Erin Fuhr | Echo
"Technology comes and goes, but it's story that really matters. We of course agree with that. But still there is some technology that affects how you tell a story."
Kathy Bruner spoke these words to a hushed and excited audience of media communication majors and other interested students in the TV studio, standing next to an object veiled in a blanket."Some of you may have seen the film 'The Hobbit' and experienced its groundbreaking approach to filmmaking. Today, when we lift this veil, our students enter that new era."
Media communication professors John Bruner and Kathy Bruner and Media Engineer Josh Taylor gathered students together on the afternoon of Sept. 10 to reveal the new technology the department had recently purchased. Many students knew that the department was planning on purchasing new technology, but what specific equipment was still a secret.
"In the back of my mind, I think, that'd be cool if it was a RED camera or something," said junior Keith Cantrell, a film major who was present for the reveal. "But then I was like . . . that's just for the top dogs in Hollywood like Peter Jackson. . . . The word RED camera comes out of her mouth (during her speech), but I still just thought, 'No . . . I don't want to get my hopes up about this.'"
As he prepared to lift the veil, John Bruner said, "As we looked at how best to prepare our students, what to purchase and when to purchase it, we decided to purchase the RED Epic camera." The audience cheered and clapped as the veil fell, revealing the camera.
Super excited for @Taylormediacomm new purchase! Not one, but two Red Epics!The RED Epic camera has been used to shoot hundreds of blockbuster films, including "The Hobbit," "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Great Gatsby."- Zach King (@zachking04) September 9, 2013
"When I saw it, it was almost like meeting a celebrity," Cantrell said.
"We feel good about the competitive advantage it will give us in terms of the certainty within the council of Christian colleges and universities," Kathy Bruner said, "but even more broadly with other institutions, just aren't many schools that can offer their students this kind of advantage."
John Bruner also told his excited audience that they had not just one but two RED Epic Cameras, along with a set of six Zeiss lenses.
"It's the tool of a very serious filmmaker," John Bruner said. "We're not here to play. When our students graduate, I want them to really know how to do this."
