and the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication,” Jones said.