Belmont’s Film-Focused Clubs and Organizations
As Belmont University’s motion pictures program continues to grow, many film student-led organizations have planted themselves in the rich soil with promising results. Three of these organizations are the Screenwriters Club, Film Society and Women in Film. Ellie Cagle, a student at Belmont, is impressively involved in all three of these organizations.
In Cagle’s first year at Belmont, the Film Society was the only existing motion pictures club at the time. The Film Society hosts film screenings in the large theater of Belmont’s R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center. These screenings offer credit for attending students through the University’s Cultural Well Core program. Of course, members of the club get to view a variety of films, but they also have the opportunity to meet and socialize with other students who have similar interests. This component is arguably the most important benefit of this club. The Belmont Film Society provides an on-campus space for positive student socialization. Every semester college-aged students in this country report an increased rate in social anxiety and feelings of isolation. This occurrence has, of course, been heightened since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally a motion pictures major, Cagle was first drawn to the Film Society because she saw it as a great opportunity to get Well Core credit and to watch films she had not seen before. This initial interest led to a stronger passion for the organization as Cagle formed strong friendships within the club. Cagle is now a member of the Film Society on top of her more demanding roles in the Screenwriters Club and Women in Film. In recent years, the motion pictures major splintered into two programs: motion pictures and film and television writing. By 2022, many students sought to fill a social void that this otherwise positive change created. Thus, Women in Film and the Screenwriters Club sprouted.
The Screenwriters Club was created primarily by students in the Film and Television Writing major. Cagle found a home in Screenwriters Club when she transferred into Film and Television Writing from motion pictures the very same year the organization was formed. While students in the Film and Television Writing major interact often with motion pictures students, many in the program still felt that they were missing out on some of the extracurricular elements of the motion pictures major. Before the club, writers “didn’t really have a space to come together and simply exist as artists,” according to Cagle. As a group, they decided that they wanted “to provide a space for screenwriters to meet one another.” Since its creation, the Screenwriters Club has made great strides. Like the Film Society, the Screenwriters Club also offers occasional Well Core film screenings. What sets the club apart, however, is that they pair their screenings with guest speakers. These guest speakers, typically film studies or screenwriting professors, give a presentation and lead the attendees in a discussion related to the writing of the film or series that was screened. The supplemental education that these interactive screenings provide is truly admirable and is a testament to the level of passion that the professors and students have for this field of study.
In addition to these screenings, the Screenwriters Club also hosts workshops for both film and television writing majors and motion pictures majors to bring in their scripts to be read and annotated by members of the club. Patricia Smith, a motion pictures screenwriter and director, has had very positive experiences at these workshops. “We did a table read of my script, which was really cool, because at other workshops that I have been to outside of Belmont we read one another’s scripts individually,” said Smith. Smith added that at the workshop, “they make it a priority to go line by line of the scripts, giving detailed notes.” Even though Smith is not a film and television writing major, she still felt welcomed and found that “everyone at the workshop is very supportive and helpful even if you are not a regular member of the club.”
Cagle, the current President of the Screenwriters Club, believes that “sharing your writing is so important. It’s one of the scariest things a writer can do, but in order to perfect your craft, you have to let people read it! It takes a lot of courage.” These workshops aren’t the only way that the Screenwriters Club aids student screenwriters at Belmont. Since October of 2022, the club has been hosting well-received “Writer’s Room Labs.” Each of these labs is focused on a certain aspect of screenwriting from formatting to dialogue to networking. Led either by a professor or a member of the club, the labs provide great tips and tricks for anyone interested in improving their screenwriting abilities.
When forming Belmont’s Women in Film, the leaders said the goal of the club was to create a safe-space of film education for female and non-binary students. The film industry has been male-dominated for almost a century now, and this leverage often bleeds into film education, as well. At Belmont, there is a significant and strong community of non-male film students in all departments of filmmaking. Contrary to its title, Women in Film isn’t a club that is exclusive to non-men. The club acts as a home for any and all students to discuss and learn how women are navigating this industry and sharing their stories. To cultivate these discussions, Women in Film actually regularly partners with both the Film Society and the Screenwriters Club. As the current secretary of Women in Film, Cagle highlighted that “there are little to no spaces for women filmmakers and writers.” By joining forces with Belmont’s other two film clubs, Women in Film is able to spread their word and engage in larger conversations.
Like Cagle, most of the students who are involved in one of these organizations are likely just as involved in the others. This strong sense of community between the organizations is exactly why they can successfully collaborate together for events like the aforementioned screenings. By combining their members and audiences, the organizations are able to create a greater community while also spreading important knowledge. Because the clubs work together so often, it’s easy to view them as one big happy family. The students in these organizations have formed lasting relationships on the common ground of their education and special interests. It is such a beautiful thing to see American college-aged people make friendships despite societal barriers. In Cagle’s experience, “these clubs have allowed [her] to feel seen and heard.” The powerful impact that the Film Society, Screenwriters Club and Women in Film have had on their members cannot be underestimated. Since creating these organizations, the film and television writing and motion pictures majors have grown so much both on their own and side-by-side.
In Cagle’s words, “Our community is the biggest strength of all three of these organizations. I have met some wonderful people and learned some amazing things. Networking is so important, especially in this field.” Naturally, the film industry is incredibly dependent on relationship-building. Networking is not an easy skill to learn, but these clubs give students a jumpstart in an almost hidden way. Students don’t originally come to these club meetings or screenings with networking in mind…but it happens! It is truly a win-win scenario for all involved.
These organizations have rooted themselves so well in the culture of the motion pictures and film and television writing students that it is hard to imagine a time before they existed. Through open-door screenings, workshops and educational discussions, the film community at Belmont has expanded and evolved for the better.
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With a 250 seat theater / sound mixing stage, we're the world's only school whose students learn to mix in Dolby Atmos on a feature film sized mixing stage. We've got top of the line cameras, including the ARRI Alexa LF, superb lighting and grip gear. Students also have access to a 50 seat theater / 7.1 mix stage, a 15 seat 7.1 mix stage, color correction suite, 4K edit bays, a 2,500 square foot sound stage and a Foley / ADR stage. Motion Pictures is one of the first film departments in the world with Avid Media Central, which allows students to work on projects from nearly anywhere in the Continental U.S. Our students hit the ground running, shooting and editing films their first semester.
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