Filmmaker gives students tips on good directing

Jason Tomaric, a multiple Emmy award-winning director and cinematographer, speaks to film students about good directing. Photo provided by Melinda Yoho.

Jason Tomaric, a multiple Emmy award-winning director and cinematographer, speaks to film students about good directing. Photo provided by Melinda Yoho.

Raytevia Evans

Students leaned a little to the left to see filmmaker Jason Tomaric as he lay on the steps in the First Energy Auditorium, demonstrating the perfect placement of a camera for a dramatic screenshot. Tomaric, a multiple Emmy award-winning director and cinematographer, was discussing the difference between a good and bad film director.

“Directing is creating real life. You all aren’t just students,” said Tomaric. “You have a life behind you that shaped you to the person you are. So it’s about making real characters.”

In the upcoming months, the class—consisting of students enrolled in the course and student volunteers—will be working on a project that will give them the real life experience of working on an actual movie set. The film, entitled Research: The Musical, will be directed and produced by Kent State students with the help of professors David Smeltzer and Traci Williams.

Caleb Ference, a freshman electronic media major, said he wanted to start a film group when he first arrived at Kent State. While in the process of forming this group, he was informed about Williams and Smeltzer’s class and immediately became involved. Ference will be one of the many production assistants for this project throughout the summer and fall months.

“I was enrolled in the spring class, and this is honestly what I want to do with my career,” Ference said. “I had no experience so I thought I would get involved now.”

The director for the project, Qiqige “CoCo” Zhang, is enthusiastic about the film although it’s her first musical. Zhang admits that there is some pressure, but she will ask as many questions as she can while Tomaric is available.

“I’m glad he’s here because I want to talk to him about directing,” Zhang said. “I’m going to ask him more about the screenshots for this film.”

Zhang is an international student and gained experience in film while living China, her native country. The senior electronic media major said that she has a short seven-minute film back home and graduated from a film school in China before attending Kent State.

“I will do my best because I want this movie to be special,” Zhang said.

Tomaric is originally from Chardon, Ohio, and has been a filmmaker for 17 years. His past projects include specials for National Geographic and commercials for Verizon, Neutrogena and Monster.com.

Research: The Musical is scheduled for completion at the end of fall 2011.

Contact Summer Kent Stater managing editor Raytevia Evans at [email protected].