When I arrived on location to shoot my latest short film, A Good Father, several students and graduates from the Crown College Media Arts program joined me as members of my crew. It was a unique pleasure to work alongside current and former students and see them apply their production skills in the context of a larger-scale film production.
The idea for A Good Father began eight years ago, while I was in Scotland working on my MFA in Advanced Film Practice. After years of imagining scenes from the film, I wrote the first full draft of the screenplay over spring break 2026. I brought the script to Bethany, my wife and producing partner at Habitude Films, to see what she thought. She liked the draft, and before long we were putting the crew together..
I was glad to have two recent graduates, Katie Hauschild and Allie Johnson, working in the camera department during the three-day shoot. Allie was our 1st AC, pulling focus and making sure critical action stayed sharp, while Katie worked as 2nd AC, keeping the camera report, changing lenses, and slating each take. I was proud to see them step confidently into jobs they had learned and practiced at Crown.
Senior Gavin Leuthold worked as a production assistant, while Amber Franson, a junior in Graphic Design, stepped in as script supervisor and kept us all on the same page as we juggled dialogue, set dressing, time of day, camera angles, and eyelines. Also on the crew was Cade Stinson, Crown’s in-house video producer and an adjunct instructor in the Media Arts program.
Tim Baias of Evoke Films came onboard as the cinematographer (and co-producer), giving our crew the opportunity to work directly with an experienced professional.
“I would definitely work with Media Arts students and graduates from Crown College again. I was impressed with how Katie and Allie handled themselves during the shoot.”
- Tim Baias, Evoke Films
It was incredibly rewarding for me to have Allie pulling focus on the shoot. From day one of our Cinematography course, it was clear that Allie loved being part of the camera team. For her, one of the most valuable parts of the experience was working with a skilled crew and seeing how each person’s role contributed to the production.
“My favorite part of working with the crew was getting to work with friends and meet new people who had a lot of knowledge [of] what they were doing. It was fun to watch everyone do their roles and learn from them.”
- Allie Johnson ('26)
I knew from our classes at Crown that the same qualities that made Katie a great student producer, a fanatical attention to detail and a strong sense of responsibility, would serve her well in the role of 2nd AC. Reflecting on her experience later, she said “I knew the importance of my role and that I should stick to it, do my best, and try not to get in anyone’s way.” Not only did she not get in anyone’s way, but she helped the camera team run smoothly, staying prepared to slate each shot while taking on other responsibilities as needed between takes.
Both Katie and Allie credit their courses at Crown with helping prepare them to work with professional filmmakers. In our progam, students learn more than how to operate equipment and understand production terminology. They understand how different departments function, how to collaborate with the people around them, and how their individual responsibilities contribute to the larger goals of a production. And now that the footage is in the can (or on a hard drive, anyway), I am looking forward to more opportunities to work with students and alumni as I turn it into a finished film.
