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Close Up: Jeremy Waterbury
Thousands of years from now, it’s quite possible that Jeremy Waterbury’s name will still be on lips of Christian artists throughout the world. The 2009 Compass graduate from Muncie, Indiana, is a testament of blind faith, complete trust in God, and his calling to be a filmmaker.
Shortly before the 2008-2009 classes began, Waterbury and his [...]
“Lights, Camera, Animals” - Compass Film Academy Roll with Themes
What could a pig farm have in common with Victorian England or a cutting edge barber shop? All three subjects are part of the stories in thesis films currently being produced by Compass Film Academy’s class of 2010. The projects this year are some of the most ambitious and complicated productions in the school’s history. [...]
The Role of Intermediaries in Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar succeeds in its epic storytelling by taking a number of familiar myths and stories and subverting their preordained outcome to create a familiar but new story. These myths and stories include the classic intermediaries of Gandhi, George Steven’s Shane, Prometheus, and Moses. By taking elements from each one of these [...]
Battling to Remember the Great War
To documentarian and friend of Compass David DeJonge, Frank Buckles is a cultural icon and historical gatekeeper, a man whose story demands to be told. At nearly 109, Buckles is America’s last surviving veteran of World War I (WWI). Since 2006, DeJonge has been fighting to tell his story.
He first met the centenarian while documenting [...]
CU: The Hardest Working Man On-set - Josh Ensink (07)
Josh Ensink (07) is not ashamed to admit it, his introduction to film making was completely accidental. He shared his story while driving home from a long day as the Travel Coordinator for The Gun, a feature film currently shooting in Grand Rapids. The film stars Curtis “5o Cent” Jackson and Val Kilmer.
A friend of [...]
CU: Mr. Kairos - Karl Koelling (08)
When Karl Koelling (08) relocated his family and fledgling video production company from a small, touristy town in Northern Michigan to Grand Rapids, on almost all accounts his timing was horrible.
Not only was he early into starting his business, he was nearing 40, married with kids, and—if that’s not enough—going back to school.
“Everything external told [...]
