And the winner is...

JDM, in association with the Ashland Film Group held it's first annual 48-Hour Film Contest in April for majors and non-majors alike. 48-Hour film contests have grown in popularity with independent and student filmmakers because they offer high intensity environments to show off film-making skills.

In a 48-hr film contest, filmmakers receive a set of instructions that include various aesthetic "ingrediants" they must include in their films; things like specific lines of dialogue, props, locations even specific characters. Filmmakers then have 48-hours to develop an idea, write a script, shoot, edit and deliver a film in the correct digital format.This year's contest began March 30th at 7pm and ended April 1st at 7pm.

For JDM Assistant Professor Dr. David McCoy, a 48-hour film contest is the ultimate learning tool for our digital media department, "The 48-hour film contest requires our students to synthesize all that they've learned about story, aesthetics in lighting, framing and composition in class and in labs, and then apply that by producing something in a mediated environment under a deadline." McCoy said.

This year's joint JDM/AFG project drew four teams of three students. The winning film entitled, 5-2-12 was produced by JDM juniors Dan Griffin, Tim Hawk and Sophomore Hilary Neal. Winning team members each received a $25 gift card from the AU Bookstore.

Check out the contest winner and runner-up below. (Note the creative way the two teams connected their two films!)






Films were judged by a committee of JDM faculty that included Dr. Gretchen Dworznik, Dr. David McCoy, Interim Chair Tim McCarty, Operations Manager John Skrada and JDM major freshman Chris Beisel. Judges viewed and scored the films using a rubric that included use of contest ingredients, aesthetics and technical merit.

JDM/AFG plans to conduct another 48-Hour Film Contest in the fall!

JDM and Ashland Film Group sponsor 48 Hour Film contest

Light...block...shoot! JDM students in the Ashland Film Group will take a 48-hour film contest challenge at the end of the month. Filmmaking teams are handed a set of requirements that must be incorporated into their films and a film length. The AFG contest starts Friday, March 30th at 7pm and teams must deliver finished 3-5 minute films by Sunday, April 1st at 7pm.

Matt Tullis, Gretchen Dworznik and Dave McCoy will judge finished films along with student judge Freshman Chris Beisel.

Putting our stamp on 2011

2011 was indeed an exciting year for JDM as we continued to execute our college's (CAS) reorganization plan that created our new department from scratch; a unique and rare alignment of planets in higher education we were told.

For our part we took the ball and ran with it spending last year recruiting and retooling our innovative curriculum on the notion that today's media industry demands production professionals and journalists have converged skills.

Our department has much to be thankful for in 2011:

• To our Dean, Dr. Dawn Weber for her continued support and vision.
• To our largest freshman class, you had a great semester in 2011. Your assignment? Top it in 2012!
• To the newest member of our faculty, Dr. Dave McCoy, thanks for your insights, your passion to teach media and for your flexibility!
• To JDM's spiritual leader (and den mother!), Dr. Gretchen Dworznik, congratulations on your beautiful baby girl. We wish you both good health in 2012. You're not allowed to scare us like that again!
• And finally, to our Ops Manager, John Skrada, a thousand thanks for all the extra time keeping track of our equipment, and for your passion to teach high standards of media production across all of our outlets.

Our wish for 2012? Simple. Continue to strive to be the best journalism and digital media department in Ohio and beyond.

Happy New Year to all from JDM!

JDM to Offer First Ever AU Course on Social Media!!

One need not look any further than how social media tools shaped and reshaped the Arab spring to know how powerful they've become on a global scale.

JDM's Dr. David McCoy will be teaching our newest course offering, Global Impact of Social Media next semester. Dr. McCoy is excited to explore with students why social media has the power to bring people closer together from all parts of the world. Dr. McCoy also notes that it will be interesting to study where the future of social media might lead us all.

And the best part? JDM 405 fulfills a Social Science requirement in the AU core!

Course Facts:
JDM 405 – Global Impact of Social Media
Pre-req - junior and senior status only.
Offered: T/TH, 1:40 – 2:55, or T/TH, 3:05 – 4:20