Asbury University Presents: 2021 Highbridge Film Festival
WILMORE, KY (April 12, 2021) – Friday, April 16 Asbury University’s 2021 Highbridge Film Festival features workshops presented by the festival judges. Asbury students will learn about a range of topics in the film and television entertainment industry. Past attendees note that the Highbridge workshop sessions offer rare opportunities to interact with leading Hollywood professionals and have been transformative experiences in their career preparation.
This year’s sessions will be held in the first-floor Greathouse Theater at Asbury University’s Miller Center for Communication Arts. With COVID restrictions, seating is limited, so students should get seats early. The last session of the day features a Q&A with our panel of judges reserved for filmmakers who submitted films to this year’s Festival.
The 2021 workshop schedule includes the following:
9:00 a.m.
Navigating a Screenwriting Career
Tyler Hisel, Screenwriter
Find out what to expect from the business of screenwriting, from getting started, to your first sale, to maintaining a career. Hisel draws on his own experience to map out the journey of a working writer, answering questions such as how much to expect to be paid, how to develop both features and television, and how to work on a TV writing staff. Don’t miss this travel guide to each stage of a writing career, from aspiring to established. [Greathouse Theater]
10:00 a.m.
Chapel Hour
11:00 a.m.
From “Lost” to “Chosen”
Justin Tolley, Producer
Tolley got his start in the Film and Television industry on the hit ABC series Lost (2005-2011). After quickly moving up through the production ranks, God called him to step away into the unknown. In this session, Tolley talks about his journey growing in his faith and learning to trust God to open doors and equip him for His purpose. [Greathouse Theater]
NOON
Lunch Break
1:00 p.m.
Seeing the Story
Kevin Bryan, Cinematographer
Explore the expressive storytelling potential of the camera lens. This session will consider the most current digital cinema tools and how they can be made to dynamically perform over the arc of a story in ways that integrate with the director’s vision and actors’ performances. Bryan will engage his experience across continents and project types to help you add depth and nuance to your visual storytelling. [Greathouse Theater]
2:00 p.m.
The Art of the Story Pitch
Tyler Hisel, Screenwriter
Hisel takes us on a deep dive into the craft and business of pitching. It starts with knowing what to expect from the various meetings and how to interact with decision makers throughout the stages of pitching film and television series. With extensive experience in development, Hisel caps off his talk with a walk through of a successful TV pitch. [Greathouse Theater]
3:00 p.m.
The Faith-Based Film Future
Justin Tolley, Producer
Tolley will draw from broad production experience to discuss the evolution of the craft and marketplace of faith-based film and television. As the film and television industry undergoes seismic changes, the faith-based segment is responding with new stories and storytelling techniques, as well as new ways of backing productions and distributing content. This session will shed new light on what makes the segment more compelling than ever as a professional calling. [Greathouse Theater]
4:00 p.m.
Travelogue from Behind the Lens
Kevin Bryan, Cinematographer
Bryan has made a career crossing the globe to help organizations, companies, and ministries visually communicate their most important messages. In this session, he’ll discuss highlights from his experience, as well as how his faith has influenced the way he works with a wide range of productions—from feature film directors and producers to ministry organizations to corporate clients. [Greathouse Theater]
5:00 p.m.
Highbridge Filmmakers & Judges Panel
This session is exclusively reserved for filmmakers, and provides the opportunity to ask questions and interact with our panel of judges. [Greathouse Theater]
About Highbridge Film Festival
The Highbridge Film Festival began in 2005 as a vehicle for Asbury University’s School of Communication Arts to showcase student films and in the process, encourage visual storytelling. Each year the festival selects about a dozen student films and provides a venue for special presentations from Communication Arts and the panel of judges from the film and television industry. The film festival is entirely produced and promoted through the combined efforts of the School of Communication Arts’ Special Events class and student volunteers. 2021 marks the 17th anniversary of the festival, which has grown into a nationally recognized collegiate film festival delighting audiences and attracting wide-ranging interest from the film industry.