Austin, in recent years, has become the “Hollywood” of Texas. Thanks to directors like Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Robert Rodriguez, Austin has become a city with strong ties to a budding sphere of the film industry. Other actors and directors across Texas have also flocked to Austin in order to get their careers up and going.

It’s ironic, that in a city with such an expanding film industry in Austin, that one of the universities, St. Edward’s, is lacking in-depth film-studies and film-production programs.

While there are a couple of film courses offered on campus, there is no major or minor program for anyone looking to pursue a career in film.

That’s why, if I were given the power to establish a program here on campus, a film program in both production and critical studies would be an option for the students. Not only would it provide a creative outlet for students on campus, but it would place St. Edward’s on even footing with the University of Texas at Austin.

It makes no sense that St. Edward’s, as a college in Austin, is lacking in the film department. By establishing a film department on campus, another creative avenue for students would exist. The world is shifting from the written page to video and film, and a film program would teach students how to produce and understand the medium. It would also allow students to use film in order to creatively express ideas and diversity, something that St. Edwards takes pride in.

Another reason for St. Edward’s to develop a film program would be to develop student’s skills and techniques in order to find a job in the expanding Austin film community. This field is one that requires an extreme amount of skill to enter, and if students are provided relevant courses and instruction, they will have a greater opportunity to follow their passions.

The library on campus is already geared toward digital media with a heavy focus on video production. It makes sense to develop a program that can take full advantage of the staff and resources offered by the library. A film department could also integrate well with the theatre program, drawing on-camera personalities and propelling them into more wide-ranging projects.

Finally, a film program would have plenty of opportunities to interact with various organizations in the surrounding community. The Austin Film Festival, South by Southwest and the Austin Film Society would all provide resources, contacts and avenues for potential film students at St. Edward’s to grow and hone their skills.

With such a developed film community and already established resources on campus, St. Edward’s could easily develop a strong film program. It would be both logical and easy to create a curriculum and film community on St. Edward’s campus.