Many love movies and television shows, but not all show equal love for the intricacies of cinema.
At the University of Idaho, some students are going so far as to declare a major on the topic, having the opportunity to do so for the rst time this fall as the university recently added a lm and television studies degree.
A farm boy from Castleford, Idaho, junior Hagen Hunsaker just started his first year at UI after transferring from Northwest College. He is among the many students declaring the new film and television studies major.
Although Hunsaker has a love as strong as fire for cinema, he said he wasn’t always this way. He said he grew up on a ranch, was an active member in Future Farmers of America and expected to become a farmer like his father and grandfather.
After going off to college in Wyoming, however, Hunsaker said he realized he could be whatever he wished and discovered his love for film. It was there, he said, he created his first news package, marking one step in many toward a career in motion pictures.
“Everyone has a story worth telling, even if it’s not the most exciting thing. It’s their life,” he said.“Don’t judge anyone else’s journey.”
Hunsaker said he appreciates news storytelling along with filmic, and is pursuing a minor in broadcasting and digital media in addition to his major.
“I just love the work that people put into it,” he said. “They put their heart and soul into it.”
The art of storytelling is very important to Hunsaker, who said he knew once he started empathizing with characters in films and TV that he had fallen head over heels for the story.
While growing up, he said he o en watched magazine format television shows, such as “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly,” and celebrity human-interest stories intrigued him.“A lot of times we put actors in this ivory tower, but they’re humans. Break it down and they have just as many struggles as anyone else,” he said. “They’re just regular people. It’s just their calling.”
One specific actor he said he likes is Heath Ledger. He said his chilling performance in “The Dark Knight” often made him wonder how the Joker became so vile.
“When he was becoming the Joker, he wrote a journal as Joker,” he said. “He would write in it each night and then close it and be back to Heath and go to bed. Then he’d wake up and read what he wrote to get back into the mindset.”
Getting into a mindset, or rather a certain perspective, isn’t just for actors — Hunsaker said whole movies can give viewers a new perspective.
“Get Out” may have been a class required watch for Hunsaker, but he said he loved the overt social messages director and screenwriter Jordan Peele included. He said the movie did an excellent job communicating racial injustice in America.
Although he enjoys movies that leave him uneasy, he said he has a special love for comedic shows, such as “Parks and Recreation” and “ The Office.” He said his affinity for these television shows, often dubbed mockumentaries, stems from their tendency to engage viewers by breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience.
Hunsaker said he hopes to one day engage viewers by writing screenplays.
“The most exposed, vulnerable state you could be in is putting your life onto pages, into words, into characters and having it out there,” he said.
Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @pfannyyy