The Secret Handshake showcases Lipscomb College of Entertainment and the Arts

by | May 28, 2015 | News Slider

Stars from “The Secret Handshake” walked down the red carpet in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena for the world premiere of the the movie Wednesday night, but they were joined by many Lipscomb professors, and students, too.  Nashville’s Town Square Pictures and Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts partnered to produce the movie which was filmed entirely in Middle Tennessee. “When I came here seven years ago I never would’ve imagined that we would be launching a movie, a feature film, with another production company, but here we are,” said Mike Fernandez, founding dean of the College of Entertainment & the Arts. The film stars Kevin Sorbo, best known as Hercules, and singer-songwriter Amy Grant, and is directed by Nashville native Howie Klausner. Klausner said his family film that transports movie audiences through a journey of what it takes to be a man brings adventure, laughter and even some tears. He said it’s important to make films that are uplifting and have powerful storytelling. This is something Fernandez said has been the mission of the Lipscomb’s newest college. “We have started a brand new college, a College of Entertainment & the Arts, with a mission, and that mission is: Train independent, entrepreneurial artists to go out and create uplifting content in whatever their artistic talent might be, and to do that with a spirit filled with Christ,” Fernandez said. “I believe in storytelling — I believe storytelling shapes culture, and for us to train young minds who want to go out and tell really powerful stories in the way that Christ would have is an ultimate calling.” During the filming of “The Secret Handshake,” Lipscomb film students had...
Lipscomb’s School of Music gets in tune with Nashville’s music industry

Lipscomb’s School of Music gets in tune with Nashville’s music industry

by | May 22, 2015 | News Slider

What has recently become its own school will also have its very own new contemporary music program. Lipscomb’s School of Music recently announced the expansion of its existing classical music offerings to include contemporary music undergraduate programs, which will dive into songwriting and music production. This charge first began after Lipscomb formed its College of Entertainment and the Arts that houses the new school. School of Music director Sally Reid said that the idea of having a College of Entertainment and the Arts, and even the School of Music, have been in the works for a while. “At some point the president [Lipscomb President Randy Lowry] intervened and said ‘this really sounds like a new college,'” Reid said. After the new college was formed, Lipscomb’s filmmaker-in-residence Steve Taylor had a connection that made the contemporary music program come to life. “Steve had this really good friend who was at a point in his career where he was looking to give back,” Reid said. Producer and singer-songwriter Charlie Peacock will serve as Lipscomb’s artist-in-residence for the contemporary music program. “I really think that we couldn’t launch out and do this without his guidance, because none of the faculty are trained in contemporary music or have any experience,” Reid said. “We needed new faculty, and we needed someone who understands the music industry.” And Peacock has demonstrated his understanding of the music industry ever since he started his career in the ’70s, producing hundreds of albums. He will lead the new program to become more integrated with Music City. “His vision is for it to be Nashville-centric in that it immerses the students in how business...

5 Minute Film Festival open to all students

by | Apr 3, 2015 | News Slider

Lipscomb’s cinematic arts program is ready to kick off its second annual 5 Minute Film Festival. The festival is open to all students on campus who want to unleash their inner filmmaker. Steve Taylor, the cinematic arts department’s artist in residence, said that now is the perfect time to get students involved in making films. “With interest in filmmaking at an all-time high and the cost of filmmaking equipment at an all-time low, we thought a film festival would be a good way to get the rest of the campus collaboration on making short films,” Taylor said. “They don’t even have to be made using professional equipment — some of last year’s winners were shot on iPhones.” Taylor said he is optimistic that the amount of films turned in this year will be at least twice that of last year. “We launched it last year and got 14 submissions from students all over campus,” Taylor said. Students can either make a narrative-fiction film, or a mini-documentary. Judges will select the top two films in each category and award a cash prize to the filmmakers. The grand prize winner will receive $500 for the best film. Josh Link, a graduate film student, won last year’s grand prize. He noted that anyone that is thinking about making a film needs to block out any doubts or excuses. “My number one suggestion is to forget about all of the reasons why you shouldn’t make a film and just make one anyway,” Link said. “Some of the highest regarded movies in the independent circuit look like garbage, but the content and the story...