by Erin Turner | 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...
by Erin Turner | Mar 13, 2014 | News Slider
Graduate film and creative media students joined professionals from Town Square Pictures on the production of The Secret Handshake in the Ezell Center Thursday. The upcoming family comedy stars Kevin Sorbo (Andromeda) and was written and directed by Howie Klausner (Space Cowboys). The production is being filmed on Lipscomb’s campus along with several other locations in Nashville. Graduate students in Lipscomb’s Film and Creative Media Program gained hands-on experience and insight to the field by working with crews from Town Square Pictures. Graduate student Wes Speight joined the electric crew during production in Ezell. “I’ve learned more than I could possibly learn in a classroom,” Speight said. “I’ve learned a great deal about lighting and how that works. Also, how they communicate with other departments and how the director communicates with them.” Because Speight hopes to one day become a director, the hands-on experience he gained from this experience will help him build his career in directing. “I think it’s good to have a general knowledge of how it all works, and I think I’ve gained that by being here and simply just observing,” Speight said. Lipscomb theater majors Abigail Minor and Sydni Hayes joined the set as extras. “We had to audition for this part,” Minor said. “It was a really fun experience, and it was pretty awesome to meet Kevin.” Not only did filming some of the production at Lipscomb benefit film graduate students and theater majors, but it also brought lead actor Sorbo back to his college days. “I’m a college guy, so coming to Lipscomb really brought me back to my college days,” Sorbo said....
