{"id":347573,"date":"2026-06-05T04:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347573\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T04:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:40:08","slug":"passion-fuels-the-growing-film-program-at-sacramento-state-the-state-hornet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347573\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion fuels the growing Film Program at Sacramento State \u2013 The State Hornet"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the edge of Sacramento, inside of a borrowed suburban home, fourth-year film production major, director and writer Selayah Mazyck shot her senior film, \u201cNothing New Under the Sun<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by Mazyck\u2019s real-life trauma of nearly losing her brother to gun violence, the film flips the perspective; telling the story from the perspective of the sister, Jamie, played by Kennedy Williams, a fourth-year communication studies student.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By choosing to have Jamie\u2019s brother, Miles, a high school football player (Isaiah Mounger), pass away, the film focuses on the ripple effects that loss can have in the family and its inevitable reshaping on the household in both quiet and loud ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote [\u2018Nothing New Under the Sun\u2019] from my perspective instead of his perspective. I wanted to have it like that because in the sheer moment from when my little brother got shot, I thought he was dead,\u201d Mazyck said.\u201dI did have trouble writing it as I felt really emotional, but when we did a table read, I appreciated the realness and the room felt it too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The J Street Film Festival<\/a>, held at the end of every semester, was on May 20. The festival is not only a showcase of the senior director\u2019s features but also a celebration for all involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located at the Crest Theatre<\/a> in downtown Sacramento, this year\u2019s film festival spanned three hours and featured over ten student feature films; a record number for the ever-growing display of Sacramento\u2019s flagship Film Program.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The official movie poster for \u201cNothing New Under the Sun,\u201d directed and written by Selayah Mazyck. The film was featured at the J Street Film Festival. (Poster illustrated by Bridget Lupo)<\/p>\n

In observing Mazyck and her film crew in constant motion \u2013 huddling between takes, constantly adjusting lights, running in-between rooms to fetch props or tape up a broken picture frame \u2013 one thing was clear: the constant problems and improvisation on set reflects a filmmaker reality that students, like Mazyck said, find inconsistent and creatively stifling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jude Michael, a fourth-year film production major on set to capture photos, had a different opinion when it came to needing more resources on set and in the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we really need is more resources in terms of actually helping students map out a project and getting it done,\u201d Michael said.<\/p>\n

Along with Michael, fellow Sac State Students did not hesitate in voicing their opinions on feeling creatively stifled and underserved by the Film Program\u2019s curriculum structure and delivery. They said some classrooms provide little guidance in film conception, script writing, assembling a film crew together, using necessary software and resource management, among other aspects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students also highlighted how classes can sometimes follow a lecture-first, show-later teaching style. For many, such as Williams, these lessons don\u2019t translate when students are behind or in front of the camera.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The film crew for \u201cNothing New Under the Sun\u201d discussing the angle of a shot between takes Friday, April 3, 2026. Jude Michaels was inspired to take photos on set after reading a Stanley Kubrick book about his crew members and their habits, pointing out that he hopes his photos will help people feel as if they were on set. (Photo courtesy of Jude Michaels)<\/p>\n

Lee Tarleton, a fourth-year film production major, and Brendan Nishio, a fifth-year film student crew member sound handler, alongside Williams were outspoken voices among the crew.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The professor] is only showing us videos, and then by the time things are done and you\u2019re supposed to follow along and do the stuff, the class is over,\u201d Tarleton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my motion graphics class, we once had a three hour lecture and people had trouble understanding it. We tried emailing [the professor] and he said just watch the video again,\u201d Nishio said.<\/p>\n

Dan Janos, a professor in the Film Program for over a decade, revealed the faculty\u2019s perspective on students feeling underserved by the program\u2019s resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree that faculty have a responsibility to prepare students for their production experience, but we also want students to do their due diligence by checking the gear and practicing with it before showing up on set,\u201d Janos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Faculty in the program are not given concrete numbers of the active program budget coming in or out, Janos said. Film professors are only allowed direct access into the Student Fee account. The Student Fee <\/a>is an account that stores the class fee that film students are paying for courses such as the film production classes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much money coming from the [College of Arts and Letters] Dean\u2019s office is not transparent. The budget should be transparent. It\u2019s not like the information is invisible or not available,\u201d Janos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Film Program\u2019s website and its faculty directory, in the last five years, there have been three Department Chairs\u2019 for the Communications Department and two Film Coordinators.<\/p>\n

An Academic Program Review of the Communication Studies BA<\/a> conducted in November of 2023, revealed that faculty in the film department did not receive timely or clear communication about funds and resource allocation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reviewers in the report also highlighted that staff were juggling too high of a service load in their position: lecturing, curriculum refreshing, student advising and first-year and transfer orientation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSome faculty on the tenure track gently indicated that the high service expectations combined with a 4-4 teaching load made it tough to meet the rigorous standards for tenure and promotion at the university,\u201d the report stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alongside vague fund allocation year after year, responsibilities are only growing for professors in the tenure or even part-time positions. This past 2026 spring semester, the Film Program had ten professors.<\/p>\n

RELATED: State Hornet Spotlight: Breaking the ice with Kathy Kasic<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacqueline Rodriguez, a fourth-year film production major, said she had a positive, but realistic view when asked if she would recommend the film major to students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would recommend it in hopes that the program would gain financial support. Our classes are heavily limited and the program 100% needs more professors concentrating in film,\u201d Rodriguez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Third year film production major Luna Diaz Contreras spoke on the program\u2019s constraints on student creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contreras highlighted that her best moments as a student in film are in classrooms that give full creativity agency in subject matter, style and length. However, Sac State\u2019s film curriculum insistence on creating strictly short features can feel stifling to its creatives, she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program shines best when people are allowed to take risks and do what they want with the structure of the class,\u201d Contreras said. \u201cNot when they\u2019re being denied higher level equipment and placed in [class]rooms that take away from the learning experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n