Filmmaker Ron Howard (pictured in center of the crowd) answers questions from filmmaking students during a recent visit to campus.
Filmmaker Ron Howard Offers Students a Unique Look at the Creative Process
Renowned filmmaker Ron Howard recently spent an afternoon with students in the and the (VPA), offering an inside look at his latest film project and the creative decision-making that shapes work at the highest levels of Hollywood.Ěý
Howard, one of the industry’s most respected directors, was joined by producer Bill O’Connor ’89 and Doug Wilkinson G’87, both alumni of Syracuse University. Together, they engaged filmĚýand dramaĚýstudents in a discussion about storytelling and the realities of bringing a major motion picture from concept to completion.Ěý
“It’s always a pleasure to welcome alums back to campus, and this time around it was a double pleasure. We had not one but two of them accompany Ron Howard—one of Hollywood’s most well-known directors—to come and speak with our Newhouse and VPA students,” says , professor and graduate program director of the Department of Television, Radio and Film in the Newhouse School.Ěý
During the visit, HowardĚýscreenedĚýhis most recent project, inviting students into the filmmaking process at a stage rarely accessible outside the professional world.Ěý
“Howard asked our students what they thought and answered their questions with real candor,” says , professor of film and chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts in VPA. “Seeing an unfinished film and talking directly with the director, producer and editor about choices they’re still making is something you can’t replicate in a classroom. That’s what so special about being at Syracuse.”Ěý
For students aspiring to careers in film and media, the visit offered a unique opportunity to bridge theory and practice and connected classroom learning with firsthand perspectives from some of the industry’s most accomplished professionals.
