BEAU program for students interested in video production

Utah has become quite a competitor in the media arts and film industry. Local filmmakers compete against fellow filmmakers from around the world to win a spot at the Sundance Film Festival every January and many Hollywood blockbuster movies were filmed locally. In an effort to assist students interested in working in the industry, Broadview Entertainment Arts University is offering a new program at its South Salt Lake campus: Digital Video and Media Production.

“This new program was developed based on research in the industry and by program advisor boards,” Community Relations Director Bob Trewartha said. “There is a vibrant film industry here and with this new program, students that would have thought about leaving the state after high school graduation to pursue a degree in the field now have this option.”

BEAU works with organizations like Spy Hop Productions, a nonprofit youth media arts and educational enrichment center. BEAU’s curriculum was developed as a way to give students the necessary tools to achieve careers in the entertainment industry.

“BEAU is for someone who is artistic and wants to explore their creative abilities while also focusing on achieving a career in that field,” Trewartha said. “Our program uses practical application of the industry equipment, along with applied skills in the industry, while working with local providers.”

Classes include entertainment design; set or prop design and building; graphic design; media business; music and entertainment business; and sequential imaging.

As a student interested in the film industry, Megan O’Brien is getting her feet wet at Spy Hop. There, she is learning the basics of editing, filming on a red camera and developing a script. She plans on looking at BEAU when the time comes to further her education.

“It’s really exciting to know that I have education options in my field,” she said. “Until I started getting serious about film and looking into it, I was planning on leaving the state. Now I don’t have to.”

Degree options in the Digital Video and Media Production program are either a bachelor of fine arts or an associate of applied science. BEAU is fully accredited and is a member of the Globe Education Network, a family-managed group of career colleges and universities headquartered in Minnesota.