Gordon State College Students Take on Lights, Camera, Action With Nexus Film Production Course

By Karolina Philmon, GSC Marketing Manager

Last academic year, The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia gave Gordon State College the green light to begin the process of offering new degrees. Taking on a full launch in August of 2022, a Nexus degree in film production was approved that focused on one of the largest industries in Georgia and one of the most high-demand sectors in the state.

The Nexus degree in film production is a collaboration between GSC and the Georgia Film Academy. The 60-credit-hour degree consists of 42 credit hours of general education and 18 credit hours of coursework that will encompass the high-priority talent demand of film production and the aptitudes valued most within the industry.

"The film Nexus degree is a uniquely Gordon degree that allows students to streamline directly into the Georgia film industry while earning a two-year college degree,” said GSC Associate Professor and Director of Theatre, Lisa Cesnik Ferguson. “One will become an elite member of our historic Georgia college and join Georgia's thriving film industry."

Nexus degrees are college credentials that emphasize hands-on experiential learning, skilled knowledge and connections with industry in high-demand career fields. The degree is additionally valuable for people who may have a job but want to acquire a new skill, or who have not yet completed a college degree and want to advance.

GSC Professor of Theatre, Tony Pearson said that through Gordon’s theatre program, the institution will provide additional support by including at least one short film as a part of their production season. Course content offered within the theatre program would “easily make a Nexus student more competitive at the Georgia film academy.”

“Gordon is looking forward to supporting our students with the resources found in our fine and performing arts media lab. In it, Gordon students can work at the Barnesville campus with some of the very same equipment and programs they’ll encounter in their GFA classes,” Pearson said.

GSC ‘22 alumna of theater, Joba Duke plans on continuing her education at GSC as the film program expands with more courses in production.

“I felt confident when it came to designing a stage performance because of my work with the theatre department at Gordon. The interdisciplinary production course proved to be beneficial to my film career aspiration. I was able to participate in all areas of a film project and learn the technical fundamentals through our exercise coursework. I was constantly surprised by how much practical information my crewmates and I retained,” Duke said.

The GFA will allow GSC students a unique-in-the-nation and a state-wide effort experience that’ll include opportunities to work on authentic projects to develop recognized film credits through partnerships with professional productions.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to offer the film Nexus degree in partnership with the Georgia Film Academy. This degree represents an affordable and accessible pathway for our students to find employment in the entertainment industry,” Pearson said