The Hollywood Reporter has named Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts as the No. 4 film school in the country for the fourth year in a row. The Hollywood Reporter ranks its top 25 schools by consulting “knowledgeable industry insiders, considers changes schools have made year-over-year and examines the alma maters of the past year’s awards season winners, film festival breakouts and box office stars.”
“I’m thrilled that The Hollywood Reporter has once again named Dodge College the #4 film school in the country,” says Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. We’ve now been #4 for four years straight, and have also been #4 in another key ranking, The Wrap. I’m truly grateful for the immense amount of effort our faculty, staff and students put in every day.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that financial support and technology has cemented the reputation of Dodge College as a leader amongst film schools: “…student productions receive $20,000 for every graduate thesis film and $15,000 for every undergrad film. Chapman also offers tech still far out of reach for most aspiring filmmakers, including a new $1 million, 40-foot LED wall. And it brings Hollywood to Orange with its Master Class series, which saw everyone from Alexander Payne to Ari Emanuel join for its latest school year.”
New Animation Faculty at Dodge!
Dodge has welcomed Mariam Hamed, a talented and accomplished FX artist, to the faculty roster as an Artistic Assistant Professor of Animation and Visual Effects. Her career highlights include collaborations with DreamWorks Animation (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken and Kung Fu Panda 4) and with The Walt Disney Company (the Oscar-winning Encanto). Her small-screen and gaming credits include Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands for Blizzard. She was previously a senior FX artist at Blizzard Entertainment and a Houdini instructor at Gnomon, the highly regarded visual effects school.
Dodge Students Learn while Giving Back to the Community
With fun classes such as “The Gangster Film,” “Masters of the Craft,” and “Screwball Comedy,” there’s never a dull moment at Dodge. “Higher Ground,” led by Emmy-nominated sound editor Harry Cheney, is a different kind of fun: In this workshop class, students collaborate with a local organization, Higher Ground Youth and Family Services, to guide public school students through the steps of creating narrative and non-narrative films. It’s a feel-good class for students and faculty alike.
And of course…the Master Classes
This year’s lineup of star-studded Master Classes for which Dodge has become renowned, include Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo (Rustin, Sing Sing); Oscar-nominated writer-director Ava DuVernay (13th, Selma); three-time VFX Oscar winner Rob Legato (Avatar, Titanic); Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings; Oscar-winning writer-director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash), and a day-long seminar with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, Inside Out 2), with more names announced soon.
Awards season for Chapman Alums
Hayden Boal (’13) creates, sells and produces content for various forms of media, including the five-episode Red Rocks Live in VR concert series, which has picked up its first Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Emerging Media Program. Payton Koch ’18 (Only Murders in the Building) has picked up his first nomination. Actress Hannah Einbinder ’17 (Hacks) has nabbed her third. The Emmy Awards will be handed out on Sept. 7 and 8 at the 76th Creative Arts Emmys and on Sept. 15 at the 76th Emmy Awards airing live on ABC.
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About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 66 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.
Media Contacts
Molly Thrasher. Director of Public Relations | thrasher@chapman.edu | Mobile: 657-561-4359
Carly Murphy, Public Relations Coordinator | carmurphy@chapman.edu| Desk: 714-289-3196 | Mobile: 714-497-9683
